It was a difficult season from beginning to end for AC Ajaccio, with the Corsicans never rising higher than 12th and only avoiding relegation on the final day thanks to a draw at promotion hopefuls Troyes. That result allowed Olivier Pantaloni's team to finish one point above city rivals Gazelec Ajaccio in the relegation play-off place, and two points better off than Beziers, who went straight down.
Ajaccio collected just 40 points, their lowest points tally since being relegated back to the second tier in 2014. Ultimately, they never recovered from a slow start which appeared to be a hangover following their defeat in the Ligue 1 play-off final to Toulouse at the end of last season. Ajaccio won just one of their opening eight matches. There was an improvement, and they were 10 points clear of the relegation zone at the end of February, but they won just one of their final 12 matches. Their home form - usually so good - was patchy, while their away record was the second-worst in the whole division. Only two teams scored fewer goals, and in the end only a run of one defeat in 10 games from December to the end of February prevented them from sinking.
"We can't exactly be proud of our season but, despite everything, the squad stuck together from beginning to end, even in the difficult moments," said Pantaloni. Riad Nouri and Mathieu Coutadeur played key roles in midfield, but the fact that Nouri was their leading scorer with six goals rather says it all about their campaign.
