For many GVC 2 Saturday players, the season 2023-2024 will be unforgettable. This also goes for Aris Amygdalaris, a dedicated player of the team. In this article, Aris shares an overview of the season from his perspective, highlighting the key moments, the emotional highs and lows, and the teamwork that led them to become champions.
The best season of my football life ended yesterday in the best possible way! We became champions after beating a very strong opponent at our home in front of our supporters. The party that followed was also unforgettable. However, there were many ups and downs until we reached this point.
The season started with many new additions in the team. There was a lot of talent, but it always takes time to trust each other and build a nice chemistry. We finished the first half having four wins and five losses. A decent half I would say. I was happy because I managed to come back from my knee injury at the end of October and improve my play game by game.
We reached the Christmas break and the winter transfer market. Four good friends and great players with a lot of experience, Kostas, Vasilis, Davi and Papa, joined the team, and it was time to move to our new chapter. I thought that with those additions, this team cannot lose a game anymore. “Guys, let’s win the last 11 games and let’s become champions! We can do it!”
And then it started.
27/1/24 WAVV – GVC (1-5)
3/2/24 GVC – DTS (2-1)
24/2/24 Blauw Geel – GVC (0-2)
2/3/24 GVC – Advento (6-0)
9/3/24 SKV – GVC (0-9)
23/3/24 GVC – Wageningen (5-2)
6/4/24 FC Jeugd – GVC (0-5)
13/4/24 GVC – WAVV (3-0)
After those eight wins (five clean sheets), we found ourselves first in the leaderboard, but we still had the last games against our three closest rivals. We needed 3 more!
The game against Bennekom was one of the toughest, and one that I will never forget. We were 0-1 ahead when I felt my knee cracking again after a shot that I took. I was subbed out with terrible pain. A few minutes later, we scored a second goal. However, the opponents did not surrender and came back with a 2-2 a few minutes before the final whistle. Fortunately, Cem came from the bench and gave us our nineth straight win with a buzzer-beater goal.
20/4/24 Bennekom – GVC (2-3)
The personal messages of support that I got from everyone were really special. I would give everything to play the last two finals, but the season was over for me already.
The second final was against ONA away in a full stadium. After a great performance and total football, we got our tenth straight win. Davi scored the first goal and made the fastest sprint in his life to celebrate with me at the bench. That means a lot mate! The opponents were unable to follow our tempo and more goals came to secure a convincing win.
11/5/24 ONA – GVC (1-4)
And the time for the last final came, against Fortissimo this time. We needed one point to mathematically finish first, but of course we wanted to keep the winning streak till the end.
De Bongerd was full. Families and friends created a very nice atmosphere pushing the team to the last whistle. The first minutes were stressful and my heart was beating like crazy until we scored the first goal. The rest was a matter of time. Even though Fortissimo was our toughest opponent, all of my teammates had an excellent performance. A second goal in the last minutes of the game was the icing on the cake.
18/5/24 GVC – Fortissimo (2-0)
AND WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS!!!
A BBQ and an ICA party followed the celebrations. It was a day to remember. It had to be!
To sum up, it was a season that I will never forget! We started as individuals who became a family. We trusted and fought for each other. I will definitely miss the pre-game breakfasts with my teammates, the pre-game speeches in the dressing room, the adrenaline of the game, and the passion of the celebrations. But all of those will be my motivation to recover well and come back stronger next season.
* Thank you all for this great experience. Especially my coach, Baibing Yan, for the personal support and the nice coaching.
** Special thanks to Alex, Papa, Oro and our captain Bouba for the endless football-related discussions.
*** Forca GVC!!!
Aris Amygdalaris