Zulte-Waregem have completely overhauled their squad in the summer after losing some key players and Francky Dury needed some time to ease in a dozen new additions. It was actually a promising start for his men as they won five of the opening eight games and looked like one of the most potent and exciting teams in the division. They had a multitude of options in attack as Aaron Leya Iseka and Ivan Saponjic were competing for places while players like Julien de Sart and Sander Coopman provided class and composure on the ball.
But then, out of a sudden, Essevee completely blacked out and went on a truly dreadful run of form in the two and a half months until the end of 2017. They earned a grand total of one point in a run of eight games and collapsed in the table, turning from a dark horse in the title race to a side looking behind their shoulders towards the bottom sides. Essevee had their good moments in most of these games and deserved better than they got but the mentality of the team changed and they really dug a hole for themselves. But the club persisted with Dury when others would have sacked their manager and things did start to get better in January.
The addition of striker Hamdi Harbaoui from Anderlecht and former winger Theo Bongonda played a big part in that as the team started to look more effective when in attack. A few wins under the belt eased the relegation concerns and even ignited hopes for a late push for the top six. Yet they missed out despite winning three of the last four league games and had to settle for just Play Off II.
But the team embraced the challenge in the group stage and emerged as a dominant force that blew everything away. One draw and eight wins later, Essevee were preparing to face Lokeren at home and keep their European dream alive. They did it the hard way but after coming back from a goal twice, they progressed on penalties and took on Genk in the final play-off clash. That was one challenge too many for Dury's side as they were defeated 2:0. Thus, the season ends in disappointment but still Esseve deserve credit for emerging stronger in the spring after a dreadful run and becoming one of the most impressive and free-scoring sides in the league.
