European debut

The Canaries started the '98 -'99 season with four new faces: Volk (Primorje), Fiers (Ghent), Mertens (Kortrijk) and Van Oekelen (Turnhout). Not all familiar faces immediately, but trainer Poll Peters still had faith in them. Morhaye (Ekeren), Verhoene (Harelbeke) and Wuyts (Mouscron) left.

STVV started the season well with a gala match against Everton FC. Five thousand men on Stayen including a hundred fifty English, a nice atmosphere, only the goals stayed out (0-0). Everton also played with the strongest team, only the Croatian libero Slaven Bilic was not there for disciplinary reasons.

Just before the start of the competition, Brazilian ball virtuoso Isaiah was still attracted. STVV started badly (0-2 against Mouscron), but after that STVV advanced to the subtop. 1-4 in Westerlo, 3-0 on Stayen against Lierse, 1-1 against Club Brugge, unearned loss against Lokeren (2-1) and Standard (0-1). In the derby against the later champion RC Genk, the Canaries once again stood their ground. STVV came twice, but fought back and was very close at the end.

STVV solved the ambitions and ended up well and deservedly in the left column of the ranking (9th place). More than that, the Canaries won the League Cup after a goal-rich final against Germinal Ekeren at Stayen.

On June 19, the Canaries made their European debut in the Bulgarian resort of Varna. The local heroes (Spartak Varna) could not temper the ambitions of STVV in a scorching heat. Spartak Varna went home with 1-2 down. At Stayen it became 6-0. In the second round Armenian Ararat Yerevan came out of the bus. Off it was 1-2, on Stayen 4-1. In short, the European adventure was already successful. In the third round, Austria Wien first went down to Stayen. Austria got the right out of the routine, the referee was absolutely not in the game. It became 0-2. Everyone thought about and out. Nevertheless, no fewer than six hundred supporters made the trip to Vienna. In the Franz Horr stadium the egg succeeded after all. STVV was 0-2. Austria folded but did not just go. Under loud applause from the Truienian supporters, the STVV members (1-2) left the European stage.

With Gunther Verjans for Gaetan Englebert (changing club) STVV started the season 1999-2000. Due to injuries, Verjans did not play a lot. STVV missed the start and did not leave until the middle of the second round. Filip Fiers scored ten pots. The teenagers Nicky Hayen and Peter Delorge grabbed their chance and immediately grabbed a base position.