Extreme Football Tourism: BELGIUM: USH Limontoise (1969-2013) / USH Limontoise (B) (2013-2024) / ES Donceel (C) (2024-)

Thursday, 29 February 2024

BELGIUM: USH Limontoise (1969-2013) / USH Limontoise (B) (2013-2024) / ES Donceel (C) (2024-)

Rue de Hesbaye I, Limont (Donceel) (ES Donceel - C ground, formerly A & B ground of USH Limontoise)

Belgium, province: Liège = Luik

29 II 2024 / USH Limontoise - RCS Jalhaytois 2-2, Jalhay won penalty shoot-out (3-4) / Liège, Provincial Cup for P3-P4 teams - last 16

Timeline

1969 / Foundation of a football club in Limont, Hesbaye, which takes on the name Union Sportive Hesbignonne (USH) Limontoise. The club, which acquires membership of Belgium’s Football Association under registration number 7453, settles on a pitch at Rue de Hesbaye. The club takes part in official league championships from 1970 onwards.
2010 / The first forty-odd years of club history not having been documented well – with the first team alternating spells in Liège’s Provincial Leagues 4, 3, and 2 –, USH Limontoise finds itself in Provincial League 3 in the 2010-11 season.
2013 / A second pitch is added to the set-up at Limont’s ground, Rue de Hesbaye, to the west of the old pitch. This second pitch, although officially still referred to as ‘terrain 2’, has been the ground’s main pitch ever since, hosting first team football.
2015 / Under the guidance of trainer Roland Morias, USH Limontoise wins the title in Provincial League 3A with an advantage of 7 points over closest followers RES Templiers Nandrin. As a result, the club accedes to Provincial League 2 for the first time since its foundation.
2016 / With just RFC Vyle-Tharoul finishing below them, USH Limontoise finds itself in second-last position in the final ranking in Liège’s Provincial League 2A; as such, the club has to play a set of relegation play-offs against the second-last teams in P2B and P2C, R Star Fléron FC and RFC Wallonia Waimes. With just Waimes saving its skin, Limont descends into P3 along with Fléron.
2018 / Finishing in 3rd place in P3A, USH Limontoise qualifies for the promotion play-offs. Booking an impressive four wins in a row (against RFC Ouffet-Warzée, Huccorgne Sports, FC Trois Frontières, and RUS Ferrières), the club finds its way back to P2 after two years.
2019 / Rock bottom in P2A with just 7 points at the end of the season, USH Limontoise drops back into P3 after just one season, taking with it the club finishing second-last, R Oreye Union.
2020 / In the 2019-20 season, cut short in March 2020 due to the COVID lockdown, USH Limontoise picks up just 3 points in 24 matches in P3A, as a result of which the club is retrograded to P4 for the new season.
2022 / USH Limontoise finishes runners-up in P4B, 5 points behind champions Jeunesses Oleyennes Réunies. In the promotion play-offs, the club defeats RFC Tilleur B in R1 only to be eliminated in R2 by derby rivals RSC Haneffe.
2023 / Finishing in 3rd place in P4A, USH Limontoise qualifies for the promotion play-offs. Seeing off RFC Jehaytois B in R1 (2-0), the club is knocked out by Etoile de Faimes B in R2 (5-3).
2024 / USH Limontoise concludes a merger deal with RSC Haneffe (registration number 6549), resulting in the foundation of Entente Sportive (ES) Donceel, retaining Limont's registration number 7453, with first team football moving to Haneffe's ground at Rue Tombeux and the two pitches in Limont remaining in use for lower team football. Limont’s ground at Rue de Hesbaye is scheduled to undergo a thorough renovation to become the new merger club’s main ground.

Note - Below, a compilation of photos of two different visits: pictures 1-3 = non-matchday visit, November 2021 / pictures 4-21 = match visit, February 2024.