Mon Pauvre Duchere

You may infer from the headline that this is not going to be a tale of glorious success for my adopted French team, Lyon Duchere. Going into last night’s round of games they were in third place in National, France’s third division, with three games to go, with the top two getting automatic promotion and the third-placed team going into a play-off with the third-bottom team from the second division. And effectively there were five teams competing for the places. All five had what looked on paper like winnable games; three of them were to achieve victory and two were defeated. Regrettably Duchere were one of the two.

I’ve no details on the game but Duchere went down 1-2 away at Chambly. The other losers were league-leaders Quevilly Rouen, 1-2 away at Beziers. Before the previous round they were six points clear at the top with four to play but have now lost successive games. Of the others involved, second-placed Chateauroux beat lowly Pau 1-0 at home, Dunkerque – who Duchere had beaten 4-1 in the previous round of games and had as a result slipped to fourth – won 2-1 at home to Les Herbiers, and Paris FC – who had been coming up on the rails – secured a 1-0 home win against bottom-placed Belfort. As a result Rouen are now only top on goal difference from Chateauroux, both on 55 points with two games to play. Dunkerque have moved back up to third, on 52 points, Paris are up to fourth on 51, while Duchere have dropped to fifth on 50 points.

It isn’t yet game over for Duchere. But now it would appear they have to win their final two games and hope for some other results to go their way if they are to get back into the top three. Those who have been following avidly news of La Duche will be aware that in the next round they will host Chateauroux, while Rouen are at home to Dunkerque. Now well and truly in the mix, Paris will be away to relegation-threatened Bastia. Basically Duchere have to beat their promotion rivals and hope that Rouen beat Dunkerque and that Paris do not win their game.

That combination of results – not an impossible one but something of a best-case scenario – would see Rouen promoted with a game to spare on 58 points, Chateauroux second on 55, Duchere up to third on 53, with Dunkerque and Paris below them. In that event Duchere would know that a victory in their final match, away to Epinal (currently in a relegation spot), would put them into the play-off (as things stand against Orleans, who have moved above Red Star in the second division), with a remote chance of securing second, which requires Chateauroux failing to win at home to Les Herbiers (if it came down to goal difference Duchere would be above them).

At least for Duchere it is clear: anything other than glorious victory next Friday evening and it’s almost certainly done (you can come up with some very unlikely combinations if it’s a draw, even a defeat). Whatever happens it’s been a splendid first season in the third flight for Duchere; but we’re not ready to call time on it yet.