Silent Knight, Holy Knight

[Faramir]

5.2.05

Noisy-le-Sec (3) Niort (3)

Noisy-le-Sec- J.Viale 23 P.Noel 61 J.Capoue 78-P

Niort- J.Remy 16,56 O.Bangoura 85-P

MOM- Jacques Remy, Niort

We staged a superior comeback against Niort and took a 3-2 lead, but once again squandered a chance to win when we gave them a late penalty and they converted to earn the 3-3 draw. Our backline and Dejan Nemec were both very unsteady today- we didn't get good play out of either of them and it was costly as Jacques Remy had an easy time scoring two goals when we showed a severe inability to mark him. We rallied from his first score when Julien Viale scored his 1st goal for us to cap a pretty tic-tac-toe passing sequence. After Remy's 2nd goal it was Mounir Alkhatib's laser cross that Pierrick Noel headed into the right side of the net for his 5th goal this season. We took the lead when they tripped Viale in the area and Jean-Michel Capoue converted the penalty kick in off the inside of the left post. They got their late penalty when Manuel de Jesus Makiadi- laboring with a strained thigh- pushed Bangoura in the area. We need to finish off our chances to earn wins- especially at home- something we are having difficulty doing right now.

[Flying_Fin]

Another excellent thread by you, Faramir... I am starting to enjoy my work time again thanks to you

[Faramir]

Thanks Flying Fin- glad you like this one also

***

12.2.05

Le Havre (2) Noisy-le-Sec (2)

Le Havre- S.Houri 45,47

Noisy-le-Sec- Mouithys 16-P J.Viale 50

MOM- Sammy Houri, Le Havre

I must confess I am at a loss to understand how our backline has gone from one of the strengths of the club to one of the weaknesses. We are without Assane N'Diaye and Manuel de Jesus Makiadi due to injury, but Romain Sartre has been a good pickup. Our fullbacks have played poorly of late, to put it mildly. Both Ange Ouefio and Mohamed Djouadi seem to have lost their good judgement- as they continually make bad decisions that is leaving the rest of the backline susceptible and that is how Sammy Houri managed to score twice for them today. We got our first half goal when they tripped Daniel Huss in the area and Mouithys converted the penalty kick. Julien Viale made a strong header to score our equalizer in the second half. We missed several chances to take the lead, but they also had good chances which Dejan Nemec stopped. We need to get back to the basics of defense- because the concept seems to have escaped us of late.

[Faramir]

19.2.05

Noisy-le-Sec (1) Sedan (1)

Noisy-le-Sec- J.Viale 41-P

Sedan- S.Mace 53-P

MOM- Ludovic Jeannel, Sedan

We found ourselves without any luck again in this match, though we also handed them their lone goal in the 1-1 draw. We played better offensively, only to see their keeper- Patrick Regnault- make excellent saves against Julien Viale, Daniel Huss, Hakim Saci and Luis Dias to keep us off the board in the early going. Julien Viale converted the penalty kick after Huss was jostled in the air on a corner and we had the halftime lead. Assou showed poor judgement for a challenge he didn't need to make in our area and Sebastien Mace returned the favor by evening the match with his penalty kick. We kept after them, but could not get the goal to take the match. It was a better effort on our part, but the same result of a draw leaves all of us frustrated.

[Faramir]

26.2.05

Le Mans (2) Noisy-le-Sec (2)

Le Mans- J.Fanchone 35 Mazhar 81

Noisy-le-Sec- J.Viale 2 Assou 68

MOM- Malik Benachour, Noisy-le-Sec

Our backline play was brutally bad again today and we were fortunate to escape with a 2-2 draw. It should have been much more, having taken the lead twice, but instead our backline play was disorganized and left them numerous excellent chances in the late stages of the match. If Dejan Nemec had been anything less than terrific today- this would have been a loss. We took the early lead when their backline offered us a gift of a loose ball that noone would claim and Julien Viale made them pay with a nice goal. They evened the match as Le Mans continually took advantage of our lack of pace to play balls over the backline and that allowed James Fanchone an excellent chance that he whistled past Nemec. We grabbed the lead again in the second half behind a fine counterattack where Luis Dias flicked the ball on and Assou made a nice move to take it around Ludovic Butelle. After they hit the post twice and Nemec made a couple other fingertip saves, it was Mazhar who was camped alone unmarked that evened the match. With today's result, I believe the time has come to try overhauling the backline. Assane N'Diaye is almost ready to play again and we need him badly.

[FC Beigem gaat het maken]

That's five draws in a row, more than I usually get in one season.

KUTGW however, it has been an entertaining thread so far.

[Faramir]

Thanks FC Beigem- glad you are enjoying the story

***

27.2.05

With 10 matches remaining, the race for the three promotion spots is very tight. This is currently where we stand:

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">

1- Nimes 50 pts (+19)

2- Noisy-le-Sec 48 pts (+17)

3- Istres 47 pts (+12)

4- Le Havre 47 pts (+7)

5- Nancy 44 pts (+8)

6- Lorient 44 pts (+1)

</pre>

***

2.3.05

I was surprised when Louhans approached me to take over as their manager. They are currently 13th in the National. Considering we are in the fight to advance in Division 2 and that it was your desire I stay the course with Noisy-le-Sec I turned them down.

[Faramir]

5.3.05

Noisy-le-Sec (3) Nice (0)

Noisy-le-Sec- J.Viale 39,51 C.Lannoy 83

Nice- None

MOM- Julien Viale, Noisy-le-Sec

The return of Assane N'Diaye boosted and solidified our backline and though it wasn't perfect, they offered solid support that enabled Ghislain Chauray to complete a clean sheet in our much needed 3-0 win. Julien Viale was once again the offensive force for us, but the catalyst was the return from injury of Pierrick Noel on right wing. Noel's pace caused Nice problems and his laid off pass allowed Viale to strike a beautiful 25 yard shot past Thierry Debes to give us the lead. Romain Pitau was unlucky and hit the outside of the post when he had a wide open net for his header to keep us ahead at halftime. Ange Ouefio, playing much better today, made a terrific through ball that Viale finished off for his 2nd goal of the match and 5th of the season. We then finally clinched the match in the late going when Hakim Saci, on for Viale, slipped a pass through to Christophe Lannoy and he outpaced their defense before sliding his shot underneath the sprawling Debes for the final goal in the 3-0 win.

Standings

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">

1- Nimes 53 pts (+21)

2- Noisy-le-Sec 51 pts (+20)

3- Le Havre 50 pts (+8)

4- Istres 47 pts (+10)

5- Nancy 47 pts (+10)

6- Lorient 47 pts (+3)

7- Saint-Etienne 45 pts (+9)

</pre>

[Faramir]

12.3.05

Troyes (3) Noisy-le-Sec (2)

Troyes- F.Adam 2 N.Akrour 49 W.Dalmat 58

Noisy-le-Sec- C.Lannoy 53 P.Noel 75

MOM- Nassim Akrour, Troyes

In a match we badly needed a result from, I am sorry to report that we failed and fell 3-2 to Troyes. We started off on a terrible note when Frederic Adam curled a 30 yard free kick past Dejan Nemec. We kept the match close until halftime and talked about how we needed to come out and play sharp to get back to even. It didn't happen as Jean-Pascal Yeo sent a pass directly to Johan Gallon and he chipped it over him to Nassim Akrour. Nemec played well, but he couldn't stop Akrour's blast. We stormed back when a good pass found Christophe Lannoy behind their defense and he slipped a shot inside the near left post to make it 2-1. That lasted only a few minutes as Assane N'Diaye was guilty of inattentive marking and Wilfried Dalmat drilled a shot past Nemec. We managed to get back into the match when Pierrick Noel scored off a pretty right side run, but we just couldn't get the equalizer and lost a crucial match 3-2.

Standings

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">

1- Nimes 56 pts (+25)

2- Le Havre 53 pts (+10)

3- Noisy-le-Sec 51 pts (+19)

4- Istres 50 pts (+13)

5- Saint-Etienne 48 pts (+12)

6- Nancy 48 pts (+10)

7- Lorient 47 pts (-1)

</pre>

[Faramir]

23.3.05

Noisy-le-Sec (3) Nimes (0)

Noisy-le-Sec- J.Viale 48-P,81 C.Lannoy 90

Nimes- None

MOM- Julien Viale, Noisy-le-Sec

The first half of our match against 1st place Nimes was about as tightly played as you could have it. Both sides only managed a couple chances on goal, but the chances were good ones and Cedric Duchesne and Dejan Nemec had to be sharp to keep things scoreless. We finally broke on top in the opening moments of the second half when Pierrick Noel was tripped in the area by Richard Massolin and Julien Viale stepped up and calmly converted the penalty kick to give us the lead. They pressured us badly for about the next 20 minutes, trying desperately to gain the equalizer, but behind good work from Nemec we stood firm. Christophe Lannoy tipped the balance for us when he made an exhausting run to run a pass into space down in the left corner and then he lofted a centering pass. Viale outleaped two defenders and deflected the ball past the stranded Duchesne for his 2nd goal of the match. We clinched the match when Duchesne lost his magic and mishandled a swerving Lannoy blast into the net to make the final 3-0 in a hugely important win.

Standings

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">

1- Nimes 56 pts (+22)

2- Noisy-le-Sec 54 pts (+22)

3- Le Havre 54 pts (+10)

4- Saint-Etienne 52 pts (+13)

5- Istres 50 pts (+12)

6- Nancy 48 pts (+8)

7- Lorient 48 pts (-1)

</pre>

[Faramir]

26.3.05

Amiens (1) Noisy-le-Sec (3)

Amiens- T.Buengo 90

Noisy-le-Sec- J.Abalo 2-OG C.Lannoy 13 J.Viale 45

MOM- Julien Viale, Noisy-le-Sec

I considered this match against 20th place Amiens a must-win match for us. We came through with fine first half performance, and rode that to a 3-1 road win. We were helped in the opening moments of the first half when Jean-Pascal Abalo headed a cross from Christophe Lannoy into his own net. Abalo made a bad mistake, as we didn't even have anyone up the pitch for Lannoy to cross to when he fooled him and Abalo felt forced to intervene. Lannoy then hammered home a rebound after a low drive from Pierrick Noel was pushed away by Jacques Tihy. Julien Viale added a goal in first half injury time when he deflected a centering pass from Lannoy past Tihy. We lost our concentration at the end of the match and Titi Buengo fired a shot past Ghislain Chauray (who had come on for a slightly injured Dejan Nemec).

Standings

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">

1- Noisy-le-Sec 57 pts (+24)

2- Nimes 56 pts (+21)

3- Saint-Etinne 55 pts (+15)

4- Le Havre 55 pts (+10)

5- Istres 51 pts (+12)

6- Nancy 51 pts (+11)

7- Niort 48 pts (+10)

8- Lorient 48 pts (-3)

</pre>

[Faramir]

2.4.05

Noisy-le-Sec (0) Saint-Etinne (1)

Noisy-le-Sec- None

Saint-Etienne- G.Tafforeau 52

MOM- Jeremie Janot, Saint-Etinne

We were forced to play with Julien Viale (yellow card suspension) and Dejan Nemec (injured neck) for this match and missing those hurt us badly as we lost to Saint-Etienne 1-0. The only goal of the closely played match came when Jean-Pascal Yao made a poor header trying to clear a centering pass and that allowed the ball to be headed back into the area where Gregory Tafforeau made no mistake firing a low shot past Ghislain Chauray. We tried to rally and had several good chances, but Jeremie Janot was impossible for us to solve today as his fine work kept their clean sheet intact. Assane N'Diaye broke his two and will miss at least the next couple weeks- an injury we could ill afford at this point of the season.

Standings

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">

1- Saint-Etienne 58 pts (+16)

2- Le Havre 58 pts (+11)

3- Noisy-le-Sec 57 pts (+23)

4- Nimes 56 pts (+20)

5- Istres 52 pts (+12)

6- Nancy 52 pts (+11)

</pre>

[Faramir]

16.4.05

Angers (3) Noisy-le-Sec (3)

Angers- D.Mendy 38,81 P.Delaye 58

Noisy-le-Sec- P.Noel 27,77-P C.Lannoy 30

MOM- Dalamba Mendy, Angers

I regret to tell you that our backline play was again abysmal as we wasted a two-goal lead and then later a one-goal lead as we managed only a 3-3 draw against Angers. We struck quickly for a pair of goals on a nice run by Pierrick Noel and then a 25 yard free kick from Christophe Lannoy. Unfortunately, none of our backline could mark Dalamba Mendy and he quickly scored a goal to get them right back into the match. Philippe Delaye then fired in a rebound after we failed to clear the ball away when Dejan Nemec stopped Mendy with a good save. We moved ahead again midway in the second half when they pushed Gail Genevier while he was leaping for a corner and Noel converted the penalty kick for his 2nd goal of the match. We couldn't tether Mendy though and he waltzed through our backline before blasting a shot past Nemec to even the match at 3-3. We came close to winning the match, but Sebastien Chabbert came up with the key save against Christophe Lannoy in the waning moments of second half injury time.

Standings

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">

1- Saint-Etienne 61 pts (+17)

2- Le Havre 59 pts (+11)

3- Noisy-le-Sec 58 pts (+23)

4- Nimes 56 pts (+19)

5- Nancy 55 pts (+14)

6- Istres 55 pts (+13)

</pre>

[Faramir]

23.4.05

Noisy-le-Sec (1) Istres (1)

Noisy-le-Sec- C.Lannoy 80

Istres- F.Chaussadiere 88

MOM- Laurent Weber, Istres

We should have won this match, we could have won this match. Instead, I watched in dismay as Alexandre Douchez challenged well into their end- in direct disregard of my instructions to him- and they sent the ball over the top which resulted in an odd-man attack and eventually the equalizer. We outshot them 16-2 in the match, but they capitalized on their chance and we saw Laurent Weber make a series of dazzling saves to preserve the 1-1 draw for them. Our goal came when Patrice Ouerdi, on for injured Pierrick Noel, slotted a beautiful cross that Christophe Lannoy half-volleyed past Weber for his 15th goal of the season. We went into a defensive approach, but when Douchez wandered up the pitch I could see the play developing before it actually happened. The draw was even more disappointing when a win would have put Istres virtually out of the chase for a playoff spot. The match cost us Hakim Saci for the remainder of the season as his hamstring problems will keep him out for the next month or so.

Standings

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">

1- Saint-Etienne 64 pts (+18)

2- Noisy-le-Sec 59 pts (+23)

3- Le Havre 59 pts (+10)

4- Nimes 56 pts (+18)

5- Istres 56 pts (+13)

6- Nancy 55 pts (+12)

7- Le Mans 54 pts (+12)

</pre>

[Faramir]

7.5.05

Chateauroux (1) Noisy-le-Sec (3)

Chateauroux- G.Plessis 67

Noisy-le-Sec- C.Lannoy 2 J.Viale 35-P,45

MOM- Julien Viale, Noisy-le-Sec

I must admit your advice was helpful. The backline switch (Assane N'Diaye was the only starter I retained) seemed to energize the defense and though we had to scramble a bit- they managed to offer Dejan Nemec some solid support. We struck in the opening moments of play when Kendal Ucar winged a through ball past Marc Giraudon and Christophe Lannoy's hard shot trickled past Thibault Maqua and into the net. We went up 2-0 when Giraudon was forced to trip Pierrick Noel in the area and Julien Viale converted the penalty kick for his 10th goal of the season. It was 3-0 at halftime as Lannoy and Viale worked a neat give-and-go in the area and Viale deflected Lannoy's past by Maqua in the last moments of first half injury time. We were trying to play solid defensively in the second half to protect the lead, but we did yield them a goal on a corner when Guillaume Plessis deflected Laurent Debrosse's corner past Dejan Nemec to ruin his clean sheet. We held on from that point and Nemec kept them from getting closer as we won an important match.

Standings

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">

1- Saint-Etienne P 67 pts (+19)

2- Noisy-le-Sec 62 pts (+25)

3- Le Havre 62 pts (+12)

4- Nimes 59 pts (+21)

5- Istres 59 pts (+15)

6- Nancy 58 pts (+13)

7- Le Mans 57 pts (+14)

</pre>

[Faramir]

14.5.05

Noisy-le-Sec (4) Nancy (0)

Noisy-le-Sec- P.Noel 25 M.Alkhatib 43 J.Viale 57 Kennedy 89

Nancy- None

MOM- Julien Viale, Noisy-le-Sec

I am pleased to report that we clinched promotion to Division 1 play and ended Nancy's hopes of gaining promotion with one of our best performances of the season in convincingly defeating them 4-0 at Salvador Allende. It was Pierrick Noel's hard work that earned us the lead, as he used his acceleration to reach a loose ball that Guillaume Lacour didn't see for a moment. Noel made a well-placed shot inside the far left post past Olivier Sorin and I breathed a heavy sigh of relief, since I considered gaining the lead in this match critical. Mounir Alkhatib boosted us to a 2-0 halftime lead with a swerving free kick that sailed past Sorin from 25 yards. Julien Viale made everyone notice his match performance when he took a centering pass, shook off the attempt to tackle the ball and then wheeled and blasted past Sorin from inside the edge of the area. It looked like we were giving them a glimmer of hope when Malik Benachour drew a yellow card and penalty kick for holding Francois Zoko in the area, but Dejan Nemec preserved his clean sheet when he parried Olivier Rambo's penalty kick and then leapt on the rebound. We finished their hopes when Kennedy struck from 25 yards off of Sorin's hands for his 1st goal of the season.

Standings

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">

1- Saint-Etienne P 67 pts (+16)

2- Noisy-le-Sec P 65 pts (+29)

3- Le Havre P 65 pts (+13)

4- Nimes 60 pts (+21)

5- Le Mans 60 pts (+17)

6- Istres 59 pts (+14)

7- Nancy 58 pts (+9)

</pre>

[Faramir]

Your missive was most welcome. In answer to your inquiries, I feel that the club must make some changes for next season. Our backline is the area where I must pursue help. Kendal Ucar's play in the last couple of matches was encouraging- and certainly leads me to ensuring he will receive consideration for more playing time next season. Mohamed Djouadi played well for most of the season before injuries helped rob him of some of his usefulness and I am not sure he is really equipped for the drastic change in competition we face next season. Assane N'Diaye has been a competent defender, but not nearly as consistent or commanding as we needed him to be. Jean-Pascal Yao and Ange Ouefio gave us steady backline play for much of the season, but they deteriorated badly down the stretch and I don't believe either of them can be considered as more than backups for play next season. Loic Le Pape couldn't stay healthy and doesn't look polished enough to count on for much more than spot duty next season. Alexandre Douchez made many mistakes and left me unsure about his readiness for first-team action. Patrice Grillon was fine as an occasional starter at leftback. Manuel de Jesus Makiadi made a good impression and I will consider more first team action for him.

Our midfield, especially on the wings, should be fine. Pierrick Noel is one of the most exciting wingers in France and should do fine despite the step up in play. Mounir Alkhatib, Luis Dias, Patrice Ouerdi, Antonio N'Sangu, Micha Djorkaeff and Gregory Nicot are a fine complimenting cast on the wings. Olivier Dos Santos was the underrated hero in these last two matches as he showed exceptional presence on the pitch. Assou was steady all season, but never stellar. Kennedy, Malik Benachour, Jean-Michel Capoue, Mouithys and Gautier Demarez were adequate in central midfield, but that is another area where I hope we can improve.

Julien Viale was a significant addition and one of the main reasons we gained promotion. Christophe Lannoy continued his steady play, but I am worried that he may be overpowered much more often as we make the step up to Division 1. The rest of our forwards- Hakim Saci, Mickael Devos, Daniel Huss, Jadilson and Frejus Sika-Sika showed flashes of potential, but not much more than that this season and I may try to add help there as well.

Dejan Nemec remains a steady keeper who can occasionally come up with the big save. Ghislain Chauray and Jeremy Guy are fine backups, though eventually we will need to find a more accomplished keeper.

With the many contracts that won't be renewed and some trimming of the players already mentioned, I believe we can improve the club and also reduce the overall players- which will help us with our overall balance book situation. Currently, our obscure reputation and the small amount of transfer funds available will limit how much I can accomplish in getting players to improve the club.

[Faramir]

28.5.05

Ajaccio (0) Noisy-le-Sec (1)

Ajaccio- None

Noisy-le-Sec- F.Sika-Sika 90

MOM- Dejan Nemec, Noisy-le-Sec

I am most pleased to report that our last minute goal that won this match allowed us to finish 2nd in Division 2 play. The match was very closely played and they were allowing us little room to roam in their end of the pitch. They had several good scoring chances and Dejan Nemec earned not only his clean sheet- but also MOM honours- for his exceptional work today. The winning goal came when Patrice Ouerdi ran a ball down on the right side and then crossed back to the middle. The Ajaccio defense was focused on Julien Viale and failed to see Frejus Sika-Sika come into the play late as he headed the ball into the open left side of the net for a dramatic match winner.

Standings

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">

1- Saint-Etienne 70 pts (+17)

2- Noisy-le-Sec 68 pts (+30)

3- Le Havre 68 pts (+15)

4- Nimes 63 pts (+22)

5- Istres 62 pts (+16)

6- Le Mans 60 pts (+16)

</pre>

[Spav]

Bravo, Faramir.

[Faramir]

Thanks Spav

***

Yes, you are correct- we did receive a substantial sum for finishing 2nd. The amount was 850K, which leaves our books about 2.3 Million in the black at present. I will be curious to see how much the Board allows us for transfer funds next season.

***

Selected 2004-5 Noisy-le-Sec Stats

Julien Viale 7.71 12 gls 2 asts 5 MOM

Pierrick Noel 7.70 9 gls 5 asts 1 MOM

Mounir Alkhatib 7.39 2 gls 4 asts 1 MOM

Luis Dias 7.39 4 gls 6 asts 1 MOM

Ange Ouefio 7.31 1 gl 2 asts 3 MOM

Assane N'Diaye 7.23 1 MOM

Malik Benachour 7.22 2 gls 2 asts 2 MOM

Manuel de Jesus Makiadi 7.14 1 gl 2 asts

Assou 7.14 2 gls 2 asts

Olivier Dos Santos 7.00 2 asts

Christophe Lannoy 6.97 16 gls 6 asts 1 MOM

Jean-Pascal Yao 6.96 1 gl 1 MOM

Hakim Saci 6.91 3 gls 2 asts

Micha Djorkaeff 6.91 1 gl 1 ast

Mouithys 6.88 3 gls 2 asts 2 MOM

Jean-Michel Capoue 6.82 1 gl 2 asts

Mohamed Djouadi 6.80 4 asts

Dejan Nemec 6.72 14 cln shts 2 MOM

Kennedy 6.71 1 gl 2 asts 1 MOM

[Faramir]

Summer 2005

Arnaud dos Addis kept his summation as succinct as he could make it.

>>>

We face many challenges in the upcoming season. I have chosen to try and lighten the wage load upon the club by attempting to sell off several players- Hakim Saci, Daniel Huss, and others who I don't feel will help us. We also face the fact that some players on the last season of their contracts are not worth re-signing because of their age. Fortunately, some of our core players- Pierrick Noel, Dejen Nemec, Julien Viale, Assane N'Diaye, Olivier Dos Santos and Luis Dias are already on extended contracts. We will have to hope that we get a few inexpensive or free signings to help build our depth for the season. The goal of this season is survival and consolidation. I will do my utmost to achieve our goal and please offer your prayers in assistance of accomplishing our efforts.

[Faramir]

The opening of the transfer window found us adding two players and selling two players. The players we added were 31 year old SC Jerome Molinier from Concarneau for 24K and the signing on free of 27 year old AM/FRC Nicolas Esceth-N'Zi who was previously at Lorient. We managed to sell Daniel Huss to Amiens for 120K and Romain Sartre to Wasquehal for 80K. We are currently close to 2.5 Million in the black on our books and are approximitely 10K under our wage budget (though I have not yet received the Board's new proposed budget).

***

I am pleased to inform you that we signed two players who may be key ones in our efforts. Both Taribo West and Omar Daley were signed on Bosman. West is a 31 year old Nigerian DLC who is a world-class defender. He will fit perfectly into our starting lineup with Assane N'Diaye and should provide a good teacher for Manuel de Jesus Makiadi. Daley is 24 year old Jamaican AMRC who has many appearances for his National team. He has the reputation of a tireless midfielder and should help us out immensely in our midfield. West will arrive July 1st, while we will have to wait until August 2nd for Daley.

[Faramir]

The Board finally announced that we will have a transfer fund of 900K for the upcoming season. They have completed the planned upgrade to our training facilities and thanks to the 1.5 Million in TV fees we are very close to 4 Million in the black on our financial sheets. The Board told me that they would love to see us avoid relegation and anything beyond that would be a bonus.

***

I have several transfer additions to report. Among the major ones was the transfer purchase of 30 year old D/DMRL Franck Jurietti from Bordeaux for 190K. Jurietti gives us at least one fullback we know to be of League 1 quality. Our defense will be a key and with Taribo West and now Jurietti, I think we have the quality of player we need to build a fosse before Dejan Nemec. We also added 26 year old Florin Coquio from Mulhouse for 60K. Coquio is a fleet attacker. Other signings on free were 22 year old AMR Johann Colin- released by Nantes- and Teddy Ongoli a 24 year old DLC released by Reims. I am still negotiating with several other recently released players to see if I can pursuade them to come play here.

[Faramir]

Good news to report. Of the several recently released players I contacted, we have managed to sign several to contracts. 31 year old keeper Stephane Porato (released by Monaco) may turn out to be a key signing as we now can pair him with Dejan Nemec to have a very accomplished tandem of veteran keepers. Also joining us are 27 year old SC Lamine Sakho (released by Marseille) and 30 year old DMLC Lassina Diabate (released by St.Etienne), both of whom should help us with both their veteran presence and their solid play. Another signing was 23 year old DR Jure Primorac after he was released by Rennes. He should help provide cover for Jurietti.

***

Our second friendly turned out well. We travelled to Le Mans to face the French Cup Holders. I was hoping we would have Taribo West back, but he is still away on National duty with Nigeria. We played a solid defensive match and then stole a last minute win when Patrice Grillon made a superb long pass to Christophe Lannoy. Lannoy took it past Dan Eggen and then lofted a pass past Mickael Devos and his marker. Devos was quicker to the ball and had enough space to score the match winning goal in injury time. It doesn't mean anything, but I was pleased with the effort and intensity at this early stage.

[Faramir]

The 2005-6 title odds were posted today and I offer them only as a stark reminder of how our club is viewed.

Marseille 2-1

Lyon 14-1

Bordeaux 16-1

Paris SG 16-1

Auxerre 16-1

Nantes 33-1

Noisy-le-Sec 2000-1

***

Another addition that signed on free transfer for us was 29 year old AML Olivier Monterrubio. Monterrubio was nominally a striker for Rennes, but he should fit in well as a winger in our attack and he told me he would be comfortable there before we completed the signing.

[Faramir]

We did very nicely in our friendly against Istres as we defeated them 3-1 at Salvador Allende. It was our first match with Taribo West manning the backline and we were obviously trying struggling a little to gel, but played well overall.

***

Our last friendly against Dunkerque turned out Ok with a 2-1 win, but I was certainly experimenting. We still don't seem fully gelled going into the season, but we will have to try and put our best foot forward from now on.

[Faramir]

With the season almost at hand, I added one more transfer purchase (we are still waiting on the arrival of Omar Daley) in 20 year old DLC Michael Cerielo from Cannes for 16K. I had been scouting hard for a young leftback to develop and I believe he is the one that will work out.

***

Our first match will be a trip to Le Havre. Our starting lineup will be:

GK- Dejan Nemec

DR- Jure Primorac

DL- Franck Jurietti

DC- Manuel de Jesus Makiadi (Assane N'Diaye hurt for another week)

DC- Taribo West

MR- Pierrick Noel

ML- Olivier Monterrubio

MC- Olivier Dos Santos

MC- Lassina Diabate

SC- Julien Viale

SC- Florian Coquio

***

Coquio was hurt in practice today, so Lamine Sakho will take his place in the lineup.

[Faramir]

30.7.05

Le Havre (1) Noisy-le-Sec (0)

Le Havre- A.Okkonen 38

Noisy-le-Sec- None

MOM- Antti Okkonen, Le Havre

We didn't put on a particularly good display in our first match in First League. Our backline played very disorganized for the entire first half- it was almost as if we hadn't played any friendlies- and their goal was a gift when Manuel de Jesus Makiadi backed off on a loose ball he should have cleared and then the ball was chipped over to unmarked Antti Okkonen and his shot trickled through Dejan Nemec's hands. Nemec played a superb match and kept us in it despite our worrisome start. We had opportunities to score ourselves, but Julien Viale was stopped three times by Idris Carlos Kameni in one-on-one situations. Luis Dias subbed on for ineffective Olivier Monterrubio and energized our offense. He outran their backline to create a great chance in the waning moments, but hit the side netting. Our last gasp was a Lassina Diabate free kick in injury time, but it missed wide by inches and we were left with a 1-0 loss to begin.

[Faramir]

6.8.05

Noisy-le-Sec (4) St-Etienne (3)

Noisy-le-Sec- J.Viale 29,66 P.Noel 40,51

St-Etienne- L.Duval 11 S.Jackson 28 L.Compan 89-P

MOM- Pierrick Noel, Noisy-le-Sec

It took awhile for our flame of desire to show through, but we fought back after a terrible start that saw us down 2-0 to score an important 4-3 win over St-Etienne. Our backline saw Assane N'Diaye return from injury, but that only added to the confusion as they played terribly in the early going. Everyone on the backline was trying to do too much, instead of playing their position, and that led directly to St-Etienne's first two goals. Dejan Nemec had no help as they crossed to an unmarked Laurent Duval for the first goal after we failed to clear the ball. Steve Jackson, who was a problem for us all match, scored their second goal when they were patient with the ball and we were impatient and Taribo West made a bad choice to challenge. They came close to making it 3-0, but a shot from Jackson glanced off the outside of the post. We started our rally when Julien Viale put in a rebound after Jeremie Janot made the initial save on Jerome Molinier and his 2nd try bounced back off the crossbar. We then evened the match going to halftime when Pierrick Noel deflected a cross from Luis Dias past Janot. Noel put us ahead early in the second half with a brilliant run followed by a well-placed shot inside the far left post. Viale added his 2nd goal of the match when Olivier Monterrubio (on for Molinier) made a deft long pass to put him in free. It looked like the match was well in hand- at least until Viale hobbled off the pitch after I had used all three of my substitutions. They stormed our net and Franck Jurietti tripped Jackson, which allowed Lilian Compan to convert the penalty kick to bring them back within a goal. We managed to stave off their rally to keep the 4-3 margin for our first First League win. In another noteworthy match, Marseille was trounced at home by Laval 3-1. So far the favorites have yielded 7 goals and scored 2 for a disastrous 0-2 start.

[OMDave]

First win in the big-time

I really admire the relentlessness with which you keep your stories going, and your ability to sustain quality of writing throughout.

Noisy-Le-Sec for Europe!

[Poyplemonkeys]

I'm really intrigued by the Scottish bit

KUTGW

[Faramir]

Thanks Dave- much appreciated

poyple- more on that coming (Scotland), have intentionally been a bit mum on it until the story is closer to where it matters

***

13.8.05

Bastia (0) Noisy-le-Sec (2)

Bastia- None

Noisy-le-Sec- T.West 57 J.Viale 63

MOM- Taribo West, Noisy-le-Sec

We won this match due to effort and desire, as our execution was still very haphazard. The first half was scoreless thanks to more peerless work in our net by Dejan Nemec. Our backline continued to struggle to find the rhythym of playing together, and that left the home side with many chances. We managed a few of our own, but starting the second half we played much sharper. Taribo West gave us the lead when he deflected a corner from Omar Daley past Nicolas Penneteau. We quickly jumped on them for a second goal when Lamine Sakho made a brilliant play to strip the ball away from Nisa Saveljic and break in on Penneteau. Penneteau got a hand on Sakho's blast, but Julien Viale swooped in and fired the rebound into the net from a sharp angle. We had to work hard in the late minutes of the match after Franck Jurietti received his 2nd yellow card. Frederic Nee missed over the net on a great chance and that sent the Bastia fans scurrying for the exits. This win means we are off to a wonderful start in First League play.

[Faramir]

Trying to hedge our bets on the backline, I signed David Recorbet on free transfer. Recorbet was released by Auxerre and will help give us cover on the backline. His signing was coupled with the rotten news that Jura Primorac- who had established himself as our starter at right back- will miss the next two months after surgery to correct a torn groin muscle.

***

20.8.05

Noisy-le-Sec (0) Auxerre (1)

Noisy-le-Sec- None

Auxerre- Kapo 10

MOM- Dejan Nemec, Noisy-le-Sec

We remained competitive with Auxerre after they took the early lead, but that is about all I can say good about the 1-0 loss. They were much the better club in the match and played airtight defense against us as our pace was never a factor. The lone goal came when Vincente Sanchez ran down a ball in the left corner and crossed to the middle. Kapo overpowered Assane N'Diaye and flicked the header past Dejan Nemec. Nemec played well in keeping us in the match, but we had real difficulty in getting any uncovered midfield play. We clearly missed our fullbacks- Franck Jurietti (out on redcard suspension) and Primorac as Mohamed Djouadi and Ange Ouefio struggled with Auxerre's pacey wingers.

[Faramir]

With the September transfer deadline looming, I made offers on several players. Most will likely be in vain, but if we can get a couple of the players I am interested in- it would be a boost to the depth on our club.

***

24.8.05

Nantes (2) Noisy-le-Sec (1)

Nantes- G.Pujol 28 M.Berson 69

Noisy-le-Sec- Mouithys 16

MOM- Mouithys, Noisy-le-Sec

It was a disappointing effort by our backline as they failed to support Stephane Porato- who played well and kept us in the match. Assane N'Diaye appears to have become a statue on defense and his poor play is a major problem. Taribo West continued to show well- he was all over the pitch making tackles. Youngster Mouithys played another fine match and seems on the verge of establishing himself as an up-and-coming player. We lacked offense in the match and we must be able to create a lot some modest effort there to avoid being caged in our area as so often happened in this match.

[Faramir]

27.8.05

Noisy-le-Sec (2) Lens (2)

Noisy-le-Sec- F.Coquio 37 J.Viale 41

Lens- Z.Camara 1 J.Utaka 52

MOM- Florian Coquio, Noisy-le-Sec

I am unhappy to report that we could and should have won this match. Not only did we let them get a goal on a corner in the first minute of the match, but with the lead Dejan Nemec made an uncharacteristically bad choice of leaving his area to try and head a ball and then completely missed the ball and John Utaka outraced Taribo West to put the equalizer into the net. Sandwiched by their unfortunate goals was a pair of excellent goals on our part. The first came when Luis Dias flicked on a throw-in and Florian Coquio broke in cleanly to score his 1st goal for us. Less than 4 minutes later it was Pierrick Noel pushing a header off the crossbar, but Julien Viale pounced on the rebound to fire it home to give us a 2-1 halftime lead. Nemec settled down after his miscue and at least earned us the draw with a pair of saves late in the match.

[Faramir]

We made three additions before the transfer deadline. The key one should be veteran SW/DC Ivan Hurtado from Ecuador. Hurtado, a 31 year old, has almost 100 Caps and should pair nicely with Taribo West in the middle of our defense. I had been trying to get Barcelona (ECU) to sell Hurtado to us for the last two seasons, and it was nice to finally add him for 220K. Another defender, fleet SW/DC Komi Tchanhgai from Togo, came to us from Italian side Benevento. Tchangai, who cost 140K, may be the fastest player on our club and should provide cover for Hurtado and West. Also joining us, for 90K, was FRC Jawad Al-Hajri from Cherbourg. Al-Hajri, 25 years old, is another heavily scouted player who will add depth to us. Assane N'Diaye has been placed on the transfer list.

***

7.9.05

Guingamp (0) Noisy-le-Sec (3)

Guingamp- None

Noisy-le-Sec- J.Viale 45,73 N.Esceth-N'Zi 62

MOM- Dejan Nemec, Noisy-le-Sec

The scoreline looks wonderful and we needed the win for improving morale, but truthfully we did not play that much better than Guingamp today. They actually had the better of the play in the first half and Dejan Nemec certainly earned both his MOM and clean sheet today with fine work in keeping them frustrated with good saves. We took the halftime lead when Franck Jurietti wheeled a long pass into space on the right. Julien Viale outraced Romain Ferrier and Milovan Sikimic to the ball and then blasted a low, hard shot that Ronan Le Crom was able to get a hand, but not keep out of the net for Viale's 5th goal of the season. After losing both Florian Coquio and Olivier Monterrubio to injuries, Nicolas Esceth-N'Zi showed he enjoyed his pairing with Viale by finding space in front of the net as Viale ran down a pass and centered it. Esceth-N'Zi slipped his shot past Le Crom for his 1st ever goal at Noisy-le-Sec. Guingamp tried to storm back, but again it was Nemec who made two brilliant saves to keep them at bay. We put the match away when Viale rapped home his rebound after his penalty kick bounced back off the crossbar and 3-0 was the final of this most important early season road win.

[Faramir]

17.9.05

Noisy-le-Sec (0) Lyon (0)

Noisy-le-Sec- None

Lyon- None

MOM- Dejan Nemec, Noisy-le-Sec

This was a scoreless draw that seemed like a victory for the club. 3rd place Lyon showed us their superior pace and strength, but we battled them to the final whistle and earned the scoreless draw. Julien Viale was ineffective for us for the entire match and then certainly helped render our offense futile. Dejan Nemec had another wonderful match and made several saves during a flurry of shots midway through the second half to help preserve our scoreless status.

[Faramir]

24.9.05

Laval (2) Noisy-le-Sec (1)

Laval- Eduardo 16,66-P

Noisy-le-Sec- O.Daley 7

MOM- Omar Daley, Noisy-le-Sec

A disputed handball in our area that was whistled on Ivan Hurtado was the difference in this match as we lost 2-1. We took the early lead when Lamine Sakho picked out Omar Daley racing up the middle and Daley put a fantastic move on keeper Guillaum Traore to freeze him before slotting the ball past him inside the left post. Laval answered when Eduardo's deflection of a free kick caught Stephane Porato moving the wrong way and sailed into the right side of the net. Both sides played conservatively and neither had a good chance until Ivan Hurtado was whistled for touching the ball with his hand in the area. Eduardo converted the penalty kick for his 2nd goal of the match and the ultimate match winning goal as Laval held on for a 2-1 win over us.

[Faramir]

1.10.05

Noisy-le-Sec (2) Monaco (0)

Noisy-le-Sec- L.Dias 30 J.Viale 73

Monaco- None

MOM- Pierrick Noel, Noisy-le-Sec

Monaco was struggling when they came to visit Salvador Allende and then they left in worse fashion after we dominated them in defeating them 2-0. This was a match where the scoreline doesn't reflect that we had them under pressure the entire match. Luis Dias gave us the lead in the first half when he picked up a loose ball, saw a seam in the defense and zipped past them before firing it past Flavio Roma. Roma made a pair of point blank saves against Julien Viale and Omar Daley to keep the match close as we led 1-0 at half. There was no easing up and we pushed to try and get the important second goal to start the second half. A superb pass from Franck Jurietti allowed Viale to outrun two defenders to the ball and he whipped a rising shot past Roma to give us the final margin of our 2-0 win. I was pleased that we were able to limit such a potent club to only 2 shots on goal for the match.

[Faramir]

12.10.05

Metz (1) Noisy-le-Sec (2)

Metz- A.Masudi 51

Noisy-le-Sec- C.Lannoy 3,43

MOM- Omar Daley, Noisy-le-Sec

This match looked well in hand after we had a very strong first half of play and held a 2-0 lead on a pair of goals from Christophe Lannoy. We didn't play with the same sense of urgency in the second half and when they staged a quick counter-attack that resulted in a goal by Alain Masudi past Dejan Nemec it was back to being a taut match. There were plenty of close calls for both sides as we sought the next goal. Lannoy missed his hat-trick twice, once skimming the bar and the other seeing Guillaume Warmuz smother his shot when in close. Paguy Luyindula, Roberto Baronio and Jonathan Jager taxed our tandem of Taribo West and Komi Tchangai (on for slightly injured Ivan Hurtado), but found them equal to the challenge as they both made key headers and saving tackles in support of Nemec. The final whistle was a welcome sound as we had posted another close road win.

[Faramir]

22.10.05

Noisy-le-Sec (3) Marseille (2)

Noisy-le-Sec- I.Hurtado 23 J.Viale 53,54

Marseille- Drogba 12 M. Dos Santos 70

MOM- Julien Viale, Noisy-le-Sec

Similar to our Monaco match, we took full advantage of our chances in edging struggling Marseille 3-2. They took the early lead when Drogba made a nice header on a cross from Manuel Dos Santos and it eluded Dejan Nemec. Ivan Hurtado gave a brilliant effort today and his swerving free kick evened the match when it sailed past Morgan De Sanctis. Julien Viale then provided a pair of dazzling goals to stun the visitors. Viale had missed wide twice on good chances, but finally scored with a scorching low shot. Less than two minutes later he struck for his 2nd goal of the match with a superbly placed 30 yard shot that snuck inside the right post. Marseille certainly decided to put the pressure on us after that and we came close to crumbling. They missed two good chances when Drogba shot over the net from all alone in front and Jeremy Rothen's free kick was tipped wide by Nemec. They drew a goal back on a Rothen corner that Dos Santos was able to deflect past Nemec. We scrambled and scrabbled from there and were able to hold on for a satisfying win.

[Spav]

Mmm, I wonder what OMDave will make of this latest result. KUTGW Faramir.

[Faramir]

Good question Spav

***

29.10.05

Sochaux (1) Noisy-le-Sec (4)

Sochaux- Santos 33

Noisy-le-Sec- J.Viale 18 Assou 22 L.Dias 29 I.Hurtado 66

MOM- Ivan Hurtado, Noisy-le-Sec

We continued with our strong, improving defensive play as we defeated Sochaux easily 4-1 in front of their disappointed faithful. We gained the early lead when Pierrick Noel flicked on a pass from Franck Jurietti and Julien Viale showed fine touch as he softly half-volleyed a winner for his 10th goal of the season past Teddy Richert. Richert had already been called on to make 4 saves at that point, an indication of how much our pace of play was troubling Sochaux. Less than 5 minutes later we took a 2-0 lead as Assou overpowered Jeremie Mathieu and Maxence Flachez to head in a looping free kick from Christophe Lannoy. We went ahead 3-0 when Luis Dias took the ball away from Omar Daf and slipped past Flachez before firing a shot past Richert to cap a magical goal. Sochaux gained hope for halftime as they drew a goal back when Santos slid away from his marker and hammered home a cross from Wilson Oruma. We removed that hope when Ivan Hurtado showed nice timing in deflecting in a corner from Olivier Monterrubio (on for tiring Luis Dias) to cap the 4-1 win.

[Faramir]

1.11.05

Strasbourg (3) Noisy-le-Sec (2) Extra-Time League Cup 1st round

Strasbourg- E.Mouloungni 65 R.Carlier 90,115

Noisy-le-Sec- F.Coquio 12,45

MOM- Florian Coquio, Noisy-le-Sec

I am sorry to report that we failed to advance against Strasbourg in the League Cup competition. I appreciated your short reminder that this competition might not be the best route to Scotland, so was resting our usual starters for this match. Despite that, we took a 2-0 lead in the first half thanks to a pair of sensational goals from Florian Coquio. Unfortunately, we could not hold that lead and it was with anguish as I watched Rudy Carlier score the equalizer in second half injury time. By that point, we were struggling with injury problems. Mouithys and Mounir Alkhatib had both come out of the match and Jaward Al-Hajri had to come out later- which wound up having a huge impact on the match. Stephane Porato had been hurt early on, but his knee wasn't bad enough to come out- though he still was hobbling. Coquio fractured his cheekbone late in the second half, but refused to come out because we had already used our three subs. They scored the match winner when Frejus Sika-Sika, playing an unfamiliar rightwing role, made a foolish challenge in the area to cause a penalty in extra time. Porato made a great save of Carlier's initial blast, but he calmly stroked the rebound into the net for the match winner. It could have been a better result, but I was pleased with the heart shown by our club in the face of our injury problems.

[Faramir]

There was bad news today- in that Ivan Hurtado's agent called me. Ivan is having a difficult time settling in France and has asked his agent to seek out other employment. My only comment to the agent was that Ivan would be required to honour his contract and that unless anyone was able to bid the 1.5 Million minimum fee release- they would be turned down if attempting to purchase Ivan from us.

***

5.11.05

Noisy-le-Sec (1) Strasbourg (1)

Noisy-le-Sec- J.Viale 74-P

Strasbourg- E.Mouloungni 16

MOM- Pierrick Noel, Noisy-le-Sec

I thought we might have an advantage in this match, since we were starting our rested players and they had virtually the same lineup as the extra time League Cup match. We might have been able to make that advantage work for us if we had played better, but instead we played an awful first half and were fortunate to only be behind 1-0, because Mouloungni also missed a penalty kick over the net. We finally rallied to even the match when Olivier Monterrubio was tripped in the area and Julien Viale converted the penalty kick. We had to settle for the draw after our leftback, Michael Cerielo earned his 2nd yellow card and we had to fend off Strasbourg's late attempt to win the match.

[Faramir]

Fortunately, Jure Primorac is finally back to full fitness- as Franck Jurietti and Cerielo sit out a yellow card suspension.

***

12.11.05

Rennes (0) Noisy-le-Sec (0)

Rennes- None

Noisy-le-Sec- None

MOM- Dejan Nemec, Noisy-le-Sec

Dejan Nemec earned us a point and himself the MOM honours with a superb performance as we managed a scoreless draw at Rennes. We did not play well in this match, especially our backline in the first half, and it was only through Nemec's steady keeping (and the offside call that waved off Shabani Nonda's goal) that kept the match scoreless. Their backline did a superb of making key tackles, but we lost some of our threat when Julien Viale had to leave with a slight injury. By the final whistle, I was happy with the point we had earned.

[Faramir]

Our forwards- other than Julien Viale- have been a disappointment this season (though to be fair, Florian Coquio has been injured most of the time, but has played well on the rare occasions he has been healthy). To give the club the best chance of a good finish, I felt it was necessary to find another solid, veteran forward to pair with Viale. To that end, we have a transfer purchase in place for January with COD Meknes that will bring 33 year old Algerian SC Camacho to us. Camacho is a proven left-side scorer who should help take part of the load off Viale. Until he arrives, we will try Olivier Monterrubio there- despite the fact he has never proven to be a consistent scorer and I believe he fits better at winger.

***

26.11.05

Noisy-le-Sec (2) Bordeaux (2)

Noisy-le-Sec- J.Viale 9,54

Bordeaux- S.Cabanas 15 H.Alicarte 50

MOM- Omar Daley, Noisy-le-Sec

I am sad to report that we failed to take full advantage of our opportunities and were only able to take away a 2-2 draw with Bordeaux in a match we well should have won. Omar Daley's fine passing helped cut open the heart of the Bordeaux defense and both Julien Viale's goals were directly attributable to his passes. The first came when he showed fine touch in sending the ball just beyond the defender on the sodden pitch and Viale was quicker to the ball and fired it past Ulrich Rame. We gave that goal back when Taribo West- with a uncharacteristically poor effort- failed to mark Salvador Cabanas and he strongly headed a cross past Dejan Nemec. They moved in front in the second half when we gave away a dangerous free kick and Herve Alicarte drilled a 25 yard blast past Nemec. The equalizer came on another Daley pass that Viale was first too and Viale placed a precision shot inside the far left post. We had the golden chance to win the match when awarded a late penalty- but Rame saved Viale's penalty and then saved the rebound too to deny us. There were two other great chances for us in the waning moments, but Nicolas Esceth-N'Zi's header went just over the bar and Christophe Lannoy's volley sailed inches wide to leave us with what must be considered a disappointing draw.

[Faramir]

3.12.05

Paris-SG (3) Noisy-le-Sec (4)

Paris-SG- B.Boskovic 28 Pauleta 64,69

Noisy-le-Sec- J.Viale 20,88,90 Assou 70

MOM- Julien Viale, Noisy-le-Sec

Julien Viale officially stepped into national recognition today as he led our superb fightback as we overcame Paris-SG's 2-goal lead in the second half to take a superb 4-3 win. Viale gave us the lead in the first half with an excellent strong header past Lionel Letizi on a cross from Pierrick Noel. We gave that goal back when Pauleta showed good vision and picked out Bronko Boskovic unmarked on the left side of the area and Boskovic fired a shot past Dejan Nemec inside the left post. After missing a few good opportunities to retake the lead we fell behind by two goals on a pair of Pauleta strikes. Both came when we failed to clear the ball away on Paris-SG corners- the first was Pauleta hooking a sliding half-volley past Nemec and the second was when he blasted home a rebound after Nemec parried a shot from Bartholomew Ogbeche. Viale rallied us with a good run into space. Letizi parried his hard, low shot- but the ball bounced right to unmarked Assou and he whisked it into the open net to draw a goal back. It looked like we had completed the comeback when Noel again made a brilliant right side run and then found Viale with space to fire a rising shot over Letizi's left shoulder. We stole all three points when Noel showed great vision and sent a ball into space on the right. Viale had time to line up his shot before scorching a low shot inside the near right post for a dramatic match winner that stunned the sold out Parc des Princes crowd.

[Faramir]

10.12.05

Noisy-le-Sec (5) Lille (1)

Noisy-le-Sec- O.Daley 1 P.Noel 15,38 J.Viale 20 C.Lannoy 45

Lille- C.Landrin 36

MOM- Julien Viale, Noisy-le-Sec

After the last few close matches, it was nice to get a match where we were able to put it away early. Five first half goals were plenty to help see off struggling Lille 5-1. It could easily have been more, as we had good chances in the second half, but Remy Vercoutre settled down a bit in their net. We were ahead in the opening minute of play when Vercoutre blocked a shot from Julien Viale, but Omar Daley threaded the rebound inside the right post from the edge of the area. Pierrick Noel made it 2-0 when he headed home a looping cross from Mounir Alkhatib. Christophe Lannoy's superb lead pass gave Julien Viale acres of space and he slotted home his shot inside the near right post past a diving Vercoutre for our 3rd goal. Lille's only bright spot came when Christophe Landrin flicked a corner past Stephane Porato for their only goal. Daley then made a deft pass that found Noel breaking for the right corner and he drilled his shot at an angle inside the left post for his 2nd goal of the match. Lannoy then capped off our explosive first half when he deflected in a cross from Viale after Viale ran a ball down on the end line and crossed smartly to the middle. It was one of our best performances. The one bad thing was that a yellow card to Noel will cause him to be suspended for the next match- Montpellier on the road.

[Faramir]

17.12.05

Montpellier (1) Noisy-le-Sec (2)

Montpellier- A.Cisse 6

Noisy-le-Sec- J.Viale 47 C.Lannoy 80

MOM- Julien Viale, Noisy-le-Sec

We staged another fightback win with a gritty, if not all that effective effort. It certainly appeared that we were playing to spite ourselves in the first half as we continually gave the ball away and played fairly ugly football. They took the lead in the early going as Abdoulaye Cisse was right there to whack home the rebound after Dejan Nemec parried the strong header of Mansour Assoumani Gamali on a corner. We rallied in the second half and it was a huge boost when Assou stepped up and intercepted a pass from Alexei Smertin and sent Julien Viale down the middle. Though Valery Mezague closed on Viale, he made a delicate 20 yard curling shot past Rudy Riou into the right side of the net for the equalizer. The presence of Viale as he raced Assoumani Gamali for a long pass from Lannoy caused Assoumani Gamali to make a hurried clearance attempt when he reached it first. Lannoy had followed the play in and was right there to stroke the ball past a stunned Riou for what would be the match winning goal. We survived the furious rally attempt by the home side and Nemec smothered two long shots as well as pushing a curving blast from Marc-Antoine Fortune around the post to preserve the 2-1 win. Viale's goal was his 18th and that broke the season record for Noisy-le-Sec.