Fourteenth after the first phase, USON Nevers begins a crucial fight for its survival in Pro D2. Between pressure to maintain and hopes of renewal, players and staff are preparing a series of decisive matches at Pré-Fleuri.
This Friday evening at Pré-Fleuri, the echo of the festive noises will fade to give way to the clatter of the crusade. Fourteenth at the end of the first phase, the Neversois approach the return matches with armor in the wind, knives between their teeth, and the sword of Damocles above their heads. “The maintenance will be played out at 56 or 57 pointscalculated manager Xavier Péméja on the eve of the restart. We have seven games at home. If we win them all, we will be at 55 points.”
A victory in Nice, a defensive bonus brought back from the first trip of the season to Oyonnax, and that’s it: the meager spoils gleaned away during the first leg prohibit any defeat at home between now and the 30th day. A discomfort from which the group must draw vital force: “The players must be aware that this is a crucial moment in their lives. They will be proud of themselves, if we maintain ourselves, and they will be strengthened in the season after. They will remember these moments when they saved the situation. It will remain in the history of the club, it does not appear in a prize list, but it is constructive. Something good can come out of it for the future.
In the three decades of his coaching career, Xavier Péméja sometimes lived with his back to the cliff, his toes clenched above the void: “In Bayonne, we fought for several seasons to avoid relegation. There were very strong moments, incredible atmospheres at the stadium, as intense as if we were playing for a title. Not going down is only relief, but people are happy, that’s why the supporters must also come to see us play.
For the moment, the attendance at Pré-Fleuri has not followed the team’s seasonal level curve: “We have 5,000 to 6,000 spectators at each match, it’s hugeappreciates scrum half Hugo Bouyssou. We need to feel supported. It’s great to hear supporters tell us this week “we’ll be there Friday”. It would be good if we returned the favor and offered them as many positive emotions as possible.”
-“We have no room for error”
Arriving in Nièvre in 2023, after nine years spent at Stade Aurillacois, the player validated his third season, as an option in his contract. A first official extension for USON, and a strong sign, for the staff as well as for him: “It’s a considered decision. I weighed the pros and cons. When I joined Nevers, I had the image of an ambitious club. It still is. I want to know the final stages with him. I believe in the project, in the team. If I had left, I would have felt unfinished.”
He who experienced the stomach butterflies of the battle for survival in Cantal can share his experience with teammates who, for the most part, have never experienced such torments: “A club like Nevers is not used to that. That’s what changes the situation. We have to become aware of the situation, but at the same time remain liberated, have confidence and serenity. What we lack , it’s consistency. I’m more of a positive nature. We have the cards in hand to turn the situation around and show our true colors.
The reception at Stade Monois awakens the still fresh memory of the first match of the first leg, a defeat against Grenoble (20-26) at Pré-Fleuri which had immediately put Nevers in a difficult situation. “We have no room for errorinsists Hugo Bouyssou. We know how painful it is to start badly.” Start well, hold on and finish well, the road book for the return journey is clear for Xavier Péméja, the man of the climb in Pro D2 who does not want to be the man of the descent: “It would be the biggest failure of my career.”
