Resolute Kalken Edge Defiant Oostkamp in Narrow Victory, Leap into Top Five of Second Amateur Division VFV A

When the late autumn sun dipped below the terraces at Jozef Plaetinck Stadion, a sense of purpose lingered in the chilling air. HO Kalken, emboldened by a resurgent run of form, seized a critical moment on Sunday to dispatch Oostkamp 1-0, vaulting into the top five of Belgium’s Second Amateur Division VFV A and sending a clear signal to the league’s chasing pack.

The match unfolded with a taut intensity befitting two teams separated by a single point and sharing ambitions for a meaningful climb in the early season standings. Kalken, fresh off a 2-1 home win against Gullegem and intent on laying ghosts from their 0-4 dismantling at Zulte Waregem II weeks prior, matched grit with guile. Oostkamp, meanwhile, entered buoyed by consecutive victories and a lively, attacking brand of football that had boosted them to eighth, just one win away from overtaking their hosts.

From the opening whistle, both sides revealed their intent. Kalken pressed with measured aggression, seeking to puncture Oostkamp’s compact midfield. Early exchanges were characterized by cautious probing and sporadic flashes of danger, neither side willing to yield the initiative in a fixture already tinged with playoff implications.

The breakthrough arrived midway through the first half, derived as much from persistence as inspiration. Kalken midfielder Jonas Van Dam—whose tireless distribution had underpinned much of the hosts’ momentum this season—claimed the moment. Latching onto a loose ball at the edge of the area, Van Dam dispatched a low drive through traffic. The ball eluded the desperate lunge of Oostkamp keeper Jens Devos, nestling into the bottom corner and igniting the home crowd. The goal, Van Dam’s second of the campaign, proved emblematic of Kalken’s ethos: industrious, opportunistic, and never far from the margins.

Oostkamp, jolted, responded with urgency. Winger Luca Vandevelde cut through Kalken’s flank and delivered a tantalizing cross in the 36th minute, met by striker Sander Degryse—whose header was palmed away by Kalken’s steadfast goalkeeper. The visitors continued to press, their efforts punctuated by sharp passing and rising frustration as Kalken’s back line, marshaled by captain Pieter Vermeiren, repelled advances with a blend of composure and physicality.

Tensions peaked after the interval. Oostkamp’s midfield general Jelle Maes saw yellow for a late challenge, and as the minutes slipped away, so did the sense for a leveller. Kalken’s tactical discipline, especially in transition, starved Oostkamp of clear chances. In the dying moments, Oostkamp surged anew, but the match’s lone red card—shown to substitute defender Niels Lagae for dissent in stoppage time—snuffed out hopes of a dramatic rescue.

For Kalken, Sunday’s win was more than just three points—it was a declarative act that punctuated their recent revival. The club now sits fifth on 11 points from six matches (3 wins, 2 draws, 1 loss), their resilience sharpened by a rugged September that featured a humbling defeat but also impressive away wins at Mechelen II and a 4-2 home spectacle against Oudenaarde. Coach Tom De Smet’s recalibrated lineup has forged a side adept at absorbing pressure and capitalizing when the margins tilt their way.

Oostkamp, meanwhile, remains on 10 points—eighth in the league (3 wins, 1 draw, 2 losses). Their immediate future clouds with questions. After a bright start, including last week’s 3-1 triumph at Harelbeke and a 2-1 home win over Mechelen II, Oostkamp’s momentum finds pause. The sting of today’s defeat, compounded by their earlier heavy 0-4 loss at FC Lebbeke, magnifies the need for tightening defensive ranks and rediscovering the attacking chemistry that had defined their September surge.

Historically, meetings between these clubs have been tightrope affairs, marked more by endurance than spectacle, with no clear dominance since their ascendancy in the Second Amateur Division. Today’s slender victory for Kalken perhaps tips the psychological balance heading into the long winter months.

With a congested mid-table, the stakes intensify. Kalken’s ascent brings not only points but the assurance of a team capable of thriving under pressure. Their next fixtures, against direct rivals, could cement their position or cast them back into the pack. Oostkamp faces a reckoning: rebound swiftly or risk falling adrift in a league where margins are unforgiving.

As the night settled over Kalken, the taste of victory was both sweet and sobering. October may only be the season’s first turning, but matches like these are measured not merely in scores, but in statements. Today, HO Kalken made theirs—unmistakable, and impossible to ignore.