As we lick our wounds (again), say farewell to Blackett-Taylor (and it would appear Fraser), and discuss whether or not Appleton has already been sacked or whether Northampton tonight will prove the end for him, thought it might be time for a diversion. A brief update on my adopted French team, Lyon Duchere.
To recap, when I started going to their games they were in effectively the regional French fifth division. Two promotions later they were in Championnat National, just one rung below the top two divisions. They were punching well above their weight in true Charlton fashion, competing against teams with much greater resources (reflected not least in attendance figures). After a good start in the higher division it all went sour as ambitious owners decided the club could never thrive based in the area and planned a move away from Duchere, across Lyon to the old and now vacated rugby stadium, changing the club’s name to Sporting Club de Lyon to try to sell it as all-Lyon’s second club (perhaps if they’d anticipated the current difficulties of Olympique Lyonnais they might have aimed higher). The longstanding manager was replaced, a host of new players brought in, and when Covid struck they were rooted to the foot of table. At the end of the uncompleted season it was decided to relegate them, with no appeal. Then at the end of last season La Duchere, who for much of the campaign harboured hopes of a fresh promotion, accepted a voluntary relegation for financial reasons.
So, we were back where I started, but with the club back to being rooted in Duchere and a part of the community. We’re now halfway through the season – and Duchere sit proudly at the top of the table. OK, like us they have suffered something of a blip of late. In December, the club felt able to issue a press release lauding the achievements to date. La Duchere was hailed as one of only two clubs (out of 266) in all five divisions (four and five are regional with many groups) unbeaten in the league or cup. Indeed, clear at the top they were preparing for a last 32 match against Le Puy Foot 43 of National 2, having already seen off Goal FC (National 1), Bastia (Ligue 2), and Thonon Evian Grande Geneve (National 2). The rest of the season, the club commented, “promises to be thrilling”.
You can of course guess what happened next. Duchere put in a spirited but ultimately unsuccessful effort against Le Puy, going out 1-2. Next up back in the league they travelled to bottom-of-the-table Ain Sud, the comments ahead of the game being that they would not be taken lightly. They came away with a rather disappointing 1-1 draw. And on Saturday there was the visit to Balmont Stadium of Clermont Foot(B) – the reserve teams of the top clubs compete in the lower divisions, Clermont currently battling it out with OL to avoid relegation from the French top flight.
Now Duchere had made it to the top – and here they clearly part company with the Addicks - on the back of their strong defence. Just five goals conceded in 12 games. So news that they had gone down 2-4 at home against a team in the lower reaches of the league came as something of a surprise. Seems Duchere were stung by two first-half goals for Le Puy, but pulled it back to 1-2 before the break then to 2-2 in the second half. They had the opportunity to take the lead but failed to convert a penalty, then fell behind again. Chasing the game in the final stages they were predictably caught out on the break, giving a rather misleading slant to the scoreline.
No matter, after 13 games of the 26-game season Duchere are still top, having won seven and drawn five, scoring 22 goals and conceding nine. Promotion (and relegation) can get a bit complicated at this level, but to be sure of going up you need to win your group (there are 12, each of 14 teams, making up N3). So the second half of the campaign is going to be interesting, perhaps indeed thrilling. Next up for Duchere will be the local derby, at home against OL’s reserves. A favour perhaps? We shall see.
No comments:
Post a Comment