The end of the regular season is approaching. Before we take a week off because of the international break, we make a trip to the seaside.  At the Diaz Arena, the local coastal boys are looking for points and we expect an open match. A points win for our Kemphans would mean another step closer to participating in PO2, which would be a reward for all the hard work put in throughout the season.

KVC Westerlo

Positive football gets you far. Players have fun, train harder and then perform better. We have been seeing this all season with our Kemphans, thanks to our sporting staff.  After a defeat, heads don’t go down, but chin up and chest forward to complete the next task.

Thus, after a barren game at Standard, the deserved three points were again taken at Kuipje against Kortrijk. Bolat – after suspension – and Fixelles returned to the team to the detriment of Gillekens and Dierckx.  Kyan Vaesen, under the watchful eye of his former school, shot twice and was thus voted Man of the Match. He would also have liked to have had the first goal to his name, but the TV footage clearly showed the Japanese Watanabe handling the ball into his own goal.  Thomas Van den Keybus, who had regained his place in the starting eleven in recent weeks and was on a good run, will not be around in Ostend. He was shown his fifth yellow card of the season by the ref.  A trio of players must be careful not to suffer the same fate in the next home game against Charleroi: Bryan, Maxim and Mathias are in fact on edge.

After the game, 5 players will  join their national team. Bryan Reynolds may obtain his third and fourth cap for Team USA’s Stars and Stripes. Ravil Tagir will join Turkey’s U21 and there is a possibility that he could still join the A-Team team. Nene Dorgeles will play with Mali against Gambia. Jacky Mathijssen selected Maxim De Cuyper and Kyan Vaesen for our national U21.

Did you know?

• We were only able to win for the first time against the Coastal Boys in 2019, having previously faced each other 8 times (5 defeats and 3 draws)
• Igor Vetokele was born in Ostend and also took his first football steps there with the local KV in the year 2006-2007

KV Ostend

All hands on deck for the coastal team. They need to gather enough points in the next five games to retain in the league. They can do so 3 times in the home games against Westerlo, Standard and OHL and in the away games against STVV and on the final matchday against Gent.

Last weekend, they still went on to salvage an important point (4-4) against Eupen in minute 97, after leading three times earlier in that match.  When you also know that they briefly sent Club Brugge home with a dry 3-0 the week before, you know they find their way to goal easily these days. It was also 6 different players who scored all these goals, only Ambrose managed 2 – twice on penalties – the one from against Club Brugge only went in on the resumption.

They face 2 players suspended. Captain Tanghe got a direct red against Eupen and Hornby looked up against one yellow card too many. Top shooter of the team is the aforementioned Thierry Ambrose. The Guadeloupe international scored 7x, including 3 penalties.  Then again, Japan’s Sakamoto handed out the most assists, his tally standing at 6.

Dominik Talhammer, the Austrian coach of Ostend, has not yet forgotten the first match (6-0 defeat) and is looking for revenge. In that match everything went wrong he says, Westerlo also made mistakes of which we did not take advantage. Mentally his team is stronger now and there is more stability.

Did you know

• Top marksman Ambrose played in Manchester City’s youth team.

Nicolas Laforge

He has featured in 18 previous games this season.  On 7 January this year, for instance, he was already on a visit to the coast, when he was allowed to lead the game against Seraing.  That night it ended 1-2 for the Liège side and he had his most active game of the season. No less than 12 times he pulled out a yellow card then and also sent one player to the dressing room early. The 36-year-old Waal was also the referee in the outward match between the two teams and in the past, he has already refereed this affiche. On 18 April 2015, the two teams faced each other – at the then Albert Park – and Ostend won 2-0. 

Text and statistics: Peter Boons