On Monday the Club has extended contract terms with 2 First team players. Thomas De Corte and Petar Bojovic now have contracts until 2010 and 2012 respectively. Sporting Director Neel De Ceulaer is a delighted man: ”We’re busy with contract extensions, after Van der Jeugt last week, we’ve now committed De Corte and Bojovic to longer terms.”

Thomas De Corte was out of contract at the end of this season, and has signed a two-year extension, with an option for a third year. De Corte has played since mid-2004 with Lierse. At the end of 2005 he came into the First team squad, and started six games in the second half of the 2005-06 season. In the 2006-07 season he started 16 times, this season he was out for a long time with a groin strain, but he has in the meantime regained a starting place.

Petar Bojovic had a contract until 2010. Today this was extended to 2012. Bojovic came in the close season over from then third division side UR Namen. Due to the transfer ban placed on Lierse, he was only able to appear in the
first team after the winter break. Meantime he’s started various matches in the starting eleven.

Seth De Witte: “If you see how we start, it’s below par.Geel was far better in the match, and won the duels. I had the feeling that we were outclassed. Perhaps we’d underestimated Geel a bit, but if you see that they take points off of Antwerp and Tienen, then you know that this is no easy match. To give it away in such a lax manner though, that’s enormously frustrating.”

You personally played a decent match:
Seth De Witte: “I’m a player who relies on fighters mentality. If you look at the league table before the match, then you know that you have it all in your own hands. That gives you encouragement, but apparently that wasn’t sufficiently motivating for some lads. Also for the hundreds of Lierse fans here it must be a downer. We played a home match and yet couldn’t give these people what they deserved.”

It was 1-1, but then what seemed to be the winning goal fell in the final minutes, at least that’s what everyone thought:
Seth De Witte: “When Geel managed to make it 1-1, everyone suddenly seemed to realise what it meant. We moved up a gear and created a few chances. We made it 1-2 and then you feel the relief flowing through the whole stadium. But then a few seconds from the end you give it away. Personally I was severely disappointed last year with a dismal performance against Conceiçao as direct opponent, but to collectively fail is much harder to take.”

Must Lierse now not make calculations, and say that if you draw 2-2 vs a relegated team, you don’t deserve to be in the play-offs?
Seth De Witte: “Yes, no really! If you want to make your ambition reality, then you must at least come and win here.You don’t have to come here and give a football lesson, but a performance like this makes you question! Now you don’t have it in your own hands again, and let others move away, and others move closer to you. We’ve messed it up today, and the manner in which we did is unbelievable, but especially enormously disappointing.”

Pictures of the Match/Players.
Pictures of the Supporters

Chris Janssens, Lierse drew 2-2 at Geel, a disappointing result with moreover poor football!
Chris Janssens: “Indeed, Geel did everything as they should. They played well as a unit, won the 50-50 balls, and played with an enormous amount of movement. I had the impression that Geel was still playing for a place in the play-offs rather than Lierse. You go 0-1 up, but if you then see what happens in the second half. There was a lot of space, but I had the impression that we only played with 6 men. They got back on level terms with a beautiful free kick, but as you then make it 1-2 a few minutes from the end, I find it incomprehensible that you still give the victory away.”

The 1-2 was an enormous relief, everybody who was for Lierse went bezerk!
Chris Janssens:”Yes, first the keeper fumbled my header away for a corner. The corner landed at my feet, I put the ball into the crowd and Jarju hit it in.When there’s only 2 minutes left to play, you have to be able to just play the game out.The 3 points would have been robbed, but I wouldn’t have lost sleep over it. Now I’m feeling pissed off!”

Really only a few of the lads played well, yourself and De Witte, for the rest it was weak
Chris Janssens:”It’s not for me to pass judgement, but it’s a fact that we have a shortage of lads who can carry the team. That cost us dearly today.”

The dropped points are costly, because you could have put Antwerp under pressure
Chris Janssens:”For the first time this season we could have been in a play-off position, but then you give it away in such a ridiculous manner.That’s very frustrating. I’ve not been in the dressing room yet, and that’s probably for the best, otherwise I’d say things which two minutes later I’d regret.

Now Antwerp are 5 points clear, and it will be very difficult
Chris Janssens:”Now we have to win next week against Hamme, and hope that Antwerp drop points at Doornik.
But Virton are also not out of it. If two dogs are fighting over one bone, the third can walk off with it maybe!

Watch on Lierse TV the footage of Geel-Lierse: the first half, and the and second half.

Lierse drew saturday 2-2 at Verbroedering Geel.
The first threat came after five minutes when a Geel header went just wide. A minute later Cavens was through only for Peeters to pull him back at the expense of a yellow card. A good chance for Lierse just before the half-hour mark. Rimkus with an accurate cross, which De Witte headed into the hands of keeper Simon Vervoort. Ten minutes before the break a sublime piece of work from Bojovic, who threaded the ball through the middle to three advancing Lierse players. Jarju was the one to take advantge: 1-0. Lierse, despite the threat posed by Geel, were able to go in happy at halftime.

Geel continued to pressurize in the second half, and in the 72nd minute, Farssi struck a perfectly placed free kick ino the top corner: 1-1. Lierse went feverishly for the win after that. There were chances for Bojovic and Janssens. Barely ten minutes from time Lierse found a gap in the Geel defence. An attempted shot from Jarju was helped into the net by Farssi: 1-2 and the away end of supporters erupted. But as always a match lasts ninety minutes, and just before the final whistle, Boujouh was given too much space and headed in the equaliser.
Lierse drop two costly points seeing that before tonights game, their play-off fate was in their own hands.

Trainer Herman Helleputte was visibly disappointed:
Geel deserved that point, they were stronger. It’s obvious that we’re not ready to be part of the battle for a ticket to the first division. We still went ahead twice which makes it even worse. If you go behind and equalise that’s different.
Despite their financial problems Geel has quality. Jusic was the best man on the pitch.If you allow him to play, as we did, then it can be very dangerous. There wasn’t enough pressure exerted at times.

Is there still hope to reach the play-offs?
We’ve stopped hoping. If you have your fate in your own hands and give it away, then you don’t have to remain hoping on others, so we mustn’t look to Antwerp.

Geel : Vervoort, Bekkema, Leys, Gielen, Farssi, Peeters, Jusic, Gerritsen, Mellebeek, Jatta, Boujouh
Goals - Farssi (73′), Boujouh (90′)
Booked - Peeters

Lierse: Van der Jeugt, Bojovic, De Corte, Frans, Janssens, De Witte, Rimkus (Develer 60′), Cavens, Wahed (Omar 68′), Samir (Van der Zijl 86′), Jarju
Goals - Jarju (36′), Farssi o.g (81′)
Booked - Frans, Jarju

The coaching staff has announced the squad for Saturdays away match at Geel.

Lierse captain Chris Janssens had to leave the pitch after 65 min of Wednesdays match, but the injury is not serious, and he is fit to play.

Yoni Buyens is not in the squad, he is out with a hip injury. Buyens already played the last two games with the help of an injection, but now needs to rest. Peeters, Ventose and Mertens are still out injured.

Charlie Miller is not in the squad, he has a meeting with management today. Ernandes and Weuts play with the reserves tonight.

The squad:
Petar Bojovic, Jurgen Cavens, Thomas De Corte, Seth De Witte, Kane Develer, Frederik Frans, Nathan Goris, Chris Janssens, Mustapha Jarju, Mohammed Omar, Lorenzo Rimkus, Achmed samir, Sven van der Jeugt,
Jerome Van der Zijl, Tim Vleminckx and Mohammed Wahed

Today, 24th April, goalkeeper Sven Van der Jeugt (14/09/80) has signed a new 3-year contract with K.Lierse S.K.

The club is very happy. Sporting Director Neel De Ceulaer:

“Sven is a class keeper. Moreover he’s playing a strong season and he has more than once won us points. With this contract extension (Van der Jeugt has been with Lierse since 2006, and was out of contract at the end of the season) Lierse wants to show its appreciation to Sven. But Sven isn’t just an outstanding goal keeper. He also has the right fighting mentality and is undoubtedly one of our key players at the moment. He’s also especially a team player. In short, a guy with a positive attitude. Sven himself is also happy with his contract extension. He wants to participate further in building on the structure in place here, and steer us as quickly as possible back to the First division.”

Lierse captain Chris Janssens had to leave the field injured after 65 mins of Wednesday’s game vs Union. Today the medical staff gave their diagnosis, and it appears that the seriousness of the injury is not too bad.
The calf muscles are sore, but there is no sprain, and Janssens should be fit for Saturdays game at Geel.

Yoni Buyens and Seth De Witte were also unable to train with the squad today. Buyens still had a problem with a hip injury, and is doubtful for Saturdays match. De Witte has a contusion in the quadriceps, but in theory should be match fit for Saturday.

This morning the coaching staff had a talk with Charlie Miller, who refused to be on the bench on Wednesday. The coaching staff made their view clear. On Friday afternoon there will be a meeting between the club management and the Scot.

Lierse striker Jurgen Cavens started on the bench, came on at half-time for Develer, and scored the second goal to make it 2-0. After the match he gave his reaction to Lierse.com:

Cavens: ”Foremost I’m very happy for the group with this victory, we won against a stubborn Union, that made it anything but easy for us. The first half was very difficult, and we couldn’t get through a well organised Union.
The second half we knocked the ball around quicker, and scored the goal to make it 1-0 pretty quickly.”
You scored your first goal for Lierse this season
Cavens: “That’s a serious weight off my shoulders, the fans expect a lot of me, and they may. Up to now I haven’t been able to bring what was expected of me, I hope that this is now a new start.”

You started today on the bench, had you expected that?
Cavens: “I played a very mediocre match on Saturday, so you know then that that can happen. I have to look fully at myself fo what goes wrong, I get all the faith invested in me that I need here, so it’s not down to that.
I just need to up my level, and in that I’ve hopefully today made a a first step in the right direction. I’ve taken a bit of revenge today, especially for myself.”

Antwerp drew 3-3, Lierse closed the gap on them to 3 points:
Cavens: “We had said before the match, that with Antwerp playing 3 away matches, everything is still possible.
They’ve immediately dropped points in the first of the three, so the paly-offs remain in view. It’s still somewhat early, but we have it back in our own hands now really: if we win the rest of our matches, including the game at Antwerp, then we’ll be in the play-offs.”

On Lierse TV you can watch footage of the first and second half.

After the win vs Union, trainer Helleputte gave his view of the game:

Helleputte: “The first half wasn’t good, I had asked our lads to use the flanks well, but it didn’t happen. When I brought Cavens on for the second half, it went better. He also wanted to prove himself. We then made it 1-0 and tried after that to make use of the space that we got. The 1-1 was looking more likely than 2-0 at that stage, but then Cavens scored a nice goal to make it 2-0, and after that we were able to play the match out calmly.”

You were annoyed by the lack of competitiveness of some?
Helleputte: “Today we needed competitiveness and some of our players had difficulty with that.”

What was wrong with Miller?
Helleputte: ” Miller had a problem with his back this week and wasn’t able to train for a few days. Yesterday he didn’t seem sufficiently fit and I decided to put him on the bench. He didn’t accept this and didn’t want to be on the bench. His punishment will be dealt with in house, because letting your team down cannot be allowed to pass without consequences.”

Janssens played well today
Helleputte: Indeed, we especially needed his competitiveness and defensive qualities today. It was nice that he could score, a reward for his superb condition. We’re now within three points of Antwerp, perhaps a miracle can happen, we’ll see…

In the first half there was little to enjoy. Both Lierse and Union produced scrappy football. Lierse almost took the lead just before the break via Janssens, but he hit the bar. After Cavens came in for the start of the second half, Lierse played better. Janssens opened the scoring, knocking in a rebound from a hard shot from Wahed. Union also had some great chances, but couldn’t score when the ball was twice clered from the Lierse goal line. When Jarju put Cavens through, the game was won: 2-0.

Lierse: Van der Jeugt, Frans, De Corte, De Witte, Janssens (Omar 65′), Wahed, Rimkus (Bojovic 61′), Buyens, Samir, Jarju, Develer (Cavens 46′)
Union St. Gilles: Kudimbana, Siani, Kéromest, Préseaux, Oulai, Peeters, Stassin (Habarugia 46′), Kage (Buelinckx 65′), Mokulu, Ngolok (Dehamla 77′), Martens
Booked: Dehamla
Goals: Janssens 1-0 (53′), Cavens 2-0 (76′)

On Lierse TV you can watch footage of the first and second half.