Forget the World Cup, long live the Croky Cup. The first 1/8th finals will be played on Tuesday evening, there are still 3 matches on Wednesday. Deinze welcomes Zulte Waregem and is the only club from 1B still participating in the cup. “On a good day we have a chance”, says old acquaintance Steve De Ridder.
For the 1B clubs, the end of the World Cup means the start of their short winter holiday, but that kite is not yet valid for Deinze.
The 1/8th final against Zulte Waregem in the cup is their extension. “A win would be a nice end to our year,” says Steve De Ridder, 35 and ex-Zulte Waregem.
In the previous round Deinze knocked Eupen. “We can look forward to this match with confidence and I think we have a good chance in a good day.”
Deinze has not been idle in recent weeks, Essevee picks up again after the World Cup and a month without competition. An important difference?
“Yes, it can certainly be an advantage for us. We are in shape and we are fit.”
“Confidence in the future: there is a strategy”
At Deinze they can laugh again after a turbulent start to the season. It came into Asian hands almost a year ago, but that takeover had many teething problems.
After the entry of Marc Grosjean as T1 in October, Deinze is running again. “That trainer change was badly needed,” says De Ridder. “There is now more structure and clarity in our game.”
The ambitious chairman Denijs Van de Weghe is also pleased with the turnaround. “Installing a new trainer was the right choice. And the folds with the owners have been ironed out again.”
“I still have ambition. We were last and then you have to ring the bell so that everyone is awake.”
“Next year we are aiming a step higher. In 2026 we will be 100 years old. Then staying in first class, that is still a dream.”
In 2026 we will be 100 years old. Then staying in first class, that is still a dream.
But first the reality: the cup Wednesday night. “Three years ago we unexpectedly beat Club Brugge”, the chairman remembers.
“More than 5,000 fans were present at the time and now 4,000 tickets have already been sold. I estimate our chances at fifty-fifty. Reaching the quarter-finals would be a milestone.”
“It’s a derby and I hope it will be a great party with the qualification for Deinze,” says T1 Marc Grosjean.
“In the cup it is often David against Goliath and sometimes the little one wins. Hopefully we can give our club that joy.”
He is also very optimistic about Deinze’s future. “There is a strategy. We know where we want to go. The resources are there too.”
“I have confidence in the future. The near and medium term. Promoting to 1A is complex, but there is perspective.”
“There has always been ambition here. There is now one more step. And the day we succeed, we will be ready. That is a very big advantage.”
