retired_mwilson

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September 2005

The coming start of the league competition felt like the beginning of real action to Jules. While the Belgian Cup matches had been interesting and exciting, they were not the basis on which Mr Mellaerts had brought Jules to the club. The beginning of league action also started with an immediate test of the Willebroek resolve as their opponents Aalst were one of the favourites to win the division

Sunday 04/09/2005 away to Aalst, Belgian Third Division A
With Aalst being regarded as the prime promotion candidates and the media regarding Willebroek as nothing more than cannon fodder and the most likely candidate for relegation, Jules decided to begin the game against Aalst cautiously, adopting a counter attacking version of his basic 4-4-2 formation. Aalst began the match as if they expected it to be over by half-time, they came out with an ultra aggressive attacking formation which Willebroek had a hard time combating in the first 15 minutes. After the failure to score early, Aalst scaled back their attacking intentions but the match remained largely a matter of Aalst attacking and Willebroek defending stoutly. When half-time was reached with the score still at 0-0, Jules was a relieved man as Willebroek had been limited to a couple of long-range efforts while Aalst had had a number of good opportunities and Willebroek were lucky to enter the change rooms at level pegging.

For the second-half, Jules decided that his team needed to attack more. Firstly, to relieve the pressure on the defence but also to try to make clear to his team that that they were not to be content with simply being make-weights in the league. The changes Jules made did not significantly change the pattern of the first-half. Aalst still remained on the attack but the second man up-front meant that Willebroek had more outlet options when repelling the waves of opposition attacks. The match kept in this holding pattern and with 10 minutes to go, Jules was hoping his team could hold out a little longer as he regarded a draw in this match as being a good result.

Fate however decided to take a hand in the proceedings with Jan Huygens as its primary instrument. An innocuous clearance by the Willebroek goalkeeper in the82nd minute led to a hopeful cross by substitute Schouppe into the Aalst penalty area. The ball found Huygens more by luck than by design and quick turn and half-volley resulted in the ball being slotted into the Aalst net. The Willebroek bench went wild with joy while the Aalst players and crowd appeared stunned. With less that 10 minutes in regulation, Jules yelled out to his players to get back and defend and he immediately sent out orders to resume a more defensive formation as he knew that Aalst would come back with all guns blazing. The inevitable assault was resumed by Aalst at the kick-off but the reinforced Willebroek defence seemed to be holding up well. With the minutes ticking away, Jules and the entire Willebroek contingent were on the edge of their seats, hoping against hope that they could hold on to their lead for just a few minutes more and their prayers were answered in the last minute of regulation-time. A quick counter attack in response to another Aalst attack found Huygens just inside the Aalst half, a first time ball was played to substitute Peter Smolders whose pace outstripped the tired Aalst defence and calmly slotted the ball past the approaching Aalst goalkeeper. The second goal removed any remaining fight from the Aalst players and extra-time was played out without any further incident with young Laurens Melotte getting the MOM award for his sterling defensive display.
Aalst 0 – 2 Willebroek


Sunday 11/09/2005 at home vs Wetteren, Belgian Third Division A
Wetteren were a team comparable to Willebroek in that not much was expected of them this season. While the pundits rated the Wetteren team as being the better team, the gap was not as wide as that believed to exist between Willebroek and its previous opponents Aalst. The match against Wetteren started well for the Willebroek squad in its first league appearance at home. Jan Huygens scored from a typical opportunistic effort, turning his defender to scoring off a quick snapshot to put Willebroek 1-0 up in the 10th minute. The score thereafter stayed unchanged until half-time although in this match, Willebroek was taking the game to their opponents while Wetteren preferred to defend and play on the counter attack.

The second half brought little change to the pattern established in the first half with Willebroek attacking and Wetteren being content to defend. In the 69th minute, the Willebroek lead was double by Axel Vergeylen with a shap run and shot from the right wing. The proceedings were completed by a penalty from Pascal Vande Gucht in the 87th minute and another typical poachers goal from substitute Peter Smolders in the 90th who was on his way to making a reputation as an impact player off the bench.
Willebroek 4 – 0 Wetteren


Saturday 17/09/2005 away to WS Woluwe, Belgian Third Division A
With the next away match to Woluwe, Jules Jackson once more adopted his standard 4-4-2 away counter-attacking formation in what was to prove an entertaining but ultimately unsatisfying match for both sides. Attractive attacking play and goal scoring opportunities were created by both sides but in the end, neither had the necessary cutting edge to put the ball in goal. For Jules however, the result confirmed to him that the defence was likely going to be the team strength throughout the season but the midfield, especially out wide needed strengthening and more creativity. Up from , Jan Huygens was performing beyond expectations but beyond young Peter Smolders off the bench, his strike force was lacking potency.
WS Woluwe 0 – 0 Willebroek


Sunday 25/09/2005 at home vs Kapellen, Belgian Third Division A
The match against fellow strugglers Kapellen, proved a bit of an anti-climax for Jules Jackson. After the stalemate against Woluwe, Jules was hoping for a better performance against a Kapellen team who seemed to be the equal of Willebroek. The match however was decided within the half-hour with Jan Huygens scoring in the 4th minute followed by a double from Axel Vergeylen in the 11th and 28th minutes and the first league goal from Giles de Bilde in the 41st minute. With the match effectively over as a competition by half-time, Jules rang the changes at the break bringing in Kevin Stuckens for de Bilde to give Stuckens some match practice after his recovery from injury and Sven van de Heyden for Tom de Craeke to give de Craeke some rest after he had played every minute of the previous 3 matches. With Pascal Vande Gucht scoring from a header after a nicely timed run into the box shortly after the resumption, Jules Jackson even had time to bring on reserve goalkeeper Gilles Berckmoes for the final half-hour to give him some match practice.
Willebroek 5 – 0 Kapellen

retired_mwilson

The first month of league competition had delivered results well beyond Jules Jackson’s wildest dreams, however, he still doubted whether the return of 10 points from a possible 12 was a true reflection of the strength of the Willebroek squad. The match against Aalst could have gone either way and the 0-2 scoreline definitely flattered Willebroek while the 0-0 draw to WS Woluwe could have indicated deeper attacking problems for Willebroek. The wins over Wetteren and Kapellen while deserved, were made to look better by the eventual scorelines than they were in reality as both teams had been competitive at some stages in their matches but had lost heart after the goals against them. However, ending the first month of league competition in 2nd place was a deserved position for the squad after their performances and Jules Jackson went out of his way to confirm that message to his squad.

retired_mwilson

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October 2005

The month of October confirmed the impressions Jules had formed about his team over the first month of competition.

Sunday 02/10/2005 away to RC Waregem, Belgian Third Division A
With the confidence built from the previous months results, the Willebroek stepped out on the field against fellow minnow RC Waregem intent on deciding this game early. The early goal from Jan Huygens in the 8th minute who cheekily pinched the ball from the Waregem central defender before rounding the goalkeeper, seemed to confirm the belief that the game should not pose to many problems for Willebroek. However, half-time came and went without any addition to the score despite the Willebroek pressure, not that Waregem made any attempt to take the game to their opponents, instead they seemed to be relying on a not very effective counter attack to bring them back into the match. With that in mind, Jules reigned in the attacking fever of the first half and the rest of the match was played out without many highlights. Another 3 points in the bag but not a sterling performance from the Willebroek attack however, 2nd position in the league was maintained in the chase after RC Mechelen and the first period title was not yet out of grasp.
RC Waregem 0 – 1 Willebroek


Sunday 09/10/2005 at home vs Torhout, Belgian Third Division A
The match against Torhout saw a change to the Willebroek lineup. Jules Jackson was starting to get tired of Giles De Bilde’s poor conditioning, which made it virtually impossible for him to finish a match, as well as his poor returns in from of goal in comparison to strike partner Jan Huygens. For this match, Kevin Stuckens was brought into the starting lineup to hopefully add more potency to the Willebroek attack. In football, as in life, most things don’t turn out exactly as planned, however, for one day, the changes made by Jules delivered exactly what was hoped for. Kevin Stuckens struck in the 7th minute after a wonderful cross from Axel Vergeylen to the far post followed by a typical poacher’s goal from Jan Huygens after a perfect through ball from Pascal Vande Gucht in the 23rd minute. A third goal in the 36th minute from Jan Huygens after a quick counter attack meant that Willebroek went into the sheds at half-time in total control. A second goal by Kevin Stuckens in the 56th minute was the cherry on the cake and Willebroek finished the game very much in control and passing the ball around like some imitation of a South American team against its powerless Torhout opponent. The only downside to the match was that Stefan Blommaert tore his calf muscle early in the match and the prognosis was that he would be out for between 2 and 4 months. Jules hoped that his loss would not prove to be a major problem as he had a capable backup in central defender Carl Meseure which would allow Laurens Melotte to move to fullback, a position which Jules felt the youngster was better suited to.
Willebroek 4 – 0 Torhout


Sunday 16/09/2005 away to SW Harelbeke, Belgian Third Division A
Jules Jackson wasn’t expecting the match against SW Harelbeke to be similar to the romp against previous opponents Torhout as Harelbeke was one of the pre-season favourites for promotion and currently were holding down 6th place in the table. The match lived up to Jules’ expectations with the teams being well matched. Despite the best intentions of both teams, the cutting edge seemed to have deserted both teams on the day and even the dismissal of Harelbeke striker Mamadou Diop in the 56th minute didn’t change the complexion of the match with both teams defending stoutly and ineffectual in front of goal. The final whistle came as a relief to both managers, for Jules, it ended the frustration of once more not being able to penetrate the defences of an opponent away from home, for the Harelbeke manager, satisfaction that losing a striker didn’t mean losing the match.
SW Harelbeke 0 – 0 Willebroek

The post-match report from his physio’s put Jules Jackson in an even worst mood it appeared that Sebastian Ressart, who had started every match since his arrival at Willebroek was likely to miss at least 2 months with a hip injury suffered during the match. Jules had been aware that he had taken a knock during the first-half and had brought him off at half-time as a precaution but the news was much worse than he imagined. He would have to shuffle his squad for the next match and decided to promote Joeri Schouppe from the bench to the starting lineup. Two major injuries in the space of two matches were starting to test the Willebroek defensive depth and Jules hoped that the rest of his squad would remain reasonably intact until the winter transfer break where he hoped to strengthen his squad.


Sunday 23/10/2005 at home vs Diegem, Belgian Third Division A
The match against Diegem brought some joy back to Jules Jackon’s face as the move to start Kevin Stuckens paid off once more with a quickfire double by the speedy striker in the first 20 minutes. The first goal seconds after the kickoff was due to quick thinking as Stuckens pressured the central defender into giving up the ball and then slotted the ball home from the edge of the penalty area. The second goal was due to a smart run into the box and a fine cross from Axel Vergeylen. Half-time brought a change to the line-up as Joeri Schouppe performance in the first half was disappointing, probably due to the lack of match practice, so Jules brought on the youngster Hugo Zeghers for his second taste of first team football. The second half was played out without much passion from either side and although Diegem tried to take the match to Willebroek in the last 15 minutes, the Willebroek defence, even missing two starters, dealt easily with the Diegem attack.
Willebroek 2 – 0 Diegem


Sunday 30/10/2005 away to Nieuwkerken, Belgian Third Division A
The final match of October saw a change in the trend that Willebroek had developed over the past 8 weeks with free-scoring matches at home and problems in scoring away from home. Jules Jackson understood that the counter-attacking formation away from home was likely to be less fruitful than the more attacking classical 4-4-2 formation used at home, however, 15 goals scored in4 home matches were in stark contrast to the 3 goals in the same amount of away games. The thing that had kept those away matches as draws or turned them into wins was the fact that the Willebroek defence hadn’t conceded a goal in league play this season. However, Jules didn’t want to rely on simply not conceding as sooner or later, the opposition was likely to be more successful in front of goal and in a number of matches thus far this season, only bad luck had prevented teams from scoring.

The match started strongly for Willebroek with the Nieuwkerken goalkeeper quickly being brought into action in response to a couple of early attempts at goal. It was therefore no surprise when Jan Huygens opened the scoring of 15 minutes with a typical snapshot after picking up the ball outside the Nieuwkerken penalty area, beating his defender off the dribble and cracking in a shot from a wide angle. When Pascal Vande Gucht scored Willebroek’s second from a free kick just outside the Nieuwkerken box, the away scoring hoodoo seemed to be well on its way to being broken. When a third goal was added by Vande Gucht in the 43rd minute through a brilliantly timed run to get on to a De Craeke cross, the match was essentially over, especially in light of the minimal resistance Nieuwkerken was offering.

The second half was largely a mirror image of the first with Willebroek forcing the issue and Nieuwkerken providing token resistance. The Willebroek boys became too cocky after the half though and seemed intent on pulling out the tricks for the home supporters. Jan Huygens did however get his second in the 61st minute by robbing one of the Nieuwkerken defenders of the ball and rounding the goalkeeper. Pascal Vande Gucht also had the perfect opportunity to chalk up the first hattrick of his career but spurned the chance when his penalty attempt in the 73rd minute was saved by the long suffering Nieuwkerken goalkeeper. The final score was a fair reflection of the balance of play on the day and with RC Mechelen stumbling to a home loss to Kapellen, the previous day, Willebroek moved into first position on the ladder and into prime position to winning the first period title and a guaranteed playoff position at the end of the season.
Nieuwkerken 0 – 4 Willebroek

retired_mwilson

Just a brief note to explain the period titles setup in the Belgian Third Division and
Second Division, promotion playoff places are determined by a combination of performance in one of 3 discreet period of play and performance throughout the year. For example, the Belgian 3rd Division is divided into two groups, the Third Division A and the Third Division B, each comprising 16 teams which means that 30 regular season league matches are played per year. The winner of both groups at the end of the season gets automatic promotion to the Second Division.

However, there is another slot which provides promotion to the Belgian Second Division and this is determined by a playoff. Teams can gain a playoff position in one of two ways. The 30 matches which make up the league season in the Third Division are divided into 3 portions of 10 matches in the following order, 1-10, 11-30 and 21-30. Any team which gains the most points in any one of these periods, is guaranteed a position in the playoffs for the 3rd promotion position. Now, it often happens that a single team wins more than one or even all 3 periods. In this case, the any remaining playoff positions are determined by final league standings irrespective of performance in any one period. In the Willebroek example, if the club were to win the first period title, it would have a guaranteed playoff position even if it finished up in the lower half of the table.
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retired_mwilson

The end of the first two months of league competition had provided Jules Jackson with a much better perspective on the Willebroek squad. Firstly, and most pleasingly for Jules, it was unlikely that the team would be relegated at the end of the season. This meant that the first and primary objective Mr Mellaerts had set Jules at the beginning of the year was likely to have been met. Secondly, whoever had been responsible for putting together the squad prior to Jules’ arrival, had done a good job. Even without any of the changes Jules had made, he was confident that the squad was strong enough to maintain a mid-table position at least. Finally, Jules was confident that if he managed to find a couple of suitable reinforcements in the winter transfer window, Willebroek would be well in the hunt for automatic promotion at the end of the season. He was careful though to keep these opinions to himself and consciously played down expectations of promotion in front of both his players and the wider football community..

retired_jgirl87

Excellent story, Rustyman. I'll certainly be following your team's progress. :thup:

Apart from the quality writing, the other reason I'm enjoying this is that it parallels my Belgium Division 3 Group A story with KVK Kortrijk that I am doing for the Ages Challenge. However that is on CM01/02, so I don't suppose I'll see the same players, although many of the teams that you are playing are similar.

retired_mwilson

Thanks for the kinds words Spav. I have been keeping an eye on your KVK Kortrijk story and as you say, the teams are the same but we don't have many of the same players in our games. I guess at the level we are playing players, and the rating of them, tend to change/disappear quickly.

All the best on your story as well!!

retired_mwilson

November 2005

Sunday 06/11/2005 at home vs Bornem, Belgian Third Division A
The match against Bornem was no simple match and this was made clear to Jules in the leadup to the match. The portly shopkeeper at the newsagents where he picked up his morning newspaper and who generally respected his privacy, said a quiet “Succes op zondag tegen Bornem” which Jules’ ever improving Flemish interpreted as “Good luck on Sunday against Bornem”, as he handed Jules his change. Mr Mellaerts who tended not to interfere in Jules’ day to day running of the club called to say that he hoped the club would continue its winning ways this coming Sunday but the intention was clear, winning against Bornem would be very well regarded. Eventually when even old men in the pub took the time to lookup from their games of checkers to mumble something in the line of “Beat Bornem on Sunday!!”, Jules broached the subject with his assistant manager Jean-Pierre de Backer. Jean-Pierre, who maintained a standoffish approach to Jules, never rude or insubordinate but always a bit reserved, informed Jules that any match against Bornem was one of the highlight matches of any season for Willebroek. Where the basis for the rivalry lay was unclear but the relative proximity of the two teams, the similarity in makeup, background and success, ensured that matches between the two were always hard fought battles.

With all the build-up in the days preceeding the match, Jules decided to use a slightly more conservative approach on the day. While he realised that winning was important, he was also aware that loosing the match would be seen as a disaster by supports, at all levels. Further complicating the issue was the fact that a win in this match would guarantee Willebroek victory in the first period title and the resultant playoff qualification that brought. Victory was therefore vital, however, defeat was completely unacceptable.

The match itself was a bit of a damp squib. Both sides were well aware of the prestige that was at stake and the first half hour was characterised by lots of passing in their own half by both teams but a bare minimum of attacking threat. While the action improved in the closing minutes of the half hour, neither team had given its supporters much cause for celebration by the break. In fact, sporadic booing was heard by both sets of supporters as the teams walked off the field. For the second-half, Jules decided to go back to his standard attacking formation for home games, and while he may have been tempted to claim this as the catalyst for change, the simple fact was that from a dead ball situation 2 minutes after the resumption, Pascal Vande Gucht curled one into the far corner beyond the reach of the Bornem goalkeeper. The roar that came from the crowd was the loudest Jules had heard the entire season and while the Willebroek faithful were shouting themselves hoarse, Jules had a hard time being heard above the din as he order the players to resume their first half defensive setup.

While Jules was not averse to finishing off the match, he felt that the pressure from the Bornem support would not allow their team to sit back, they would have to adopt a more attacking approach which Jules hoped to exploit with some counter attacking tactics. This did not prove to be the case. Whilst Bornem did make a greater attempt to attack, their attempts were fairly easily blunted by the Willebroek back four and when second goal of the match came, it was no surprise that Willebroek were the scorers. Quick thinking by Axel Vergelen in the 80th minute to play a quick ball through to substitute Giles de Bilde led to a snapshot that beat the Bornem goalkeeper who stood flatfooted as the ball passed him into the net. That goal broke the back of the Bornem resistance and when Jan Huygens scored Willebroek’s by getting his head on to the end of a Vande Gucht freekick in the 84th minute, it barely registered with the Bornem supporters or players.
Willebroek 3 – 0 Bornem

This game brought double victory for the Willebroek squad, locking up a promotion playoff position at the end of the season as well as humiliating the despised local rivals which won Jules and his team an awful lot of credit in both the football and wider community.

retired_mwilson

Saturday 12/11/2005 away to Maldegem, Belgian Third Division A
The past week’s result against Bornem had not yet faded from memory when the following weekend approached. With Maldegem currently occupying an anonymous mid-table position, Jules Jackson decided to change his tactics and play the more aggressive classical 4-4-2 formation away from home. Despite the best intention of Jules and his team, this match return to the standard away match pattern that had manifested itself all season. While Willebroek’s attacking intentions did lead to more attempts on goal than previously normal in away matches, it did bring with it the added risk of being caught out by a quick counter attack by the opponents.

The first half was largely uneventful other than a couple of yellow cards handed out to Willebroek players as they attempted to force the issue. The second half seemed to be resuming the pattern of the first when in the 61st minute Kevin Stukens scored after a coverage area by the Maldegem defence in their own penalty box. When one of the Maldegem central defenders was sent off in the 78th minute for a second yellow card offence, Jules was happy for his team to simply play out the match and take the 3 points. Unfortunately for Willebroek, this was not to be and when Maldegem scored in the 82nd minute from a dead-ball opportunity just outside the Willebroek penalty area, not even an all out attacking effort from Willebroek in the remaining minutes could restore the lead. This time the result was even less palatable for Jules Jackson. In his book, allowing a comeback by the opposition when they were a man down was inexcusable and he let his team know this after the match.
Maldegem 1 – 1 Willebroek


Sunday 20/11/2005 at home vs Cercle Brugge, 6th Round Belgian Cup
The 6th round Belgian cup matchup against First Division Cercle Brugge posed a number of problems for Jules. In his assessment of the upcoming match, he felt that his club stood virtually no chance. The difference in skill level was so enormous that he couldn’t see Willebroek getting a result, even though the match was a home game. With his team having built up quite a head of steam in the league, he was hesitant to risk this momentum and the built up morale with a flogging by a superior team. So when he informed the team of his squad selection for the upcoming match, a number of puzzled glances and murmurs met the announcement. Jules explained to the team that although the match was the highest profile match the club was likely to play this season, he didn’t want to risk what had been achieved thus far and it was an opportunity for the rest of the squad players to prove their worth to the team.

The match itself played out largely as Jules had expected. Cercle Brugge came out with all guns blazing and when they score from a simple header from a corner in the 6th minute through one of their central defenders, Jules feared the worst. However, much to his surprise, his reserves and squad players refused to be cowed by their technically superior opponents and battled bravely through to half-time without any addition to the score. Jules gave a stirring talk at half-time praising his players performance thus far and urging them to maintain the effort for the second half. The second half performance of the Willebroek players matched their first half effort and with a wasteful Cercle Brugge attack, the match ended with the difference being that early goal. Jules was effusive in his praise of his players after the match and he also learned a few things about his reserve players which would go a long way to determining their futures at Willebroek.
Willebroek 0 – 1 Cercle Brugge

Despite the loss to Cercle Brugge, Jules was correct in his assessment that it would probably be the most profile match of the season for Willebroek as the local and regional press made mention of the match in the Monday newspapers as well as noting that Jules Jackson had formed a strong defensive squad having only conceded 3 goals in all competitive matches to date.


Wednesday 23/11/2005 home vs Turnhout, Belgian Third Division A
With the first team players having had an extra few days of rest due to the Belgian Cup match, Jules expected his squad to be sharp for the match against Turnhout. His optimistic outlook was proved correct pretty quickly as Willebroek scored 4 goals before the halftime whistle went. Pascal Vande Gucht opening proceedings with a penalty in the 2nd minute and was quickly followed by a Jan Huygens special in the 8th minute when he stripped the Turnhout goalkeeper of the ball who had foolishly came out of his area and struck from an acute angle. Kevin Stuckens added the third when he toed in a rebound from in the 23rd minute and Giles de Bilde completed the first half scoring with a well taken curled freekick just before half-time. When Kevin Stuckens added his second goal 7 minutes after the resumption, Jules decided to ring the changes bringing on his substitutes but even the changes didn’t stem the flow with goals with Jan Huygens in the 73rd minute and a Jeroen Driessen penalty in the 75th minute completing proceedings.
Willebroek 7 – 0 Turnhout


Sunday 27/11/2005 away to Ruppel-Boom, Belgian Third Division A
The match against Ruppel-Boom after only 3 days rest meant that the small Willebroek squad were still feeling their knocks and bruises from the previous match against Turnhout leading Jules Jackson to revert to his away counter attacking ploy. The match fit the by now standard profile for Willebroek away matches. Kevin Stuckens scored a well taken goal in the 17th minute after a knockdown by Jan Huygens. Once more Jules was justified with his decision to start Stuckens ahead of Giles de Bilde despite the flack he had taken from some supporters and the player himself The joy of the goal was however short-lived as Ruppel-Boom replied from the penalty spot in the 23rd minute. The half was played out without any significant incidents thereafter and even though Jules told his team to adopt a more attacking approach after the half, the results remained familiar with no further additions to the scoreboard.
Ruppel-Boom 1 – 1 Willebroek

retired_kristinb9184

My favourite story at the moment, keep up the good work!