After Excelsior beat FC Utrecht 5-0 earlier on Sunday, only a win against FC Volendam would've kept Heracles alive in the relegation battle. It wasn't to be for the hosts, as FC Volendam took home a 2-0 win, taking them out of the relegation zone and condemning their opponents to relegation.
The loss did not go down well with the home support, as the match was interrupted when home fans threw fireworks onto the pitch in the final minutes.
Heracles Almelo kicked off their season losing 9 of their first 10 Eredivisie games - a streak that cost manager Bas Sibum his job in October. A purple patch under interim manager Hendrie Krüzen, that included a stunning 8-2 win over PEC Zwolle and two more wins in four total Eredivisie games, was the only positive streak of Heracles' dire season.
Ernest Faber took over in December and won just one of his 16 Eredivisie games between rounds 15 and 31. Heracles' sorrows only worsened after top scorer Jizz Hornkamp left the club for AZ during the winter transfer window.
Heracles failed to get out of the relegation zone, finishing 16th, 17th, or 18th in all 31 rounds this year.
The Almelo outfit won promotion to the Eredivisie after a dominant Keuken Kampioen Divisie campaign in 2022-23, winning the league with 85 points from 38 games. Heracles finished 14th in the last two seasons, but will now return to the Keuken Kampioen Divisie.
'Stronger. Together.'
Relegation is a fact, and that reality hurts. Like a stab to the heart. For all of us," the club said in a statement released on Sunday evening.
"For the supporters and sponsors, for all the staff and volunteers, and for the whole town. After the final whistle of the match against FC Volendam, an oppressive silence fell over us. A silence filled with disappointment, sadness and disbelief.
"But also a silence full of determination. Because Heracles Almelo is more than just one season. Greater than a run of disappointing results. Our strength lies in what unites us: the love for black and white, the pride of Almelo and the region, the vibrant spirit of the Asito Stadium. It is precisely in the face of adversity that we show who we are. Now is the time to show who we are. We will not back down. We will stand tall. And we will come back. Stronger. Together."