Nicky Hayen: "Win-win situation for us"
The win against Eendracht Aalst Lede clearly pleased our coach. "A comfortable win. We immediately pressed the pedal and then it's nice to be taking a 2-0 lead. After that, the pace dropped a bit, when we really should have pushed on. We could have done better in that respect, but all in all it was a good game."
Changing his team in so many positions was a conscious choice by Hayen. "A lot of new guys, but this can come as a good learning experience for them. Playing in front of about 17,000 supporters is a new situation and they have to take that with them. You have to teach them to handle that and today was an ideal match to do so. It's a win-win situation. Those in need of rest had that and the young players were able to gain some experience."
The way the game went also left the coach satisfied, with the exception of the goals the team conceded. "We were in control for the entire 90 minutes, except for a brief loss of control with the goal conceded. That's unfortunate, but for the away fans it came as a breather. We recorded a comfortable win and are through."
When it comes to the interest he sparked in Celtic, our T1 is very clear. "I know I'm on the odd list, but I don't know really on which ones. I'm happy here in Bruges and I want to work really hard to get that 20th national title."
Mechele: "Fun to score"
Brandon Mechele was joined by many new faces as he manned the pitch, but it all turned out well. "We tried to make something out of it through a high pace. It took some searching as we never played together before. This way we also gained some confidence for the next game."
The defender also picked up another goal, not his first either. "It was a good goal, wasn't it? It's nice to be on the scoring end for a change. Maybe even the most important goal of the nigh, as things went much easier after that. In itself a successful evening."
Club's legend had some words of praise for the opponent's offensive stance. "We have a lot of young players in our squad who haven't been playing all that much, so it's nice they are getting their chance now. It was also nice to be playing an Aalst side eager to play some fine football. 6-1 and through to the next round. I would have preferred a clean sheet, but them's the breaks. We scored a lot of goals so we are satisfied."
Sandra: "Feels great to be scoring twice"
Déjà-vu for Cisse Sandra, joining many of his teammates from back in the days at Club NXT. "We were still laughing about it on the bus, it was exactly like we were going to play a match for Club NXT. We did well as a team. We started out sharp and pushed through. That's a great result."
He was also happy about his own performance, having put two goals to his name. "I reckon I played a good match. In previous matches I also had some chances, so it's gratifying to be scoring twice. It's also good for the other young players to get some playing time and take their chances. It was a good night."