Stadium which hosted historic Arsenal defeat is now abandoned and was briefly soil dump
Arsenal fans will still be aware of their last defeat to a Belgian side as the club bids to continue their unbeaten Champions League start.
The Gunners, who are the only team in Europe’s elite with a perfect record, will hope to avoid a repeat of 1981 in their trip to Club Brugge.
Mikel Arteta‘s men can become only the fifth English team in European Cup history to win their opening six games on Wednesday.
Victory would see them join Manchester United in 1965-66, Leeds in 1969-70, Liverpool in both 2021-22/24-25, and Man City in 2023-24.
Arsenal will also fancy their chances against Brugge, having gone unbeaten in their last four away matches against Belgian teams.
However, for some, that has still not erased the memories of the last time the north Londoners were beaten in the ‘Cockpit of Europe’.
Terence Neill’s Arsenal infamously suffered a 1-0 defeat to KFC Winterslag in the first leg of their UEFA Cup second-round match.
Arsenal v Winterslag
The ‘Vieze Mannen’ (The Dirty Men), whose team included a student, a teacher, and a bank manager, were struggling under Mathieu Bollen.
Winterslag, who were just above the relegation zone after scoring only six times in nine games, stunned Arsenal after the hour mark.
Karl Berger capitalised on some suspect defending from the visitors from a corner, with Kenny Sansom unable to clear off the line.
Winterslag held on for a momentous victory, with a 2-1 defeat in the reverse fixture enough to eliminate Arsenal on away goals.
“I knew we could beat Arsenal,” Winterslag manager Bollen said. “Their approach is always the same. They don’t play at all in midfield.
“All they were interested in was getting the ball into our penalty area by long balls from the back.”
Arsenal boss Neill added: “This has got to be the most disappointing result for me and the club this season.
“I can understand and sympathise with the gloom and despondency of our supporters. It is up to me to put it right.”
Winterslag ultimately crashed out in the next round after a 5-0 loss to Dundee United, with their Arsenal scalp remaining the highlight.
But unfortunately, the club ceased to exist by the end of that decade, having merged with Thor Waterschei to form Racing Genk.
Winterslag merged to become Genk
Genk, which has since produced Kevin De Bruyne, Thibaut Courtois, and Leandro Trossard, retained Winterslag’s top-division ranking.
It moved into Waterschei’s stadium, which has now become the 23,718-capacity Cegeka Arena following several extensive renovations.
Meanwhile, Winterslag’s De Noordlaan home, the site of their Arsenal triumph, was initially used for Genk’s reserve and youth teams.
De Noordlaan stadium became abandoned
At the turn of the new millennium, the stadium was abandoned, with local government planning to demolish it to make way for housing.
“I was the reserve coach, so I regularly sat on the bench in this stadium,” Genk’s then-assistant Pierre Denier said in 2004.
“The pitch was still well-maintained back then. When we left, nothing happened anymore. I think it’s a real shame they didn’t find another use for this stadium.
“Many provincial clubs and local teams play in the area. Those teams would have been thrilled with this location.
“Winterslag is also home to a lot of young people. If they had kept the stadium up to par, those young people could have spent their free time here. Now they have to walk around on the streets.”
De Noordlaan survived being converted into housing, but this summer, the once-hallowed turf is now a temporary soil dump.
The last lingering connection to the defunct Winterslag is a monument erected on the site for its 100th anniversary in 2023.
Construction to disrupt what’s left
“No, there won’t be a residential project,” says alderman for Spatial Planning Anniek Nagels (CD&V) via Het Belang van Limburg in June.
“We submitted a sales proposal to the city council a year ago, but didn’t find a single developer. So we’ll have to put it on the market again. It’s true that a contractor is currently clearing the lawn, but that’s for work that still needs to be done on Eikenlaan.
“New trees are being planted there, and sewerage is being installed.
“The former football pitch is being used for temporary soil storage. Once that work is completed, it will be levelled off again.”
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