Jorge Alivio ~ A man of values ~ Part. 8

But before the league, it’s the traditional national cup.

Here is our team and our formation for the first official match of the season in the Belgian Cup on the ground of Royal Aywaille (amateur club).

Holy shit, we really had a hard time ! We’re going through this round of the Belgian Cup against amateurs, but they played a great game or we played a horrible one, I can’t really tell yet. We’ll wait until the start of the championship before drawing any conclusions.

In our first league match, we drew 0–0 against Dender.

Next step, the Belgian Cup again.

We played Meux in the Belgian Cup and we again struggled against an amateur team. We won on penalties. I’m really going to have to remedy this very poor quality of play.

For our second league match, things finally went better. We conceded the opening goal, but then we were extremely efficient and in 10 minutes we wrapped up the match. I congratulated the guys and told them that with that, our season was off to a great start !

Eight matches have passed. Several observations can be made from the standings. Still undefeated, best defense in the league, one of the worst attacks, an unspectacular team, but we are 5th, which was a bit unexpected following the first cup matches at the start of the season. I don’t know exactly how many games the first phase ends at to determine the first play-off spot, I think it will be around 11 or 12 matches.

Our stadium is one of the fullest, which is very nice, because we have 5,000 seats maximum and there are around 4,593 per game, thank you to our fans.

The first phase of the championship ends after 10 games. OHL dominated this first part and is logically qualified for the playoffs. Given that there are 34 games, I wonder if the other two phases will also have 10 games or 12 each to make 34 games.

In the Belgian Cup, we played away at the first division leaders, Genk. They gave us no chance, and we never managed to get a shot on goal. That’s the difference between the top level and us so far.

A big home game against the leaders, OHL.

Ten Hove was almost full with 4,988 spectators. The match’s two goals came in 10 minutes, resulting in a logical 1–1 draw. The two teams traded blows.

We remain 4 points behind OHL in the general classification and we are well placed in the standings for the second phase of the championship.

Dessel Sport came to sign one of our most important attacking players of the season.

We also made an offer, but Masoudi (inexplicably) preferred to go to the 16th-placed team in the second division.

To replace Masoudi and help us secure a place in the play-offs, we brought in Mohamed Berte on loan from Mechelen.

We advance to 2028,

finishing second in the overall championship and first in the second phase.

We still have three (or more) matches to qualify for the playoffs.

Two matches later,

we just caught up with OHL in the standings, we are now tied on points in the overall standings. Still undefeated with the same number of wins as OHL.

I think the second phase of the championship will be played over more than 10 matches because we have a five-point lead after the ninth match and we still haven’t officially qualified. We’re looking forward to the relief.

Two games later again,

we overtook OHL, who had suffered their first defeat, and we officially qualified for the playoffs.

I told the guys that if we kept up this incredible pace, we wouldn’t need to play in the playoffs, which are based on current form.

First defeat the following day, how can we not believe that the players relaxed because of the qualification for the play-offs ? Lokeren were extremely efficient but we still played well so I’m not worried.

OHL has nevertheless moved ahead of us in the standings. The second phase is over and consisted of 12 games, so the final phase will also be 12 games.

Our goalkeeper Liam Bossin saved a last-second penalty on the pitch at Standard Liège B, which puts us back in first place in the standings as OHL lost another match.

I had some very good news from Holywell, 3rd League Cup final in 3 years.

And this time, they won it ! Their first title since I left. I’m so proud of them, tonight I’ll have a beer in their honor.

There are 5 games left to play, we are still leaders in the general classification, if we finish 1st, we will go directly to the first division, that is what we are aiming for.

In the next five matches, we will face the 11th, 10th, 5th, 4th and 2nd teams in the championship. It won’t be easy, but we’ll give it our all.

The first match went our way, we beat Beveren while OHL surprisingly lost at Dender. 4 points ahead with 4 games remaining.

A 0–0 draw on the OHL pitch. That suits us because we’re four points ahead of our opponents.

After the third match, the gap is still the same, as both leading teams have won. We can become champions next matchday when we travel to Anderlecht.

And it’s done ! With Jorben Vanhulle’s 15th goal (who then missed the double), we win at Anderlecht against the B team and we are champions of the 2nd division !

We will therefore be directly promoted to the next level for the second consecutive year. I spoke in the locker room :

“Honestly guys, after our very start to the season, the friendlies and the first cup matches, I thought it would be incredible to reach the play-offs. But as the season progressed, I felt we had found a cruising speed. And from the second phase onwards, I found us really calm on the pitch. So I always avoided talking to you too much so as not to disturb this tranquility that was helping us move up the table quickly. Honestly, I didn’t see last season, you all performed at a very good level and at an excellent level at crucial moments, which allowed us to get here. You can be proud of yourselves. Even if we won’t all be together next year because of the loans, enjoy this evening and the last match together because this squad is and will remain unique.”

It’s the end of the season for us, we’ll be watching the play-off matches with pleasure to see who gets promoted with us to the 1st division.

If we take into account the ratings, our best player is Doudah, he was solid in midfield and will join us on transfer this summer.

Our top scorer this season is Kaissi, once again the attacking midfielder who has scored more than the striker. He will also join us on transfer this summer.

Our striker Vanhulle has still scored 15 goals in 31 league games, which is respectable. He will also join us this summer.

Finally, I would like to salute the performance of our captain, Juanda Fuentes, who was not in the starting 11 at the start of the season and who was able to impose himself in particular thanks to his assists.

We have recruited a new scout to increase our chances of finding players good enough to play in the first division.

It was Oostende who won the play-offs to be promoted with us to the first division.

OHL missed out on promotion by one game, and ultimately, it’s the fourth-place teams who will be joining us to the next level. That’s the harsh law of the playoffs.

Hasselt fans have voted Liam Bossin Player of the Year for the second consecutive season.

I’m very happy for Liam, who arrived on a free transfer from Oostende two years ago. Unfortunately, I think he’ll have to give up his place to a better goalkeeper in the first division.

Our fans have been there to support us throughout the season. We’ll have the smallest stadium in the league next year, but we can count on them.