Women’s Football Super League (Play-off 2) Eendracht Aalst
“I’m following teacher training in Ghent and combining that with four training sessions a week at Zulte Waregem wouldn’t be easy,” Van Mullem explains her choice. Afterwards, Standard also came up. — © Gregory Van Gansen
Loes Van Mullem is keen to get rid of the red lantern that has been dangling in Aalst for some time in Play-off 2. The central midfielder from Oudegem rejected proposals from Zulte Waregem and Standard and extended her contract with Eendracht Aalst, which receives KV Mechelen on Saturday.
Wim Redant
Loes Van Mullem does not hide the fact that Eendracht Aalst is having a disaster season. Nevertheless, the strong holder decided to sign up in Aalst. “I’m following teacher training in Ghent and combining that with four training sessions a week at Zulte Waregem wouldn’t be easy,” Van Mullem explains her choice. “After I gave my word to Aalst, Standard also came up. Undoubtedly a nice club, but Liège is a bit far. At Aalst, I only train three times a week, which suits my study schedule better. I don’t think that training plays a lesser role against the competition. Our weak season is rather due to a combination of injuries and a small core. This is now being worked on under the leadership of sports manager Patrick Cool. The majority of the players have already signed up despite the poor results, which indicates the good atmosphere within the group.”
Divided into chunks
Van Mullem has also shared in the pieces this season. “I tore the ligaments in my ankle and was out for six weeks. In the match against Club YLA I suffered a concussion. I finished the game, but the next day I had a splitting headache, which was not really useful during the full exam period. The doctors didn’t want to take any chances and kept me off the field for two weeks. In the meantime, the infirmary was empty and that quickly saves a drink on the drink. We showed our equals against Zulte Waregem, but unfortunately we went down 0-1. We started Play-off 2 in good spirits, where we want to take a different approach than in the regular season.”
In the regular season, Eendracht Aalst and KV Mechelen shared the points after a 1-1 draw. “At Mechelen we had a collective off-day and suffered a major crash,” recalls Van Mullem. “On our own field we tapped from a different barrel. Our field was in bad shape during the most recent home game, but you never hear me grumble about playing in the Pierre Cornelis Stadium. Opening with a win could do wonders. By the way, we see some old acquaintances again with goalkeeper Silke Baccarne, who played at Aalst last season and Daisy Baudewijns who moved to KV Mechelen after injuries at Club YLA.”
