« SDuring a match, you can mark the club’s history. » AFC Compiègne (AFCC) coach, Antoine Pielak, delivered an unapologetic message to his players this week with a view to Sunday’s match (3 p.m.) against Valenciennes, beaten 4-1 on Wednesday in the National , during a late match in Orléans.
The Northerners, relegated from Ligue 2, were thus unable to take the lead in the future Ligue 3 which held out its arms to the winner of a match watched on video by Pielak: “ Since the draw, I have been watching the matches of Valenciennes who have a very good attack (editor’s note: 2e you National) and who also concedes a lot of goals (penultimate defense). The idea is therefore not going to be to wait for them 90 minutes in front of our goal to keep the 0-0 and go to penalties (editor’s note: in the Coupe de France, there is no longer any overtime except in the final). Of course, we will have to be very solid defensively, but while showing that we can be capable of playing ball… »
As such, the coach admits to being reassured about the potential of his team since last Sunday and the 3-0 victory in Regional 1 against Cambrai: “ We had our best match since the start of the season, particularly on the defensive aspect and on the combativeness, two points which will be essential against Valenciennes. So now we can’t wait to be there! ».
Valenciennes recovers its best player
Moreover, apart from Gomis, who dislocated his shoulder against Cambrai, and whose absence is estimated at three weeks, Pielak will have the same group. Conversely, Valenciennes could change its squad, notably with the essential return of its Nigerian striker Mathias Oyewusi, suspended on Wednesday in Orléans, and recently elected player of the month in National. “ Without this late match, he would have been suspended against us, timely remarks the AFCC coach. So, we can’t really know if the fact that Valenciennes played on Wednesday benefits us a little or not.. »
Whatever the case, Compiègne’s determination is unwavering in an attempt to overturn the hierarchy and the three divisions that exist with a club that was a semi-finalist in the same Coupe de France last season. In this, the AFCC rediscovers distant sensations when its flagship team, then one of the best in the CFA (now National 2), had played two prestigious matches. The first in 32es final in January 2010 in Lens (initially planned for Compiègne then in Beauvais, the meeting finally took place at the Félix-Bollaert stadium), the second in the round of 16 in January 2012 in Beauvais against Lille. Twice, the Coupe de France had made supporters dream, ultimately proud and frustrated by the outcome, two 1-0 defeats. In Lens on a goal from Maoulida blocked by Chrétien. In front of Lille after extra time, while Aulon had fired on the crossbar in the second half.
“Child” of the club, Antoine Pielak remembers it. Hence the repetition of his message to his players: “ In a match, you can mark the history of the club. » If this were to be the case, it would even be the most beautiful surprise achieved by Compiègne since the legendary elimination in January 1985 of Reims (1-0) on the lawn of a snow-covered Paul-Cosyns stadium at the time, synthetic today ‘today.
