For a club with the modest means of Niort it is always going to be difficult to compete towards the top end of Ligue 2. They finished 15th in their sixth consecutive season at this level, only assuring survival with three matches left.
However, relegation was never really a serious danger, with Les Chamois in mid-table at the season's halfway stage until a dreadful run of six defeats in seven games in January and February saw them nosedive towards trouble.
Having not long extended his contract, coach Denis Renaud was duly sacked and an interim management team of Franck Azzopardi, Jean-Philippe Faure and Carl Tourenne took over. They did enough to lead the side to safety.
The most memorable result was undoubtedly their 5-1 win in September away to a Nimes side who went on to win promotion. In terms of individual performances, veteran Jeremy Choplin was a model of consistency in central defence, playing in every game. Jimmy Roye and Alliou Dembele again made important contributions, while Cameroonian striker Ande Dona Ndoh was as impressive as ever, scoring 15 league goals - that is 48 in four seasons now for him.
The club must now look to the future and build for a more comfortable season next time around, but Roye will be a notable departure, and of course a new coach is required at the Stade Rene-Gaillard.
