On a sunny late August Saturday in Auderghem, Vets3 began their season with a 2–0 defeat to Choule Auderghem, one of the division’s heavyweights. But don’t be fooled by the scoreline — this was a performance with plenty of encouragement in it.

Set up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, Vets3 looked organised and composed from the off. Cian Rice led the line, with Mohammed Jamil Kanj tucked in behind and Costa Dumbrava and Thierry Levionnais providing the width. In midfield, Carl Ledbury and Milan Sverepa kept things ticking over, while the experienced back four of Alex Knott, Roger Waite, Benoit Priest and Cedric Cabaret offered a solid base in front of Luc Tholoniat in goal. With strong availability for the game, the squad also had Pietro Tomassetti, Paul Wrigley and Chris Riley on the bench.

The first half was tight, competitive and largely short on clear-cut opportunities. Vets3 saw plenty of the ball and linked play nicely, but against a well-drilled Choule side they found it difficult to carve out anything decisive. Then came the breakthrough: midway through the half, Choule worked space down the left, a teasing cross came in, and their midfielder rose well to guide a header back across goal and in off the post. 0-1. Clinical, and suddenly Vets3 were behind.

The coach took a risk at half time by making a few tactical changes, switching to a 3-5-2 formation, pushing Cedric and Costa further forward, and bringing on Pietro Tomassetti for his first game for the club.

This bold move nearly paid off. Vets3 had much more of the ball in the second half, with Levionnais and Cabaret pushing down the flanks. Chances fell to Waite, Cabaret, Sverepa, Rice and others. But every time, Vets3 failed to really test the keeper. With 5 minutes to go, Vets3 tried a further gamble, pushing more men forward – and were caught out almost immediately with a counter-attack. 0-2.

And that’s how it finished. In terms of Expected Goals, the score was probably 4.5 -1.7 to the good guys. But that’s not the score that counts. Despite the loss, it was a reasonable performance by Vets3, and bodes well for the new season. The mood in the changing room was good and it was great to have so much support – with Andrew, Tommy, Ian, Brian, Hugh, and Oleg all coming along.

This was also a landmark moment for Roger Waite, playing his 600th game for the club. It was very fitting that the only other players to reach that figure – Hughie and Alex – were both there to witness it. And very good of the Chairman to drop in before game with a bottle of champagne to mark the occasion. A fine milestone on a frustrating afternoon, but one that still suggested Vets3 have every reason to look ahead to the season with optimism.