Since Joep Troost made his comeback in the Hoofdklasse Zaal in early January after weeks of recovery from a concussion, the goals have been flying off his stick. On Sunday, the striker earned praise with two beautiful goals against Bloemendaal, but also ran into a second yellow card. Thus he missed the topper against HDM on the same day due to a suspension. Nevertheless, the smile won out over the grumpiness. ‘I am happy to be here again.’
Troost’s Sunday was one that shot in all directions in terms of emotions. First of all because of his team’s results. In the hunt for participation in the play-offs for the Dutch National Championships, the Pinoké men lost by only one point in their two matches in the Sporthallen Zuid in Amsterdam. First, the Steekneuzen lost to Bloemendaal (3-4), followed by a spectacular 5-5 draw against HDM, leader in Pool A.
Troost had to watch that last match from the bench for forty minutes. In the first game of the day with Bloemendaal he played – albeit from a few meters – a ball rock hard into the block that Wiegert Schut had set up. The referee was implacable: a yellow card and two minutes to the side. That card was already the second yellow card for Troost in this indoor competition, which meant that the striker automatically had to serve a game of suspension.
Joep Troost on the bench at Pinoké. Photo: Rob Römer
‘Wiegert knows me well from the Dutch indoor team. He set himself up excellently, didn’t fall for my pretense. I was fairly far away from him, but the speed of the ball cost me. That makes it a justified card. Now I have to watch out for the rest of this indoor season, because every new yellow card is another suspension.
Goal out of frustration
When Troost returned to the field after two minutes on the penalty bench, not much later he launched a rocket from the edge of the circle. From a penalty corner he fired a hard shot, after he had already scored a brilliant field goal in the first half. Anyway, the 23-year-old striker was one of the tastemakers against Bloemendaal, with some inimitable actions and a salvo of explosive shots on goal.
‘That penalty corner did get me going,’ confessed Troost, who has already scored 11 goals in five matches. ‘I was upset about that card and put all my frustration into that shot. You feel you let your team down because of that suspension. That’s why it was nice that that ball flew in, also because we were trailing 4-1 at that point.’
Crooked nose and headache
Despite the suspension, Troost did not linger too long in the chagrin. The striker is only too happy that after months he can play his beloved game of field hockey again. Because at the end of October it was just wrong, when he collided hard with teammate Teun Beins during training with the Dutch national team.
The initial damage: a crooked and broken nose. But Troost also sustained a concussion not much later. Only since a few weeks the striker has fully recovered.
Troost: “I was often nauseous and I had a headache with everything I did. I couldn’t play sports because of that. Even at home on the couch I suffered. Very annoying, because I wanted nothing more than to be on the field. But you have to be patient and careful: you can’t speed up the recovery from a concussion. I found that difficult.
Joep Troost in a duel with Wiegert Schut of Bloemendaal. Photo: Rob Römer
Jealous of teammates
Because of the concussion, and because of a knee injury that was already bothering him, Troost could not keep up with the training group of the Dutch national team. Since his transfer from Almere to Pinoké in the summer of 2023, he had become the focus of attention for national coach Jeroen Delmée and had already made two appearances in the big national team, culminating in a fine goal in the Pro League match against Great Britain in December 2023. Now the world looks a little different for the ambitious striker.
‘Those two injuries came at an inconvenient time,’ Troost acknowledges. ‘I’m just not fit enough right now to be able to join the national team. It makes perfect sense that I dropped out. A few guys from Pinoké [Miles Bukkens, Daan Bonhof and Boris Aardenburg] are going to Australia this month for a training camp and Pro League matches. I am very happy for them and I don’t begrudge them that. But secretly I am also jealous of them.’
Joep Troost regrets his yellow card in the game with Bloemendaal. Photo: Rob Römer
Troost is willing to do anything to become top fit again in order to get back in Delmée’s sights. He is busy with extra training to get back to top level as soon as possible. ‘I train six days a week now. Only on Saturdays do I take rest. I have to do extra work now if I want to be at my best in March when the big league resumes. That means extra running after workouts and lots of sessions in the gym. I just have to be top fit if I want to be at the same level as the other guys in the Orange. Fortunately, things are already going better than expected. I love getting fit through indoor field hockey. I really love this game and I’m glad I’m here again.’
Weekend full of pressure
Pinoké’s indoor season could suddenly be over after next weekend, but the team still has a chance to qualify for the playoffs for the national title, which are on the menu on February 1 and 2. Together with Gooische, the Steekneuzen are now in third place with 13 points from eight games, one point less than number two Bloemendaal. Pinoké will take on HGC and Gooische on Saturday, while Bloemendaal will battle leader HDM and Gooische. HDM is already sure of participation in the playoffs.
Consolation: ‘It will be an exciting day, because the three of us will fight for one playoff ticket. Our assignment is clear: take six points. And then just wait and see how everything turns out. I like the fact that there is a lot of pressure on us and so are my teammates. That was evident against HDM, where we fought back from a 5-3 deficit and could even have won if we had used two penalties. The differences between us are small, but I think we have a team to really go for the title.’
by Hockey.nl
