There’s a quiet hanging over the training ground. The players are dejected, the staff are disappointed, and the board, despite telling us all how proud they are of us, haven’t mustered much of a smile. It’s a difficult time. We took Ligue 1 Troyes as far as we could without winning the tie, and we were magnificent, and it wasn’t enough. That’s a tough pill to swallow.
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Ludovic Butelle, the man who missed the crucial penalty, is probably taking it best. He’s 38, he’s seen everything before. I’m grateful to have him around the younger players, picking them up and getting them going. I tell everyone what a special performance it was, the joy they’ve given our fans this season, but remind them that it’ll be forgotten if we don’t see it through. We’re top of the league, and while it would take a collapse of epic proportions to not get promoted here – we’re 19 points clear of third – we want to win the league. That means keeping our noses in front of still unbeaten Chateauroux. Next up is Laval.
The side from Loire are outside the relegation places on goal difference, and they have trouble scoring goals. It could be a perfect game to pick up our spirits, and we’ll put out the strongest side we have available. Michael Nilor has gone out on loan, but youngster Alvyn le Corre gets a place on the bench. Other than that, it’s the same players that started against Troyes, because I expect them to be determined to push on now.
We start like a train. Meissa Ba gets onto the end of a through ball in the second minute and unleashes a drive that I can only assume has the full frustration of the cup game behind it. The goalkeeper stood no chance. A few minutes later Hacene Benali comes in from the wing and slots home, and I start to think we might run riot. But we stop playing. We sit back. Job done, apparently. But they pull one back before half time. Luckily we seem to be able to score at will, and Benali gets his second a few moments later. The second half passes without so much as a tackle, and we’re back to winning ways.
There’s some sort of curse hanging over us for the next week. The smart money would be on Steve having done something, but I can’t prove anything. Darell Tokpa picks up a knock, and then Damien Durand kicks the ground and hurts himself. They will only miss the next game against Bourg-Peronnas, but it’s something to deal with. On top of that, Josue Homawoo gets the nasty flu that’s going around, so I send him home for a couple of weeks. We don’t want that spreading through the squad at a crucial time.
Bourg-Peronnas are a symbol of just how close the league is behind us and Chateauroux. They sit in 11th, just a few places above the relegation places. But they are closer in points to the playoff spot, and one good month could bridge the gap. They play with that tricky 352/532 that we have struggled to break down, but we’re confident of a win to stay at the top of the table. Kevin Gomis and Moussa Guel come in.
We make hard work of it, and it nearly begins disastrously. Bourg-Peronnas break through early on with only Butelle to beat, but Sparagna makes an exceptional recovery to divert the shot safely onto the path of Aniss El Hriti. We breathe a sigh of relief, and it’s the only real chance our opponents create. We huff and puff through the first half, but can’t find the breakthrough. On the hour I bring on Le Corre to support Meissa Ba, and he takes just three minutes to finish off a superb passing move. I like the cut of his jib. We carry on attacking and ten minutes from the end, Hacene Benali is brought down and Ba dispatches the penalty. Another win.
Our next game is away at Le Mans. Damien Durand rejoins us but Noah Cadiou is suspended. I make him stand in the snow to see us off, it seems like a fitting punishment for forcing a change, and we crunch off into the French countryside. They are only two points clear of the relegation zone, and their flat 442 concedes too many goals – the second most in the division. I can almost hear Meissa Ba licking his lips at the back of the coach, his tally of 11 is decent but I know he wanted 20. Edouard Daillet comes in for Cadiou, and Ndoye Squared reunite in the centre of the park. Damien Durand comes back in.
It’s not the easiest of afternoons, but we get the job done and we keep their chances to a minimum. Just before half time a lovely passing move down the left hand side ends with Cheikh Ndoye floating a cross to the back post, where Hacene Benali nods home. Ba isn’t having his best day, so I bring on the young Le Corre in the second half. The fresh legs help, and when Durand beats his man and drills across the box, the teenager turns home in the last minute. Job done, and on we go.
We travel to Creteil for our final match of the month. They are another of the chasing pack, sitting all the way down in 10th but only five points from Orleans in 3rd. They don’t score many, but are pretty solid, so we’ll need to play better than we did at Le Mans. I stick with Meissa Ba because, frankly, we haven’t got any other senior strikers. Winger Alexis Araujo is the danger man, so Aniss El Hriti will need to be at his best. Josue Homawoo comes back in from illness.
It’s another struggle, but we’re tight at the back again and that gives us the foundation to build. There aren’t any chances of note for either side in the first half, but we’re better in the second half. I’m just about to bring on the second striker when Cheikh Ndoye nods home a Damien Durand corner for 1-0. I take off the ineffectual Meissa Ba and bring on the youngster, and Le Corre responds again with a late goal. This lad’s got something.
Steve is waiting outside my office when we get back, with a smug looking gentleman in an expensive suit. Steve’s looking like he’s been in an argument, and it turns out the smug man is Damien Durand’s agent. He wants a new contract. I’d love to give him a long contract, or even just a pay rise to keep him happy, but he was born outside of Paris. Which could make this complicated. I explain the policy, and Damien is looking pretty unhappy in training the next day. If I can keep him committed to the end of the season, I’ll be able to make a decision about him in the summer. He’d be magnificent in Ligue 2, I have no doubt, but maybe it’s time to think about cashing in on a player who has drawn interest for most of the season.
4 wins from 4 games keeps us at the top of the league, but Chateauroux just won’t go away. Their wage bill is more than double the next highest in the division, so we’re doing brilliantly to stay above them. And we’re 25 points clear of 3rd with 33 to play for, so promotion is all but guaranteed. But I want to win the league. It’s not about the money. It’s about sending a message.
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