Lokeren looked rather pedestrian and uninspired right from the start of the season and manager Runar Kristinsson did not last even two weeks into the campaign, having endured a hefty loss at the hands of Club Brugge to start with. Former manager Peter Maes was soon installed into his position and his return to the club definitely gave the fans a reason to be optimistic. Yet Maes was unable to immediately turn the fortunes around as a limited and average squad struggled for consistency and results. A couple of wins on the bounce bolstered confidence but Lokeren remained in the lower regions of the table throughout the regular season.
The attack was blunt and uninspired, with Tom de Sutter barely making impact up front while the midfield rarely managed to take control of games. The Tricolores developed as a team that had more success on the road and in fact they managed a paltry two wins at home throughout the regular season, coming against the bottom two sides Eupen and Mechelen. On the other hand, good performances on the road to strong sides like Zulte Waregem and Antwerp signalled that the team was more capable of succeeding when playing on the counter.
Nevertheless, Maes' side continued to meander in the place above the bottom spot throughout the campaign and actually needed a win at Mouscron with a game of the regular season left to confirm their safety. It did not look like they will have a lot of say in the upcoming play-offs but that is when Lokeren really came to life. Maes managed to motivate and get the best out of the squad in the final ten games and they finished as deserved and clear winners of their group, winning at Oostende and Antwerp and losing just once.
That set up a dramatic clash against Zulte-Waregem to keep the European dreams alive and Lokeren only just missed out, having conceded right at the end of normal time and then at the end of extra-time before being beaten on penalties. It was an agonising end to the season but overall the team really enhanced themselves in the final couple of months of the season after a very forgettable campaign before that.
