2018–19 Oud-Heverlee Leuven season
The 2018–19 season was Oud-Heverlee Leuven's 17th competitive season in professional football and the team's third consecutive season at the second level following their relegation from the Belgian Pro League in 2016.
| 2018–19 season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | King Power International Group |
| Chairman | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Chris Vandebroeck |
| Manager |  Nigel Pearson (until 3 February) Vincent Euvrard (from 8 February) |
| Stadium | King Power at Den Dreef Stadium |
| Belgian Cup | Round 5 |
| Top goalscorer | League: Frédéric Duplus & Mathieu Maertens (7 each) All: Frédéric Duplus & Mathieu Maertens (7 each) |
Although deemed as potential candidates for promotion at the start of the season, OH Leuven was never in contention and was always closer to the bottom of the table than to the top. After missing out on winning the opening tournament, going out early against amateur team Dessel Sport in the Belgian Cup and several disappointing results in the closing tournament, English coach Nigel Pearson was sacked in January 2019 and replaced by the duo of Vincent Euvrard (manager) and Franky Vercauteren (sports advisor).
After the change, despite scoring more points, the team was not able to avoid the relegation play-offs, however with four wins out of six matches, the club avoided relegation in the end.
2018–19 squad
- This section lists players who were in Oud-Heveree Leuven's first team squad at any point during the 2018–19 season
- The symbol § indicates player left mid-season
- The symbol # indicates player joined mid-season
- The symbol ¥ indicates a youngster who has appeared on the match sheet at least once during the season (possibly as unused substitute)
- Italics indicate loan player
Transfers
The first transfer news regarding the 2018–19 squad came in March, when Mechelen announced that despite their relegation from the Belgian First Division A, Ivorian defender Mamadou Bagayoko would remain at the team. He was already on loan from OH Leuven but would transfer permanently at the end of the season.[1] One month later, another player left for Mechelen, as winger Nikola Storm signed a deal with the club to transfer there permanently after his loan from Club Brugge to OH Leuven would come to an end at the end of the 2017–18 season.[2]
The month of May involved the first new reinforcements, as OH Leuven brought in two Belgian youngsters: Olivier Myny was signed from Waasland-Beveren [3] while Jellert van Landschoot was loaned from Club Brugge.[4] Meanwhile, Pepingen-Halle, playing in the Belgian Third Amateur Division, had announced the signing of third goalkeeper Andreas Suederick.[5]
In June, with Samy Kehli and Elliott Moore, two players were kept that were on loan during the previous season. Kehli was signed permanently from Lokeren,[6] while the loan deal of Moore was extended with one more season.[7] On top of this, also two new players joined the club as French experienced defender Frédéric Duplus was signed from Lens, after already playing in Belgium for Zulte Waregem, White Star Brussels and Antwerp,[8] followed by English youth international George Hirst from Sheffield Wednesday.[9]
Early July, both Thomas Azevedo[10] and Geert Berben[11] moved to Lommel, their former team. Azevedo was already on loan to Lommel during the second half of the previous season and became a free agent player after his contract with OH Leuven ended, while Berben had been on loan to Oosterzonen Oosterwijk and was now sold. Later that same month, two youngsters left the squad, as striker Din Sula (who had been out on loan to Lommel) was signed by Waasland-Beveren [12] and Jordy Gillekens was loaned to the youth squad of Fiorentina.[13] The only incoming transfer in July was that of Dutch striker Sam Hendriks, arriving from Go Ahead Eagles.[14] Later that summer, two players signed for Belgian First Amateur Division teams as their contracts had ended: experienced midfielder Flavien Le Postollec signed for Deinze,[15] while youngster Jordy Lokando, who had returned from a loan to Heist, now moved permanently to RWDM47.[16]
As was the case for the last few seasons already, OH Leuven was again active on transfer deadline day, signing no less than three players. While the interest of OH Leuven in French midfielder Redouane Kerrouche from Paris had been apparent already over the prior weeks and the signing therefore anticipated,[17] the loan deals of youngsters Ahmed Touba (from Club Brugge)[18] and especially Polish 14 times international Bartosz Kapustka (from Leicester City) to many came as more of a surprise.[19]
Finally, throughout the summer some players did not have their contracts extended or saw their loan deals come to an end. Youngsters Dico Jap Tjong and Godwin Odibo were released, Benjamin Bambi and Leo Njengo returned from loans to Heist and Dessel Sport respectively, but were placed at the OH Leuven reserves. The loan deal of defender Benjamin Boulenger from Charleroi ended and was not prolonged neither.
During the 2018–19 winter transfer window, with the team suffering in the league while having a large squad, several transfers were expected on both incoming and outgoing side. The first transfer was however only announced mid-January and concerned a loan deal of Leo Njengo, who had been playing for the reserves so far this season and was given playing time with Belgian First Amateur Division-side Heist.[20] Two incoming signings followed just after that, with central defender Sascha Kotysch[21] and striker Thomas Henry.[22] While Kotysch arrived from Sint-Truiden, the transfer of Henry was surprising as he was signed from direct opponents Tubize in the fight against relegation.
The final transfers of the 2018–19 season all happened in the last two days before closing of the transfer window. First another striker was brought into the squad with Yanis Mbombo, coming from Excel Mouscron. No mention was made whether it concerned a loan deal or a permanent move, only that Mbombo had signed a contract until the end of the season.[23] On transfer deadline day, OH Leuven got rid of four strikers, first sending youngsters Jo Gilis and Daan Vekemans out on loan to Eendracht Aalst,[24] followed by Dutchman Sam Hendriks who returned to his home country after just half a season, to play out on loan for Cambuur.[25] In the final hours, 2016–17 club top scorer Esteban Casagolda was sold to league competitors Roeselare.[26] The final day also involved one more incoming transfer with midfielder Aboubakar Keita arriving on loan from Copenhagen.[27]
Transfers In
|
Transfers Out
|
Belgian First Division B
OHL's season in the Belgian First Division B began on 4 August 2018.
Results
Belgian Cup
Results
| 2018–19 Belgian Cup | |||||
| Match Details | Home Team | Result | Away Team | Lineup | Cards |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Round 5 | |||||
| 25 August 2018 20:00 Armand Melisstadion[nb 12] Dessel Report |
Dessel Sport | 3-1 | Oud-Heverlee Leuven | N. Gillekens Duplus, Fabre, Moore, Tshimanga Maertens (66' Gorius), Persoons (46' Mertens), Sowah Aguemon, Hendriks (52' Casagolda), Hirst |
 21' Tshimanga 52'  57' Fabre 67' Aguemon |
| 5' Lenaerts 22' (p) Breugelmans 84' Vosters |
1-0 2-0 2-1 3-1 |
69' Aguemon | |||
Squad statistics
Includes only competitive matches.
Appearances
- Players with no appearances not included in the list.
| No. | Pos. | Nat. | Name | First Division B | Belgian Cup | Relegation play-offs | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Starts | Apps | Starts | Apps | Starts | Apps | Starts | ||||||
| 1 | GK | |
Nick Gillekens | 9 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 10 | ||
| 2 | DF | |
Dimitri Daeseleire | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4 | ||
| 3 | DF | |
Derrick Tshimanga | 23 | 23 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 29 | 28 | ||
| 4 | DF | |
Kenneth Schuermans | 18 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 19 | 16 | ||
| 5 | DF | |
Elliott Moore | 23 | 23 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 29 | 29 | ||
| 6 | MF | |
David Hubert | 16 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 21 | 18 | ||
| 7 | MF |  |
Yannick Aguemon | 12 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 17 | 12 | ||
| 9[nb 1] | FW | |
Thomas Henry | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 13 | 13 | ||
| 10 | FW | |
George Hirst | 20 | 15 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 23 | 16 | ||
| 11 | MF | |
Joeri Dequevy | 19 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 21 | 16 | ||
| 14 | MF | |
Samy Kehli | 18 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 24 | 12 | ||
| 15 | MF |  |
Kamal Sowah | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | ||
| 16 | GK |  |
Kawin Thamsatchanan | 9 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 9 | ||
| 17 | MF | |
Julien Gorius | 18 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 21 | 16 | ||
| 18 | FW | |
Jellert van Landschoot | 9 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 11 | 10 | ||
| 19 | DF | |
Frédéric Duplus | 26 | 26 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 6 | 33 | 33 | ||
| 21 | DF |  |
Sascha Kotysch | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 13 | 13 | ||
| 22 | MF | |
Olivier Myny | 16 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 17 | 10 | ||
| 23 | FW |  |
Jovan Kostovski | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 3 | ||
| 24 | MF | |
Jarno Libert | 13 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 14 | 12 | ||
| 25 | DF | |
Jenthe Mertens | 5 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 3 | ||
| 26 | GK | |
Laurent Henkinet | 10 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 16 | 16 | ||
| 27 | MF | |
Redouane Kerrouche | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 3 | ||
| 28 | MF | |
Koen Persoons | 10 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 14 | 9 | ||
| 30 | MF |  |
Bartosz Kapustka | 20 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 21 | 18 | ||
| 33 | MF | |
Mathieu Maertens | 20 | 16 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 6 | 27 | 23 | ||
| 34 | DF | |
Ahmed Touba | 9 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 5 | ||
| 38 | FW | |
Yanis Mbombo | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 4 | 10 | 6 | ||
| 39 | MF |  |
Aboubakar Keita | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 3 | ||
| Players that have appeared this season, who are out on loan or have left OH Leuven | |||||||||||||
| 8 | FW |  |
Sam Hendriks (on loan at Cambuur) | 12 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 5 | ||
| 9 | FW | |
Esteban Casagolda (transferred to Roeselare) | 13 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 3 | ||
| 29 | FW | |
Jo Gilis (on loan to Eendracht Aalst) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 32 | FW | |
Daan Vekemans (on loan to Eendracht Aalst) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
Goalscorers
| Rank | Pos. | No. | Player | First Division B | Belgian Cup | Relegation play-offs | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DF | 19 | Frédéric Duplus | 6 | 0 | 1 | 7 |
| MF | 33 | Mathieu Maertens | 6 | 0 | 1 | 7 | |
| 3 | FW | 9[nb 1] | Thomas Henry | 2 | 0 | 3 | 5 |
| DF | 5 | Elliott Moore | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | |
| 5 | FW | 7 | Yannick Aguemon | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| MF | 11 | Joeri Dequevy | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | |
| FW | 10 | George Hirst | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | |
| MF | 30 | Bartosz Kapustka | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | |
| DF | 3 | Derrick Tshimanga | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | |
| 10 | MF | 14 | Samy Kehli | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| FW | 38 | Yanis Mbombo | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | |
| 12 | FW | 9 | Esteban Casagolda | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| DF | 17 | Julien Gorius | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| MF | 6 | David Hubert | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| DF | 21 | Sascha Kotysch | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| MF | 27 | Redouane Kerrouche | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| MF | 24 | Jarno Libert | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| MF | 22 | Olivier Myny | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| MF | 28 | Koen Persoons | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| DF | 4 | Kenneth Schuermans | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| Own Goals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Total | 40 | 1 | 11 | 52 | |||
Clean sheets
| No. | Player | First Division B | Belgian Cup | Relegation play-offs | Total Clean Sheets | % Clean Sheet Games | Goals Conceded | Avg Minutes Between Conceding |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nick Gillekens | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 20 % | 18 | 50 |
| 16 | Kawin Thamsatchanan | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | % | 18 | 45 |
| 26 | Laurent Henkinet | 2 | 0 | 4 | 6 | 37.5 % | 18 | 80 |
Footnotes
- Henry played one match with shirt number 37 but changed to 9 following the transfer of Casagolda to Roeselare.
- Kehli was already on loan from Lokeren to OH Leuven during the second half of the 2017–18 season. The loan ended and Kehli was transferred to OH Leuven on a permanent basis.
- Moore was already on loan from Leicester City to OH Leuven during the 2017–18 season. The loan was extended for another season.
- Bagayoko was already on loan from OH Leuven to Mechelen since the winter 2017–18 transfer window and all parties now agreed to make the transfer permanent.
- Bambi was on loan from OH Leuven to Heist, the loan ended and Bambi returned to OH Leuven but was placed at the reserves.
- Njengo was on loan from OH Leuven to Dessel Sport, the loan ended and Njengo returned to OH Leuven but was placed at the reserves.
- Sula was on loan from OH Leuven to Lommel during the 2017-18 season. The loan ended and Sula was sold to Waasland-Beveren.
- Lokando was on loan from OH Leuven to Heist during the 2017–18 season. After the loan ended, Lokando was released to RWDM47.
- Njengo had been playing at the reserves for the first half of the season.
- The matches of the tenth matchday in the weekend of 13-14 October 2018 were postponed by nearly two weeks to 30-31 October following an ongoing investigation into match-fixing during the 2017-18 season, most notably involving Mechelen.
- The match between OH Leuven and Lommel was postponed again, following the death of Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha as part of the 2018 Leicester helicopter crash.
- Order of legs reversed as non-professional team received home advantage.
References
- "Tainmont en Bagayoko blijven KV Mechelen ook in 1B trouw" [Tainmont and Bagayoko also remain faithful to KV Mechelen in 1B] (in Dutch). sporza.be. 2018-03-29.
- "Storm verlaat Club Brugge voor KV Mechelen: "Snel naar 1A"" [Storm leaves Club Brugge for KV Mechelen: "Quickly to 1A"] (in Dutch). sporza.be. 2018-04-30.
- "Olivier Myny verhuist van Waasland-Beveren naar OH Leuven" [Olivier Myny moves from Waasland-Beveren to OH Leuven] (in Dutch). sporza.be. 2018-05-31.
- "Eerste transfer is een feit" [First transfer is a fact] (in Dutch). ohl.be. 2018-05-24. Archived from the original on 2018-05-25. Retrieved 2018-12-14.
- "TRANSFERNIEUWS!SKPH trok na inkomende transfers van Menco Deryck (FC Lebbeke) en Joran Van Belle (Eendracht Aalst) nu ook middenvelder Julien Pé (FC Dender), verdediger Kevin Merckaert (Acren-Lessines), doelman Andreas Suederick (OHL) en aanvaller Bruno Giglia (OHL) aan. Volgende spelers van de huidige kern verlengden hun contract: Thomas Bourgeois, Sergei Deweerdt, Bart Pauwels, Yannick Wagner, Raoul Ngadrira, Rafael Gacio, Stan Vandenbrande, Kenzo Dailly en Jari Neef. #éénteaméénpassieééndoel #SKPH" [TRANSFERNEWS! After the incoming transfers of Menco Deryck (FC Lebbeke) and Joran Van Belle (Eendracht Aalst), SKPH now also signed midfielder Julien Pé (FC Dender), defender Kevin Merckaert (Acren-Lessines), goalkeeper Andreas Suederick (OHL) and striker Bruno Giglia (OHL). The following players of the squad prolonged their contracts: Thomas Bourgeois, Sergei Deweerdt, Bart Pauwels, Yannick Wagner, Raoul Ngadrira, Rafael Gacio, Stan Vandenbrande, Kenzo Dailly and Jari Neef. #éénteaméénpassieééndoel #SKPH] (in Dutch). facebook.com. 2018-05-09.
- "OHL bereikt overeenkomst met Samy Kehli" [OHL obtains agreement with Samy Kehli] (in Dutch). ohl.be. 2018-06-14. Archived from the original on 2018-06-15. Retrieved 2018-12-14.
- "Moore vervoegt opnieuw OHL met nieuwe huurovereenkomst" [Moore again joins OHL following new loan agreement] (in Dutch). ohl.be. 2018-06-20. Archived from the original on 2018-06-20. Retrieved 2018-12-14.
- "OHL bereikt overeenkomst met Duplus" [OHL obtains agreement with Duplus] (in Dutch). ohl.be. 2018-06-07. Archived from the original on 2018-06-12. Retrieved 2018-12-14.
- "OH Leuven strikt aanvaller George Hirst" [OH Leuven snatches striker George Hirst] (in Dutch). ohl.be. 2018-06-22. Archived from the original on 2018-06-22. Retrieved 2018-12-14.
- "Thomas Azevedo tekent voor twee seizoenen" [Thomas Azevedo signs for two seasons] (in Dutch). lommelsk.be. 2018-07-04. Archived from the original on 2018-07-05. Retrieved 2018-12-14.
- "Geert Berben keert terug naar Lommel SK" [Geert Berben returns to Lommel SK] (in Dutch). lommelsk.be. 2018-07-02. Archived from the original on 2019-01-21. Retrieved 2018-12-14.
- "W-B TREKT DIN SULA AAN" [W-B SIGNS DIN SULA] (in Dutch). waasland-beveren.be. 2018-07-10.
- "Jordy Gillekens tekent nieuw contract en gaat ervaring opdoen bij Fiorentina" [Jordy Gillekens signs new contract and goes to gain experience with Fiorentina] (in Dutch). ohl.be. 2018-07-24. Archived from the original on 2018-07-24. Retrieved 2018-12-14.
- "OHL strikt Nederlandse doelpuntenmachine Sam Hendriks" [OHL signs Dutch goalscoring machine Sam Hendriks] (in Dutch). ohl.be. 2018-07-06. Archived from the original on 2018-07-06. Retrieved 2018-12-14.
- "Afscheid van Le Postollec" [Farewell to Le Postollec] (in Dutch). ohl.be. 2018-05-11. Archived from the original on 2018-05-11. Retrieved 2018-12-14.
- "JORDY LOKANDO (25/08/2018)" [JORDY LOKANDO (25/08/2018)] (in French). rwdm47.be. 2018-08-25. Archived from the original on 2018-08-27. Retrieved 2018-12-14.
- "Redouane Kerrouche rejoint le OH Louvain" [Redouane Kerrouche joins OH Leuven] (in French). parisfootballclub.com. 2018-08-31.
- "Nieuw bloed voor de Leuvense linkerflank" [Fresh blood for Leuven left wing] (in Dutch). ohl.be. 2018-08-31.
- "OHL leent Kapustka van Leicester City" [OHL loans Kapustka from Leicester City] (in Dutch). ohl.be. 2018-08-31.
- "Leopold Njengo naar Heist" [Leopold Njengo to Heist] (in Dutch). ohleuven.com. 2019-01-15.
- "Versterking voor Leuvense verdediging" [Reinforcement for Leuven defence] (in Dutch). ohleuven.com. 2019-01-16.
- "OHL strikt goalgetter" [OHL signs goalgetter] (in Dutch). ohleuven.com. 2019-01-17.
- "Polyvalente aanvaller voor OH Leuven" [Versatile striker for OH Leuven] (in Dutch). ohleuven.com. 2019-01-30.
- "Gilis en Vekemans doen ervaring op bij Eendracht Aalst" [Gilis and Vekemans to gain experience at Eendracht Aalst] (in Dutch). ohleuven.com. 2019-01-31.
- "Sam Hendriks verhuurd aan Cambuur" [Sam Hendriks loaned to Cambuur] (in Dutch). ohleuven.com. 2019-01-31.
- "Casagolda naar KSV Roeselare" [Casagolda to KSV Roeselare] (in Dutch). ohleuven.com. 2019-01-31.
- "Jong geweld voor OH Leuven" [Young force for OH Leuven] (in Dutch). ohleuven.com. 2019-01-31.
- "BREAKING: Speeldag 10 uitgesteld!" [BREAKING: Matchday 10 postponed!] (in Dutch). proximus11.be. 11 October 2018. Retrieved 12 October 2018.
- "OH Leuven-Lommel wordt uitgesteld naar 4 december wegens rouw" [OH Leuven-Lommel postponed to 4 december for mourning] (in Dutch). sporza.be. 30 October 2018. Retrieved 30 October 2018.