Bjorn Meijer: "Happy to be on the pitch again"
After months of injury, Bjorn Meijer finally made his comeback, crowning himself ‘Man of the Match’ with a goal and two assists. The Dutchman was all smiles after the cup game against Bilzen: ‘I am happy to be on the pitch again. I was really keen to celebrate my comeback tonight,’ the left-back said.
‘For most of my team-mates, this cup game not very special, but it was for me as I'm finally playing football again. I was excited and eager to prove my worth, so you can imagine how good this feels. It's been a long road since my injury on May 5. Especially mentally it has not always been easy, but I had the support of my girlfriend, parents, family and everyone at the club. But today it has all been worth it, with my goal and two assists. I'm going to sleep well tonight.'
When asked if he's 100% back, Meijer couldn't really answer that question. 'These were just my first minutes after months of recovery and, with all due respect, against a lower-level opponent, so it's difficult to say where I'm at. It will be a matter of making progress, step by step. And it will be necessary, given the fact that there is stiff competition on my position. But that's a good thing, with so many games to come.' (MV)
Nicky Hayen: "Keep our current level as long as possible"
Nicky Hayen was satisfied with his team's performance. Club played well, scored six goals and several players were given some playing time. 'I am happy with the result and how we played', said Hayen after the match. 'It wasn't great either, because we didn't always make the right decisions. We need to keep focussing on that part. But it was a good night because a numer of players were able to get some playing minutes and Bjorn Meijer made his comeback. I am happy about that. He has worked so hard these past few months.'Meijer's return to the squad means Hayen had a lot of thinking to do with De Cuyper and Seys also as options for the left full-back position. 'I prefer making the tough decisions because that means I can count on everyone, than to not being able to make a choice at all. It will now be up to everyone to keep our current level as long as possible, starting Saturday against Leuven.'
Hans Vanaken: "We willen er op elk vlak het hoogst haalbare uit halen"
Blauw-Zwart knocked Belisia Bilzen out of the cup tournament after a 6-1 win at Jan Breydel. Captain Hans Vanaken was pleased with the performance: 'It's been a good night for everyone and especially the players who haven't been playing a lot lately. Gustaf Nilsson made his appearance again after an injury and so did Bjorn Meijer after months of recovery. It's great for him that he scored and provided two assists.'
Hayen's starting eleven never played together before and it showed in the opening minutes. 'Beforehand you know you will have the majority of the ball and that you'll be forced to look for openings. The first ten to fifteen minutes it didn't flow as fluent as it should until we scored the first goal.'
Nilsson and Meijer made their way in the second half, both after an inury. 'That was great, you could see how much it meant for them to be between the lines again. And Jutglà scoring a brace meant a lot for him as well. That's a great confidence boost for him and it will be good for the rest of this season.'
Club was eager and hungry and kept Bilzen in check quite easily. 'We want to get the most out of everything so the cup is also one of our objectives. With Skov Olsen, Onyedika and myself three players started tonight who also played on Sunday, which shows we take the cup tournament seriously.'