There was a feeling at the outset that this would be a difficult season for Tours, that avoiding relegation would be a success. In the end they achieved that, and the way in which they did so was remarkable. The Loire Valley club were bottom of the table in mid-February when Fabien Mercadal was sacked as coach. The outlook scarcely seemed any better when youth coach Noureddine El Ouardani was named as his replacement and his first game ended in a 4-2 defeat at Strasbourg. Tours had won just four of their first 26 games and propped up the division, seven points from safety. Cue a stunning turnaround, with Tours embarking on a 10-game unbeaten run, featuring six wins, that meant Tours were safe before the final round of matches and could even afford to lose their last two outings. They ended the campaign in 16th place, five points above the bottom three and seven clear of the automatic relegation places.
Tours were the most entertaining team to watch in the division, their tally of 55 goals scored only bettered by the top six, while they conceded 60 goals, more than anyone else. The star man was Denis Bouanga, the Gabon international who contributed 16 goals and six assists on loan from Ligue 1 Lorient. The Malian striker Cheick Fantamady Diarra also played a part with nine goals. El Ouardani lacks the necessary coaching diploma so Gilbert Zonekynd was installed as co-coach and the job done by the two means they surely deserve to continue next season.
