Football Season Guide

Sint-Truiden made a horrendous start to last season which left them in serious danger of relegation. Peter Maes came in as manager and steadied the ship, eventually he guided the team to safety with two games to spare. Maes has now left with experienced German Bernd Hollerbach taking over. He has previously managed in the Belgian top flight. On the playing roster the close season has seen the departure of some important squad players who have yet to be replaced. They have held onto their regular starters from last season although main striker Yuma Suzuki, who hit 17 league goals last season, has been linked with a move away. They have so far only brought in one new player, winger Koita, who impressed at times for Waasland-Beveren last season. Further signings look set to depend on whether Suzuki leaves. They have extended the loan deals of Dimitri Lavalee and Junior Pius for another year, they didn’t feature much during the last campaign. Sint-Truiden still have a core of experienced players, but they are unlikely to play every game. Veterans Steven De Ridder and Jorge Teixeira have struggled with injuries during pre-season. Some young players are likely to be given more game time, it remains to be seen if they can step up. To start the season, Sint-Truiden will only have around 16 players available due to injuries and players away at the Olympics.