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At the clip it felt similar a astonishment assignment for semi-professional Haverfordwest County of the Cymru Premier.
Three years on, and with the manager who joined them connected New Year's Eve 2021 starring his existent broadside into a Champions League knockout necktie against Aston Villa, it seems scarcely believable.
Nicky Hayen was the archetypal Belgian to negociate successful the Welsh Premier League and remains 1 of lone a fistful of non-British oregon non-Irish managers to bash so.
The 44-year-old's ascent to the second stages of Europe's top-tier contention with Club Brugge, who knocked retired Europa League holders Atalanta successful the play-offs, has been arsenic accelerated arsenic it has been impressive.
Now helium is being touted arsenic 1 of Europe's "hottest properties", and 1 pundit adjacent suggested Hayen could beryllium Arne Slot's replacement astatine Liverpool.
Few of the 273 contiguous astatine Bridge Meadow Stadium erstwhile Hayen recorded the biggest location triumph of his Haverfordwest tenure, a 6-1 thumping of Cefn Druids, would person predicted their manager would beryllium successful specified speech lone a fewer years later.
But for Haverfordwest president Rob Edwards, who remains adjacent friends with Hayen and shares regular messages with him, it comes arsenic nary surprise.
"The feline was a workaholic," recalls Edwards, whose location Hayen shared portion surviving successful westbound Wales.
"I would aftermath up astatine 8am and he'd beryllium dressed, watching clips of opposition, doing analysis. I'd spell to furniture astatine 11pm and he'd beryllium up, watching clips and doing analysis."
Hayen, a erstwhile defender who played much than 400 games successful Belgium and the Netherlands, reached Wales mostly via coaching, method manager and caretaker manager roles successful Belgium and Saudi Arabia.
His large managerial breakthrough astatine Waasland-Beveren ended successful Covid-impacted relegation to the Belgian 2nd tier.
He connected with Edwards via a communal interaction successful Belgium and, backed by a Uefa Pro Licence and stellar presentation, wowed the committee during the interrogation stage.
"We conscionable wanted to perceive to each connection helium said," explains Edwards, who took implicit the nine successful 2020 and made Hayen his archetypal managerial assignment the pursuing year.
'We decided helium was the idiosyncratic we wanted and did each we could to get him. Fortunately, helium turned up."
The acquisition and professionalism Hayen brought to the part-timers had an contiguous impact, taking them from 2nd bottommost to the verge of Europe successful little than six months, implementing a possession-based, passing attack seldom witnessed successful the Welsh apical flight.
"You could spot by the interaction helium had connected the players," says Edwards. 'He didn't effort to over-coach them, springiness them precise elaborate stats astir the opposition, [or] precise elaborate analysis.
"He spent his clip getting to cognize the players. He was precise methodical. He asked astir their welfare; helium was disquieted astir the intelligence broadside of the crippled arsenic well.
"He managed to get a truly astonishing modular retired of players we astir apt didn't realise had it successful them.
"For me, it was a monolithic learning curve moving with idiosyncratic astatine that level, but helium was precise calm. He wasn't a shouter successful the dressing country - helium spoke and you listened.
"Despite not being the loudest, astir aggressive, helium had an aura - you conscionable wanted to perceive to him."
It is to Hayen's recognition that helium slipped seamlessly into beingness successful the Pembrokeshire marketplace town, contempt having to permission his household successful Belgium.
"There are 14,000 radical who unrecorded successful Haverfordwest. It's a beauteous portion of the satellite but a spot of a civilization shock," says Edwards.
"He wasn't truly excessively acrophobic astir what was astir him. He was focused connected the football. He embraced the civilization and didn't effort to alteration thing drastically. But helium was conscionable obsessed with football.
"He is simply a household man, doesn't drink, doesn't usage societal media. He conscionable gets his caput down. He deserves everything helium gets."
Edwards knew the time would come, but helium was hoping the nine would get a small longer with Hayen astatine the helm.
When, successful the summertime of 2022, an attack arrived from Club Brugge to instrumentality implicit their Under-23s, Club NXT, it proved intolerable for Hayen to crook down.
"It was a small spot of a surprise," says Edwards. "I wasn't expecting to person immoderate dialog with a nine similar Club Brugge."
Hayen stepped successful arsenic first-team adjunct aft Scott Parker was sacked successful 2023, earlier getting his accidental arsenic interim manager erstwhile Ronny Deila near past March.
There, Hayen recovered erstwhile Sint-Truiden team-mate and ex-Liverpool and Sunderland goalkeeper Simon Mignolet to confide in.
'When [Deila] stepped down with 10 games to spell past season, Nicky stepped successful and won 9 of them and they came retired of obscurity to triumph the league. That was a existent statement," says Edwards.
It was during that tally that Jan Mulder, the erstwhile Ajax and Anderlecht striker turned pundit, made a prediction for Hayen's future.
"Next twelvemonth [he] volition play a bid of matches successful the Champions League, attracting the attraction of Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern and Manchester," Mulder wrote successful Humo, external successful May 2024.
"Nasser Al-Khelaifi of Paris St-Germain besides joins the combat for his signature astatine the past minute. Personally, I deliberation that the large Nicky Hayen volition regenerate Arne Slot from Zwolle arsenic manager of Liverpool wrong 2 years."
The archetypal portion of Mulder's premonition has proven to beryllium existent - Hayen's Brugge bushed Villa, Sporting and Sturm Graz successful the radical phase, arsenic good arsenic drafting with Juventus and Celtic.
The Belgian champions followed up by defeating Atalanta successful some legs of their play-off for a 5-2 aggregate victory.
Prior to that 2nd limb successful Italy, Hayen explained however earlier games helium ever talks to his mother, who passed distant 4 years ago.
"What helium has achieved successful the Champions League is conscionable incredible. Club Brugge implicit the years person had acold amended sides connected paper, but helium is getting an unthinkable tune retired of them," says Edwards.
"He is simply a workaholic, fanatical and leads from the front. I conjecture that is wherefore a batch of these younger players who are coming done are moving truthful hard for him and having large success."
Hayen's little tenure successful Wales besides acceptable the level for Haverfordwest's future. In 2023, nether Tony Pennock, they qualified for Europe for the archetypal clip successful 19 years and lone the 2nd clip successful their history, reaching the Europa Conference League 2nd qualifying round.
"It's large for the nine to beryllium associated with idiosyncratic similar that," says Edwards.
"It seems similar it is lone the commencement for him. I would emotion for him to spell on. I americium definite determination volition beryllium opportunities to negociate adjacent higher if helium carries on.
"He is astir apt 1 of the hottest properties successful Europe."
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