KAA GENT
UEFA Europa Conference League quarter-final first leg, Thursday 13 April 2023, 6.45pm CEST (5.45pm BST)
West Ham United head back to where it all began in Europe nearly 59 years ago in the UEFA Europa Conference League quarter-finals.
The Hammers travelled to Koninklijke Atletiek Associatie Gent, then known by their French name La Gantoise, in the first round first leg of the European Cup Winners’ Cup back on 23 September 1964.
Ronnie Boyce’s goal secured a single-goal victory for Ron Greenwood’s FA Cup holders over their Belgian counterparts in front of 18,000 supporters at the Jules Ottenstadion, before a 1-1 draw in the return leg at the Boleyn Ground set the Irons on course for their first major European trophy.
Nigh-on six decades later, the Londoners return to East Flanders to take on the same opposition at their new home at the 20,000-seater Ghelamco Arena.
Gent, who won the Belgian Cup for a fourth time last season, stand in the way of David Moyes’ side, who have become the first English side to win a perfect ten matches out of ten in European competition in this season’s UECL.
How to get there…
You can reach the picturesque city of Gent in less than three hours by train from London St Pancras International via the Eurostar to Brussels-Midi/Zuid and a local service to Flanders.
If you buy a ‘Any Belgian Station’ ticket, this will cover both trains, with the local one also leaving from the same station you arrive at from England.
Your match ticket will include travel from the city centre to the stadium, with details to be confirmed and emailed to ticketholders travelling to Belgium.
Alternatively, it is a 45-minute walk from Gent Sint Pieters railway station past the University to the ground, or you can take the No19 or No8 bus.
Please also consult your email for details of where to collect your match ticket in the city before travelling to the stadium.
Where to stay…
There are dozens of hotels in and around Gent, which is a popular city with tourists due to its medieval and Gothic architecture, pretty waterfront vistas and variety of attractions.
The best parts of town to stay are the historic city centre and nearby Prisenhof, just east of the centre, while the area around Gent Sint Pieters railway station and northern suburb of Sint-Amandsberg are also good for accommodation options.
What to do…
Founded in around 650 by monks, Gent has grown over the last 1,500 years to become the capital of the East Flanders region and the third largest city in Belgium.
As such, there is plenty to do there, from watching the world go by from one of its picturesque squares or quays or by taking a cruise along one of the city’s two famous waterways, the Graslei and Korenlei.
If buildings are your thing, consider a visit to Gravensteen castle, which was once home to the Counts of Brabant, St Bavo’s Cathedral and the Belfry and Cloth Hall.
Of course, you will likely want to feed and water yourself, too, and there are plenty of places to enjoy a Belgian beer around each of the aforementioned landmarks.
What’s happened there before…
As mentioned in the introduction, we visited Gent (or Ghent, to give the city its Flemish name) in September 1964, when Ronnie Boyce’s goal secured a 1-0 European Cup Winners’ Cup first-round first-leg victory at the Jules Ottenstadion.
Since then, we have returned to the city once, but did not face our UECL opponents.
Instead, it was 6 August 1982 and we were in town for the pre-season La Gantoise Tournament. Geoff Pike’s header secured a 1-0 win over our 1976 European Cup Winners’ Cup final conquerors Anderlecht of Belgium in the semi-final at the Jules Ottenstadion, but John Lyall’s side were beaten 5-4 on penalties by Hajduk Split of Yugoslavia following a goalless draw in the final two days later.
