Orleans continue to establish themselves as a force in the second tier after finishing in eighth place in their third straight season at this level. It is their best in more than 30 years and Didier Olle-Nicolle's team enjoyed success in the cup competitions too. They knocked out top-flight Reims on penalties in the Coupe de la Ligue before being narrowly beaten at home by the mighty Paris Saint-Germain in the round of 16. In the Coupe de France they made it to the quarter-finals before being beaten by Rennes, the eventual winners.
Orleans achieved the rare feat of scoring and conceding more than 50 goals, and there were plenty of memorable nights for home fans at the Stade de la Source. Yet, Orleans actually lost their opening three games before finding their feet and winning six in a row in September and October, all without conceding a goal. A six-game winless streak followed to curb hopes of a promotion push, but Olle-Nicolle's team came back again, an 11-match unbeaten sequence that featured seven wins lifting them back into play-off contention in April. They ran out of steam, though, taking just one point from their last six matches to finish 11 points adrift of the top five. However, there is plenty to build on, and the club is in a healthy state off the pitch too as football becomes ever more popular in a city where basketball was king before.
There were impressive performers throughout the side, from Gauthier Gallon in goal, to Quentin Lecoeuche down the left, Durel Avounou and Joseph Lopy in midfield and Ousmane Cissokho on the wing. Yet a number of those players will move on in the summer, with Cissokho set to join Nancy and Gallon stepping up to Ligue 1 with Nimes, his former club. A squad rebuilding job will be required.
