Do you already see the (snow) shower? The chance that Voetbal Vlaanderen will decide to postpone this weekend’s matches seems quite high to us. To provide our readers with sufficient reading material, we turned to Nicolas Gheeraert. He is still competing for prizes with Wielsbeke in the West Flemish first provincial and we kept our finger on the pulse of the 32-year-old midfielder. We got straight to the point and asked whether Wielsbeke still belongs in the list of title candidates.
“It will be difficult. We have to close a gap of six points on Wervik and Zwevegem also has a bonus of three points compared to us. It is especially a pity that we lost 0-1 in the final phase in the match against Wervik. Add that point to us and subtract the two from Wervik and we follow with three points. That match was the match in which I was most disappointed. Anyway, the gap with the other top players is not unbridgeable.”
And in which match were you most satisfied when you went to the dressing room?
“That was the case with every win, but also after the draw against Zwevegem Sport. We then showed mental strength by turning a 0-3 deficit into a 3-3 draw.”
Who is your most underrated player?
“Strikers like Lars Vandenbroucke and Alessio Van Den Broucke are of course doing well and are decisive due to their offensive strength, but I think more of Dries Wysselinck. Dries is not the man who provides the goals or the assists, but at the back it is someone who plays his match week after week and who you can rely on.”
And who do you think of when you look back on your entire career?
“Then I think of some of the boys from Petegem. Davy Joye for sure. Formidable kick, flawless. But Rienes and Anton Van Borm just as good. Top players on and off the field. Kenneth Weytens too. Just like Wysselinck, a boy who does not stand out, but is there week after week.”
Is there such a thing as your best moment in your career?
“Definitely my period at Sparta Petegem. Didn’t win a prize, but we had fantastic years there. We also played in a very nice series with teams like Dender, La Louvière and Eendracht Aalst. We won both in La Louvière and Aalst and winning those matches against teams of that caliber, that will stay with me.”
What sport would you have played if you had not become a footballer?
“Then I would have become a regular runner. I always liked doing that and was good at it. I had a high VO2Max. This summer, for example, I am doing the half marathon of the Mont Ventoux. It is difficult to estimate how well I will succeed, but it seems like a fantastic experience and I am looking forward to it.”
Is there a future trainer in Nicolas Gheeraert?
“I certainly cannot rule that out. I am already training the U6s at Dentergem, my son Briek’s team. I like it in itself. Although I know well enough that coaching a first team is very different.”
Which trainers did you learn a lot from?
“You remember something about every trainer, but someone who certainly stays with me is Stefan Leleu. You should know that I am an Essevee supporter and that you certainly look up to a player from the first team. Leleu is also a charismatic figure. But you learn something from every trainer. Wim Van Acker was a great ‘people manager’, while Dieter Lauwers was someone who always knew how to pluck the right strings. Last season we had Maarten, for example Deschuymere and although the results were somewhat disappointing, they did well.”
Have you retained any friendships during your career so far?
“The atmosphere in a team is often great, but the cliché also means that it all fades away a bit. But as far as I am concerned, friendship does not depend on whether you see each other a lot. For example, I get along well with Thijs De Rock, but it is not the case that we are at each other’s doors. Piet-Jan De Coninck is also my physiotherapist and so you have a number of boys with whom you remain somewhat ‘close’ despite the fact that you no longer share the dressing room.”
Are you superstitious as an athlete?
“No, not at all, although I did have a fixed ritual before the match. For example, I always took a short walk beforehand. That also has something to do with Zulte Waregem. I live close to the Leie and often saw Francky Dury and his team take a walk. I always do that now. With the children there, it is a bit distracting before the match.”
Are you knitting another year?
“That is certainly the intention, although my future is still somewhat uncertain. At Wielsbeke it may be a finite story. But I am not done with football yet. I am still having too much fun. I will see what comes my way. I do think that I can still be a useful pawn for a first provincial or second provincial team in the autumn of my career. I am in education and think that I can also be a mentor for young players. In that respect, I think that some trainers are falling short. How do you deal with a player in a dip in form? How do you deal with a boy who is blundering? In that respect, I think a role like T2 would also suit me, although I still mainly want to be on the field and do my best to get the points.”
