Union against English clubs

A long history

We counted no fewer than 23 matches, most of which were played in the first quarter of the 20th century, in the days of the pioneers of football.

There is no trace of Liverpool in our statistics, but there are a few names that are well known to football fans.

06/04/1901 – Union-Polytechnic FC : 2-2

Union Saint-Gilloise's very first international match known to our archives is a match on 6 April 1901 against London club Polytechnic Football Club.

Polytechnic FC was an amateur club in Chiswick, West-London. It was named "Polytechnic" after the former name of what is now the University of Westminster (The Royal Polytechnic Institution).

The match, of which only the result is known, took place shortly after Union had won the Division 2 Cup by beating the Daring 12 goals to nil, giving them promotion to the top flight the following season.

27/04/1901 – Union-Tunbridge Wells : 1-0

The second match between the Union Apaches and any English club will take place more or less twenty days later, on 27 April, against the amateur team called Tunbridge Wells Football Club.

Tunbridge Wells FC was founded in 1886 in the town of Royal Tunbrigge Wells, 50km from London. The club regularly toured the continent. This was the Union's first known international victory.

18/04/1903 - Kent Wanderers 

We do not know the score of this match. Kent Wanderers were made up of a number of quality English players from various amateur clubs.

Coupe Van der Straten-Ponthoz

Thereafter, most of our matches against British clubs will be played in the highly reputed Van der Straten-Ponthoz Cup, a sort of European Cup avant la lettre at a time when travelling abroad was a real expedition.

After that the Union will meet the following teams:

15/04/1903 – Union-Pilgrims FC : 6-1

Union faced Pilgrims FC in the semi-final, in the presence of Prince Albert, the future King of Belgium.

23/04/1905 – Union-East Sheen FC : 3-1

East Sheen FC was a London club. Van der Straten-Ponthoz Cup quarter-final match.

02/04/1907 Union-Hampstead FC : 1-0

Final of the Léopold Club Easter tournament. Union won the Van der Straten-Ponthoz Cup for good (3 tournament victories), a trophy envied throughout Belgium and Northern Europe.

A new cup, named after Jean Dupuich, was awarded to the winners of subsequent editions.

19/05/1907 – Tottenham Hostpur-Union : 8-1

As part of a tournament organised in Ostend on the Tir aux Pigeons pitch, bringing together the English teams Fulham and Tottenham Hostpur as well as Union and Belgian XI teams (a team made up of footballers from several Belgian clubs), Union will take on Tottenham while Fulham will meet the Belgian XI team. Apart from the first ten minutes, when Union looked like winning the game, the rest of the match was a demonstration by the English team. The final of the tournament was played between Tottenham and Fulham, the latter having beaten the Belgian XI by 10-1. Tottenham won the final 2-1.

20/04/1908 – Union-Old Xaverians : 3-2

Semi-final match in the first edition of the Jean Dupuich Cup, the Easter tournament organised by the Léopold Club. Union lost the final to Racing CB (0-1).

Union did not take part in the 1908-1909 edition, as they were on tour in Geneva, Switzerland at the time. However, having heard about the remarkable performances of London side Ilford FC at the tournament, the Union invited them to a double-header. So on 30 and 31 May 1909, the two matches were held at the Union ground on rue de Forest in Uccle, now rue Joseph Bens, where our academy players train on a daily basis.

30/05/1909 – Union-Ilford FC : 1-4

31/05/1909 – Union-Ilford FC : 1-2

08/05/1910 – Union- Northern Nomads : 0-2

At the Brussels exhibition tournament in 1910, Union faced the Northern Nomads in the final in front of more than 5,000 spectators, which was a huge attendance at that time.

Coupe Jean Dupuich

Also as part of the Jean Dupuich Cup, between 1911 and 1921, Union met a number of British opponents, some of whom were already well known to the people of Saint-Gilles.

16/04/1911 – Union-Ilford FC : 1-3  Jean Dupuich ½ final.

06/04/1912 – Union-Ilford FC : 6-1  Jean Dupuich ½ final.

24/03/1913 – Union-Barking FC : 3-2   Jean Dupuich – Final.

12/04/1914 – Union-South London Bank FC : 4-2  Jean Dupuich ½ final.

28/03/1921 – Union-Middlesex : 3-2  (3rd place final)

09/05/1951 – Union-Charlton FC : 3-3

It was not until the post-war years that we saw a gala match against an English side, the renowned Charlton Athletic FC. This match was to be the high point of a remarkable season. Relegated to Division 1 (now called Division 2) for the first time in its history in 1949, the club from La Butte won the right to climb back up to the top flight at the end of the 1950-1951 season.

11/04/1957 – Union/Daring – Preston North End : 1-0

A few years later, it was Union-Daring team who came up against the runners-up in the British championship. A victory over Preston North End that caused a sensation.

07/10/1959 – Union-Birmingham City FC : 2-4

11/11/1959 - Birmingham City FC -Union : 4-2

Union's first match in an official competition against an English club will take place as part of the Coupe Internationale des Villes de Foires. After knocking out Leipzig and AS Roma, Union had to face Birmingham. Despite putting up a good fight in the double-header, the lads from La Butte will be no match for the English professionals.

07/08/1977 – Union-Tottenham Hopstur : 0-2

13/08/1977 – Leicester – Union 2-1

It would be 18 years before Saint-Gilles would meet any English sides again. Invited to take part in a pre-season tournament in Sweden, Union played well against Spurs and Leicester, their opponents for the occasion. It will be an arduous task for a Belgian Division 2 side who, in the end, will emerge from these two duels with their heads held high.

30/07/2016 – Ispwich Town FC-Union 1-2

Finally, closer to home, the Unionists' last meeting, with the presence of her majesty Queen Elizabeth, ended in victory at Ipswich Town, a Division 2 club. It was a memorable trip for the 122 or so Union supporters who made the journey.