UR La Louvière Centre – Waremme (03-09-2016)

 

We actually made good time from Paris to La Louvière and have enough time to eat at the fantastic friterie Cook ‘n Frites. However, we enjoy the fries a bit too long and in the end arrive a bit late at the stadium…. Moreover, at the wrong stadium! After some crisis management we finally get to the right stadium some 15 minutes late.

 

UR La Louvière Centre (URLC) was known as Union Royale Sportive du Centre or URS Centre until 2011, when it changed its name, in part because “big brother” R.A.A. Louviéroise (RAAL) had gone bankrupt in 2009 and URS Centre could now become the big club of the town. It also moved to the Stade du Tivoli, the communal stadium of 13,500 that had been RAAL’s home ground. Since the fundamental restructuring of the Belgian football leagues URLC plays in the newly created Division 2 Amateurs (Second Division Amateurs), which is the fifth or sixth division in Belgium (it was impossible for me to exactly track the new system). Today is the season opener, which is quite late, as the top flights in most countries have already played multiple rounds.

 

We get tickets for €10 each and get into the stadium, where we first have to have a whole discussion to get my camera bag into the ground. When we finally sit down 20 minutes have been played but it is still 0-0 (not necessarily a good sign).

There are ca. 500 people, virtually all white, mostly men, and many very old (well beyond 65). On the opposite side of the main stand are the “ultras”, namely the Green Boys and the Wolf Side, both roughly 25 men, who sing for much of the game.

 

We can’t really find any supporters of Royal Stade Waremmien Football Club (or RSWFC), a team from a town that has barely more people than fit in the stadium, which is just an hour from La Louvière (ca. 100 km).

 

In the 22^nd minute a LL striker oes alone at the goalie, no one with him, but the shot is saved. Three minutes later the guests have a similar chance, but the shot hits the knee of the goalie, before it is saved from the line by a defender. Ten minutes later RSWFC again has a chance, but this time the goalie saves spectacularly with his right hand and then deflects the rebound from just 2 meter. Great saves!

 

In the 35^th minute the hosts counter with two on the left and one in the center. One of the two shoots, the goalie saves, the other puts the rebound in front of the goal, where the third one finishes easily: 1-0. Maximal production!

 

The reason that there are few chances has to do with the typical Belgian approach to football, where the majority of players are always kept behind the ball. Both teams hold 6-7 players at all time behind the ball, even when they “attack.” Hence, 1-0 was also the half time score.

 

The second half started as slow as the first half had ended until in the 50^th minute LL shoots from 30 meter, straight at the goalkeeper, who completely misses the bounce just in front of him, and it goes in: 2-0. One of the most unbelievable mistakes I have ever seen in a game.

 

The guests take it hard, whereas the hosts become a different team. In the 55^th minute they get a free kick at about 20 meter, which is shot hard around the wall and inside the far corner. A good kick but the goalie should have had it. 3-0 nevertheless.

 

In the 63^rd minute the guests finally get a chance to do something back. A dumb foul in the box leads to a penalty but the excellent goalie stops it – and the penalty kick was actually quite good. The guests try it a few more times with some attacks but can’t score. In the 76^th minute the hosts punish them for it. After a corner kick three players are free in front of the goal, one heads it in: 4-0.

 

This is also the final score. An amazing start to the season which also took the fans by surprise.

Despite the relatively poor quality, which can be expected at this level, URLC is a nice club to visit. It has a small but very loyal support, who must relish in the fact that they are finally the top team in town.

Royale Union Wallonie Ciney – Royale Union Saint-Gilloise (28-02-2015)

Given that we were parked so close to the stadium, we were out of Cologne in no time and had no problem making the 215 km (135 miles) trip to Ciney in Wallonia, the French speaking southern part of Belgium. We even had time to make a stop at Friture Gigi in Welkenraedt (near Liege) and get some much-needed coffee in Ciney itself.

Ciney is a small touristic town and the team was promoted to the Derde Klasse (Third Division) of Belgian football last year. The Stade J. Lambert is one of the cutest stadiums I have ever visited. The stadium was inaugurated in 1975 and holds 5.000 – although I didn’t see how they would ever fit in there.

The ticket office, and only entrance to the stadium, is at a dead end of a residential street. We bought tickets for 10 euro each after which we descended into the stadium, which lays below street level. This evening there are ca. 350 people, of which at least half are away supporters, who made the 87 km (55 miles) trip from Brussels.

 

Most of the home fans are older and local. The away fans are more mixed. There are some old, long-standing fans, but the majority are hipsters and students from Brussels, as Union has become a cult club among the more and less alternative (and affluent) youngsters in Brussels. At least the Union fans drum and sing, so that the game has a good atmosphere.

 

Union has a very young team with talented, but really short and egocentric players. They are the much better team, but their problematic mentality and lack of team spirit keeps Ciney in the game for the first 30 minutes.

In the 38^th minute Union has a good attack: the striker stops the ball at the penalty spot and places it cool in the upper corner: 0-1. This leads to much excitement among the loud away fans, including some fireworks.

Two minutes after the goal Union has another good chance, but this one goes just wide. For Ciney half time cannot come quick enough. Half time score: 0-1.

The second half starts with a surprise. In the 50^th minute a good attack by Ciney gets a lucky deflection in the box: 1-1. Five minutes later a great Union attack over left leads to a good cross and an excellent finish: 1-2.

Within five minutes the score is even 1-3. A good attack over right, after a long cross, is headed low, under the bad goalkeeper. Ciney respond with a good attack, but the header is bounced out of the goal by the goalkeeper and the rebound goes just wide.

The young Union players become even more egocentric, as they know Ciney has been beaten and it is even easier to score. Many chances are wasted. In the 83th minute a great Union counter is poorly controlled by the striker so that the Ciney goalie can get the ball. Just before the end of the game Ciney gets a penalty. When they hit the crossbar, it is clear that it is not to be. Union wins this game 1-3.

RUW Ciney is one of the cutest teams I have ever seen. Everything about it screams amateurs. They seem to enjoy their spell in the “big leagues”, knowing it cannot last. In fact, they are doing so well that they run the risk of getting promoted to the Second Division, which they will have to turn down, as their stadium is not up to those standards and a renovation would be too costly (and would kill this great groundhop destination).

RJS HL Fleurus – Union St-Gilles (16-03-2014)

Having seen an evening game in St. Gallen, Switzerland, the night before, we had to drive long (a bit over 700 km) to make it to Charleroi, Belgium, the next day to be able to see the afternoon game in the Derde Klasse B (Third Division B). Unfortunately, our car ran into major trouble and when we finally made it to Charleroi, we were unable to find the stadium – no one, including the police, knew where we needed to go. This was not that surprising, as Royale Jeunesse Sporting Heppignies-Lambusart-Fleurus, or RJS HL Fleurus, is one of those many merger-teams in the (lower) Belgian divisions. Sadly, I have to say “was” a team, as 2013-14 turned out to be the last season that RJS HL Fleurus existed. Going back to Etoile Sportive Fleurusienne, which was founded in 1909, it went through three mergers to finally go under in a huge reshuffling of smaller teams in Wallonia.

KSK Heist – FC.V.Dender E.H. (02-04-2011)

After having enjoyed a relaxing game in the sun in Koblenz, we had driven to Belgium for a concert, hoping to still see an evening game in the neighborhood. Unfortunately, the concert took longer than expected, and so we arrive at the Gemeentelijk Sportcentrum (Communal Sports Center) in Heist-op-den-Berg, Flanders.

We buy a ticket for €10 and walk to the pitch. We are 22 minutes late and the hosts are 1-0 up. The visitors in this Tweede Klasse (Second Division) game is the FC Verbroedering Dender Eendracht Hekelgem, a typical Belgian construction of a variety of local mergers. Some 60 fans have made the trip from Denderleeuw, roughly 70 km (45 miles) southeast. Most are drunk and enjoy themselves with loud shouting and fireworks.

As we circle the pitch, looking for food and drink, the home team wraps up the game. In the 28^th minute they score the 2-0 and two minutes later 3-0, all by the same player: a real hatrick! The roughly 500 home fans cannot believe their eyes.

Leading 3-0, KSK Heist remains the better team, but they no longer pressure. Hence, Dender can get back into the game. In the 40^th minute they have a good shot from 20 meter, which is hit over the goal by the goalie. Half time: 3-0.

The second half is tame, as so often when the first half had many goals. Somehow the hosts cannot motivate themselves anymore and their pace is low and passing sloppy. They play defensively, letting the guests come but giving them little space in the last 25 meters.

As far as chances go, Dender has the few more remarkable ones. In the 59^th minute a cross is deflected close to the goal, but the KSK goalie saves. In the 67^th minute a surprising shot from 25 meters goes wide. These are, roughly, the highlights of the second half. We leave several minutes before the end, to get something to eat, but the final score remains 3-0.

KSK Heist is a typical lower division Belgian team with poor facilities and a small support base. They are always a bad season away from bankruptcy and forced merger with a similar club in the near region.