The defender starred in Europe for Union SG last season – and almost won the Belgian league
Interview Sean Cole
INTERVIEW
Late on the final day of last season, Union missed out on their first Belgian title since 1935. How was that day?
We were confident that we simply needed to win our game. Antwerp were away at Genk, who were both still in contention, and the only way we wouldn’t win the championship was if Antwerp won, or we failed to win. We thought that we had to take care of our own business – we were doing that until the 89th minute at home to Club Brugge. The feeling when the equaliser went in was just one of shock and devastation. We couldn’t believe that it had happened. Then we knew that we had to score, because if we didn’t win, one of the other two teams would claim the title. We went all out and conceded again. Then it really was over.
How long did it take you to recover from that disappointment?
I was still thinking about it when I returned for pre-season, because we were so close. If we’d managed to hold out for five minutes and not conceded, we would have been the champions, which would have been a really incredible achievement. It was a really tough one to take. I’m sure in the future we can look back and be proud, but it was very raw then. Even now, it still crosses your mind.
Since you helped the club back to the top flight for the first time in 48 years, Union have twice fought for the title.
We’ve definitely exceeded expectations. We have been competing against clubs with a more settled history. We’re overperforming the size of our club and our budget. Every year, we’re back to being underdogs. It’s up to us to prove we’re here to stay. Winning the title would be an incredible achievement after being away from the top flight for so long. That’s what makes it hurt so much more that we missed out the last two years. You’ve been at Union for three years now, since joining from Portsmouth at the age of 28. What’s life like in Brussels?
It feels more and more like home as time goes on. It’s a friendly city. There’s a lot of interest in Union’s rise, and Brussels is a hub of European politics, so you do meet people from all over the world. I’m slowly picking up on French, starting to communicate better. I definitely see a future here.
How long did it take you to adapt?
It felt pretty smooth. You’re away from your friends and family, but I met my wife here and we got married recently. There haven’t been too many challenges. You have to go through the visa process and also apply for residency – with Brexit there were a couple more appoi
