In 2022, Haverfordwest County finished one place above the Cymru Premier relegation zone, a fine achievement for part-timers. The man behind the survival quest, the Belgian Nicky Hayen, was an unlikely dugout dweller in Welsh football but it proved an awakening for the club and their manager, who will lead Club Brugge against Manchester City in the Champions League on Wednesday.

Both were in a difficult place when Hayen arrived in west Wales on New Year’s Eve 2021 to assume the dual role of manager and technical director. The Bluebirds were in a battle for survival and Hayen was looking to rebuild his career after relegation with Waasland-Beveren. It was an unlikely marriage that lasted less than a year, but still left an indelible mark.

“We both got a bit of grief off our families, but we actually agreed all the terms on Christmas Day,” says Haverfordwest’s owner, Rob Edwards. “He was in Wales by the 2nd or 3rd of January and off he went. The rest is history, as they say.”

It was easy to see why Haverfordwest would want such a highly qualified and experienced coach, but what attracted Hayen to second-from-bottom Haverfordwest? “God knows,” Edwards says. “I think it was a challenge – he wanted to make a bit of a mark. He had an unceremonious departure from his previous club and had a difficult time there. He had a bit of a point to prove.

“We just struck up a really good relationship straight away. He’s very humble, honest. I like to think I’m the same. We just had open conversations about what we could achieve, what I wanted to achieve. He would have loved to have been the first manager in 20 years to take the club into Europe. Unfortunately, he wasn’t around long enough to do that.”

A pragmatic approach to escaping the drop in Wales may have been the plan of most coaches, but Hayen would not change his philosophy. There were no kick‑and-rush tactics; the idea was to keep the ball and pass through opponents. “He implemented a completely different playing style and mentality,” Edwards says.

“We just went into games expecting to win. We felt we were going to win every game, despite the position we were in. We broke our [records for] biggest away win and biggest home win in the same week. We became a really ruthless team that tried to play football in a different way to what the league is used to, playing out from the back, possession-based. Cymru Premier League is a very direct, physical league.”

After five and a half months of graft in Haverfordwest, Club Brugge came calling and it was going to be difficult for Hayen to reject a return home, especially with one of the country’s most prestigious clubs. Hayen coached their under-23s for almost two years before being thrust into leading the first team after Ronny Deila’s sacking. In that role, too, he had almost instant success, although rather than staying up he led Club Brugge to the title and was given the job permanently last June. “He’s a workaholic and that rubs off on players, it rubs off on staff and it gets everyone behind you if you lead from the front,” Edwards says.

“I always knew he was going to go off somewhere else. We didn’t have him that long, but to see what he’s achieved since then makes us all really proud.”

Haverfordwest’s momentum did not stop under Hayen’s replacement Tony Pennock. A year later they qualified for Europe for the second time and defeated Shkendija of North Macedonia in the qualifying rounds of the Europa Conference League. Hayen is shining on the continent, too, overseeing wins against Aston Villa and Sporting, and a draw with Juventus, in the Champions League with a very young squad. Testing himself against the world’s elite coaches has got the best out of Hayen. Manchester City need to win to stay in the competition and Club Brugge will be eager to take a major scalp. A point would guarantee them a playoff spot.

Edwards still speaks to Hayen twice a week. One minute they might be talking about Juventus; the next about Cardiff Metropolitan University. Edwards also offered Hayen use of his home in Wales and he was the perfect house guest.

“When I first met him, we were talking about what we like to do to switch off,” Edwards says. “He doesn’t drink, he doesn’t have social media. I was like: ‘What do you do in the evenings?’

“He’s just very obsessed with football. I’d wake up and he’d already be on the laptop watching matches. I’d go to bed and he’d be on the laptop watching matches. He watched a lot of the academy. He was very visible around the club. He’d done some community initiatives with the club. We’re quite vocal in how we want to impact the community and he really bought into that.

“He just lived and breathed football and the club. There was no sideline for him.”

The risk has paid off for Hayen and Haverfordwest and they both continue to reap the rewards. If Club Brugge secure another Champions League scalp, it will be celebrated in Belgium and west Wales.