Orleans wanted stability and consolidation after only staying up at the end of last season by beating Paris FC in the relegation play-off. They got it, with Didier Olle-Nicolle leading the club from the Stade de la Source to a respectable 12th-place finish, their best league performance since 1990.
Indeed, Orleans were never really in serious danger, even if it was not until three matches from the end of the campaign that the spectre of relegation officially disappeared.
They were helped by a strong start, which saw them sit in third place after seven games. A run of just two wins in their subsequent 15 outings saw them drop back into the bottom half, but they did enough in the second half of the campaign to be safe without ever producing spectacular performances.
Orleans took a risk by bringing in a vast number of new players ahead of the season, but their mixture of youth and experience proved sufficiently successful. Cedric Cambon was a valuable addition in defence, while veterans Karim Ziani and Pierre Bouby played important roles in midfield and Arthur Gomis was the star in attack. He scored 12 goals and set up five more, and the club may well struggle to hold onto him this summer.
An honourable mention should also go to goalkeeper Thomas Renault, who became the club's all-time leading appearance maker, moving onto 241 games in an Orleans shirt.
