No fan from Moreirense can complain about this season being short on emotion. A first title in the club’s history, a last-minute relegation avoidance thanks to a win against Porto, three different coaches, many changes in the lineup: this season had it all! The highlight of the last ten months was, unquestionably, the first ever major title in the history of Moreirense. The team from Minho conquered the League Cup, and it couldn’t have been more deserved, since Moreirense knocked-out by themselves no one else than FC Porto (Group stage) and Benfica (Semi-finals), and grabbed a highly celebrated final win against Braga.
In the league, however, things were not as successful as in Taça da Liga, and since early on Moreirense started to struggle with results. First coach, Pepa, lasted the first 10 rounds, leaving the club with only 8 points. Augusto Inácio arrived to replace him, in December, but things didn’t improve much. Until January arrived, and some good scores started to appear: to add to the very successful month in Taça da Liga, Moreirense collected two victories and only one (natural) defeat at Estádio do Dragão. It certainly was not a coincidence that it was during that month that the talented duo Francisco Geraldes and Daniel Podence were still in the team, while new signing midfielder Fernando Alexandre was just arriving. Unfortunately, the first two were called back to Sporting, while the experienced midfielder picked a knock during February, and Moreirense’s performances started to drop once more. A sequence of ten games without winning set Moreirense back into trouble in the table, and Augusto Inácio was sacked in the meantime. Petit arrived to do at Moreira de Cónegos what he had done in the previous season at Tondela. And he actually did: after losing the first two matches, Petit led Moreirense to an incredible ending, where the Green-and-white checkered team had 6 consecutive matches without losing. The last of which was an impressive, as well as crucial, home win against the big team FC Porto. Anything other than the victory would have sent Moreirense back to the second division.
Besides the aforementioned Geraldes, Podence and Fernando Alexandre, Moreirense counted with some regular important players: goalkeeper Makaridze, defenders Pierre Sagna and Diego Galo, attacking midfielder Nildo and Dramé and specially holding midfielder Cauê had all important roles in Moreirense intense, yet positive season.
