Steijn starts 16 years after 'infamous' Van den Bergh match, faces Ajax again

Steijn returns to ADO Den Haag as manager; his first match will be against Ajax, 16 years after his debut in the same fixture.

Maurice Steijn has been appointed manager of ADO Den Haag, and the fixture list has delivered a poetic full circle: his first match will be against Ajax, the same opponent he faced in his managerial debut for ADO in 2010.

That 2010 encounter was memorable for all the wrong reasons. With ADO down to ten men after reserve goalkeeper Barry Ditewig was sent off, the club had no other keeper on the bench. Midfielder Ricky van den Bergh, standing just 1.76 metres tall, was forced to don the gloves.

Despite the chaos, ADO held firm until extra time, when Toby Alderweireld's free kick gave Ajax the win. Steijn's debut ended in defeat, but he steadied the ship with two wins in the final four games to save ADO from relegation.

Steijn later became ADO's permanent head coach in 2011 after assisting John van den Brom. He also spent time at Ajax, though the club dismissed him after just a few months in 2023. Speaking at his ADO presentation on Friday, Steijn acknowledged the symmetry: "It's quite something that my first match coaching here was ADO–Ajax.

The famous match when Ricky van den Bergh went in goal. And now the first match is Ajax again."