Only after almost half an hour of play did Volendam’s first chance present itself, as a corner kick from George Cox flew just wide of the Sparta goal. That strengthened the visitors somewhat, but it was not really convincing in an attacking sense. Ten minutes before half-time, Vivaldo Semedo was very close to a Volendam goal after he extended Cox’s low cross behind the supporting leg. At the other end, Josh Flint made a hopeless mistake, but Mito pushed the ball wide.
After the break it was messy and sloppy on both sides. Booth had the biggest chance with a hard shot from the spin, but the ball ended up in the hands of goalkeeper Nick Olij. The strong wind made the game difficult and made for a questionable level.
Counter goal
Halfway through the second half it was a hit for Sparta. Lauritsen tapped in after a good attack on the left side, where Volendam was fully visible: 1-0. After the goal, Volendam was also unable to squeeze out a final offensive, which made it a disappointing outcome.
Competitor RKC Waalwijk played a draw against FC Utrecht, increasing the gap to sixteenth place (play-offs) to six points. Next Sunday, FC Volendam will play against Ajax at home. Kick-off is at 2:30 PM. If the Volendam team lose and the competitor takes one point, relegation is a fact.
FC Volendam line-up: Backhaus, Buur (Payne/61), Mirani, Flint, Cox (Plat/75); Le Roux, Twigt, Van Driel (De Haan/61); Johnson (Douiri/61), Semedo (Hoeve/46), Booth
