Dijon put together one of the worst seasons in Ligue 1 history but just managed to avoid falling under the 20-point mark thanks to a 1-0 win over Saint-Etienne on the final day of the season.
Head coach Stephane Jobard was the first Ligue 1 coach to lose his job this season, sacked after going winless through the opening nine matches of the season and replaced by David Linares, who in truth did no better.
A run of 10 points in eight matches, which featured defeats only against Lille and Monaco, suggested there might be some hope for Dijon, but gradually they were ground down. A succession of losses in February saw them lose their nerve entirely and, by the time they defeated Nice 2-0 in April to win their next points, their fate had been sealed and it was simply a case of avoiding a litany of embarrassing statistics.
By beating Nice – their first and only home win of the season – they did just that as it took them over the threshold of the worst Ligue 1 team ever. Nevertheless, their confidence was shot and they would concede 17 in their next four matches.
As a club with such a record, it is not difficult to imagine there were few positives to their play. Goalkeeper Anthony Racciopi signed from Lyon but failed his audition as a Ligue 1 starter and was justly cast to the bench by the end of the season.
No-one in the defence impressed but, in the midfield, Didier Ndong did not deserve to be a member of a side with quite such a wretched record. Eric Junior Dina Ebimbe showed some promise in the heart of the park, but ultimately lacked final product.
Winger Mama Balde returned a creditable seven goals to top score for the club, but there was not a good enough return elsewhere. Mounir Chouiar fell out of favour, having once been a key player, while Moussa Konate, Roger Assale and Aboubakar Kamara needed to score more than seven between them to have given Dijon a chance.
This is a season it will be tough to get over.
