With Day One of the trip in Bruges done and dusted and a hearty breakfast inside us, we jumped on the train and headed back to Brussels with a supply of Jupiler to keep the spirits high. With another train being required for our next adventure we dropped our bags at the hotel before stopping for a quick one on the way back to the station. Lee and Dave’s day got better and better as they followed their beloved Leeds via text surprise them with an opening day win over Wolves.
Greeted by Ghanian Oliver wearing the coolest of patriotic outfits we were back at the train station, about to embark on the famous Brussels to Mechelen train ride, following in the footsteps of those lucky passengers who were the first people to experience train travel in mainland Europe some 187 years ago. After Belgium declared it’s independence from the Netherlands in 1830, their neighbours closed off their canals and access to Antwerp. King Leopold I then commissioned a Railway to be built after being inspired by seeing the first trainline in the world from Manchester to Liverpool, further routes were added over the following years but Mechelen has always been at the heart of the European network.
Unfortunately due to the heavy schedule there was little time to see what Mechelen had in store other than the football, Mechelen is a relatively small city in Belgium with just 87,000 inhabitants, was once the capital of the low countries in the 16th century, situated halfway between Brussels and Antwerp it is again a Flemish speaking city so hopefully our accents were up to scratch now on Day 2.
A tragic past
One of the most visited sites in Mechelen highlights a very tragic side to the city’s history. During the second world war whilst under the occupation of Nazi Germany, The Dossin Barracks were used as a transit camp which over the course of 2 years was a point of transition for 25,000 Belgian Jews and Romany people as they were sent to Auschwitz and other concentration and extermination camps, these horrific events are now remembered with a Holocaust museum on the location of those barracks.
Sadly we also missed out on trying the local beer, Maneblusser (Moon extinguishers), a name originating from the nickname of the people of Mechelen after an incident back in the 17th Century when locals tried to put out a fire in St Rumbolds Tower, on seeing the lit up smoke coming from the tower they quickly assembled, only to realise when they reached the top that it was the moon reflecting through low fog.
On arrival in the city we set off on foot to the AFAS stadium, the first in Belgium to cede to naming rights but until then the 16,000 seater was known, and still is by the fans as the ‘Achter de Kazerne’, behind the garrison. Only a 30 minute walk from the station but a slight detour can take in the picturesque Grote Markt and the aforementioned Dossin Barracks if time and weather permits.
Club History
In terms of the hosts themselves, KV Mechelen, another Royal team, founded in 1904 have a total of 4 league titles to their name but just 2 cups, with such small numbers in more than 100 years it may be a surprise to hear they won the Cup Winners Cup in 1988, the last Belgian team to succeed in Europe. They followed that up with a super cup win against PSV and 2 years later after winning their 4th and last league title they made the European Cup Quarter Final, only to fall to Arrigo Sacchi’s Milan. Decline over the following years led to relegation due to bankruptcy in 2003 but their darkest day was yet to come.
Relegated in 2017/18, they followed this up with a sensational season by winning both the Belgian second division and the Belgian Cup. However, in later transpired that Mechelen had been involved in a match fixing scandal during their relegation season thus resulting in a ban from Europe, however upon appeal their relegation back to second division was overturned but UEFA stuck by their decision to prevent Mechelen venturing into Europe again.
Game time
After an 8th place finish last year the opening 2 games have yielded 0 points, paired with the fact that todays opponents, the stars of last seasons fairytale story, Union St-Gilloise, had opened with a win and a draw, the pressure was on. The main saving grace was that this game came in between Unions 2 most important games for many years, a two leg play-off for Champions League Football against Rangers. The first leg at home ended in a 2-0 victory and as a result they were one step away from the final qualifier. Wanting to maintain their momentum they surprisingly made few changes from the team that had played just 4 days earlier.
We had a little extra riding on this game as we decided to purchase a full Mechelen team for our fantasy game sorare, sadly this was scuppered before kick off due to Jordi Vanlerberghe’s absence from the match day squad. Oh well, with scarves and fridge magnets in hand, we found our way onto the very welcoming terraces and there was no doubt we were still fully behind the mighty Geel & Rood.
A fairly even match ensued with the odd chance for either side, however the deadlock was broken shortly before half time as Julien Ngoy won the ball back on the halfway line. Rob Schoofs then drove powerfully to within 25 yards of goal before unleashing a shot that appeared to be heading wide, but a horrible deflection looped the ball over the unfortunate keeper. Not that the fans cared how it went in, the atmosphere which was already lively ticked up a notch after the home side went in front.
The festivities catching up with me
Another round of drinks were picked up at the interval and I must admit, the day was starting to take its toll and the second half holds very happy but hazy memories. 6 minutes after the restart Geoff Hairemans whipped in a dangerous free kick which again was rather fortuitously turned into their own net by USG. The whole crowd was now really enjoying themselves feeling hopeful of their first points of the season in style. And this joy was confirmed when Hairemans won the ball back on halfway before drilling in a pass through to Ngoy who took one immaculate touch then fired the ball into the bottom corner before the keeper had a chance to set himself.
A fine result for Mechelen and the fans were sent home happy, as were we after a thoroughly enjoyable evening in amongst the terraces, so many fans willing to chat about their team and welcome the foreigners, exactly the reason we go on these kind of trips. Certainly a ground worthy of a visit.
Another train to complete our day, this time the majority was sat head in hands trying to stay composed. Apparently we stayed out a little longer before calling time on Day 2 of our adventure, i’ll have to trust the other lads on that one as my memories faded and thoughts turned to Anderlecht.
Is KV Mechelen worth visiting for a Footy Trip?
Team Ability – Generally in the lower echelons of the 13th best league in the world – 4/10
Atmosphere – 2/3s full and overall support was fantastic, thoroughly enjoyable environment – 7.5/10
Stadium Quality – In the heart of a residential area, recently renovated and still in good shape and quite aesthetically pleasing– 7/10
Beer/Food at stadium– Annoying Fan card required, standard Jupiler which was decent, no queueing, allowed to drink in seats and circumstantial but we were even given a couple of free beers– 8/10
Tourism in the city – A few historical stories but not a huge amount of reason to visit other than the football, but a pleasant city all the same – 4/10
Accessibility – Affordable flights to Brussels and only half an hour train journey from there – 8/10
People – Stood right in the thick of the local fans and we were very nicely welcomed even if a little intoxicated – 8/10
Stadium Surroundings – As I say, a residential area and very limited spots to drink around the stadium before and after – 5/10
Club History – Formed in 1904 with 4 league titles and 2 European titles making them the 38th most successful team in European history, one above Paris Saint Germain – 6.5/10
Ease/Cost of ticket pricing – Purchasing was fairly straight forward and £20 for a brilliant atmosphere was a bargain – 8/10
Total – 64/100
Accomplishments
Teams in Belgian Jupiler Pro watched 2/18 (11%)
No great milestones but one small step to the full set of Belgian stadiums