 They did not become the league champions but gained promotion to the Eredivisie through the promotion play-offs at the end of the season.In the Eredivisie he was a first team regular for Excelsior, but they struggled to compete with the other teams and relegated back into the Eerste Divisie straight away.Buijs almost moved to Sparta Rotterdam as Henk van Stee almost became their manager, but when he eventually became Excelsior's new manager he decided to stay and play another year on Eerste Divisie level.