After a mid-table finish last season, Gazelec Ajaccio were hoping to further consolidate themselves in Ligue 2 after tumbling down from the top flight a couple of years ago. However, they endured a difficult season, the majority of which was spent in the lower half of the standings.
It was evident as early as August where the Corsicans were going to struggle, while they were robust at the back, Albert Cartier’s side packed little offensive punch. Indeed, their first six games in all competitions produced only three goals in total, with four 0-0 draws included.
The pattern was set for the campaign, in which games were largely decided by the odd goal here and there. Often, these would go against Gazelec simply because they lacked offensive punch to such a degree.
Nevertheless, at Christmas they were still bobbing along in the middle of the table.
Injury problems to experienced players complicated life for Albert Cartier’s small squad in the second half of the season. Joris Marveaux, Jeremie Brechet and Damien Perquis were among those to struggle and, with the spine ripped out of the heart of their defensive sector, results consequently took a nose dive.
By the end of March, there was a threat that they could be sucked into the relegation zone, although they avoided this eventuality with a succession of three home wins, the kind of run that they had previously been lacking.
Indeed, at that point the goals started to come, with January signing Ibrahima Toure finally making the impact expected of him, while David Gomis and Romain Armand, two summer additions who seemed like wildcards, came good.
