Confidence
ADO Den Haag 4-3 FC Groningen 8 April 2017
ADO boss Fons Groenendijk said this week that winning had the same effect as doping his players, which explained why he hadn't tinkered with his team during their two-game winning streak.
Within the comment was an observation/slight dig at Sparta boss Alex Pastoor's tinkering with his team (they play each other in a week) but on this basis Fons's way is working better.
ADO were unchanged for their third match in this 'English week', the most frenetic nine days in the Dutch football calendar with every club playing 3 times.
They put an inconsistent Groningen away within 10 first half minutes, after the northeners had briefly threatened, forcing right back Tyrone Ebuehi to clear off his own line from Jenssen's header.
ADO were ahead on 13, after target man Mike Havenaar forced a corner, which was cleared to midfielder Meissner. His shot was going out for a throw in until Danny Bakker waved a foot at it and it flew past a flat footed Padt in the Green's goal.
Eight minutes later man of the match Dion Malone got in on the act following up after a Sheraldo Becker cross led to a shot from tash-tastic Frenchman Duplan, His close range effort cannoned off Padt's bulk straight to a gratetful Malone, who couldn't miss and didn't.
Becker also had the assist for the third on 23, a cross from the right to Havenaar who rose unmolested to head in back across Padt. 11,348 celebrated in song not being relegated this year.
If Ernest Faber's half time pep talk was eventually effective, it clearly didn't immediately sink in as the first thing Groningen did in the second half was concede a fourth, the ball nearly worked out on the left between Malone and Duplan, leading to a cross from Meissner and a neat finish with his left foot by Malone, wrong-footing Padt.
It actually woke Groningen up, who a few minutes later reduced the arrears from the penalty spot, Malone being penalised when it looked from replays like the Groningen player was holding him, not the other way around. Mahi dispatched it for 4-1.
On 63 minutes, Linssen reduced the arrears further with a great finish from the edge of the area after the ball was cleared to him from a corner. His powerful shot took a deflection on its way past Zwinkels in the ADO goal, who probably didn't see it until it was over the line.
Linssen bagged his second, a driven effort from 20 yards in stoppage time, when ADO looked tired in thought and deed.
Too little too late from Groningen. It remains to be seen in ADO's soaring confidence is enough to defeat PSV, who are at the Kyocera next Saturday evening.
