Arriving in Lille five hours before kick off, we boarded the train to Lens and as we set off, Adrian and I treated the rest of stunned party to Les Corons which was not appreciated by the remainder of the carriage (Philistines). The female guard was swiftly along and asked us to keep the volume down. That was the last time either of us tried entertaining the troops.
The lunchtime start to the drinking had dampened my ability to remember anything beyond the route to the ground and it took me a long while to process the fact that the person who had been chatting to Alex, Jeremie and I outside the ground was Geoffry, a Belgian Lens fan and one of the regular contributors to the RC Lens UK Division. It was at this point that I should have remembered the visit to Boulogne: barely five weeks earlier. But I didn't. A long night lay in wait.
 |
| Apologies to Geoffry...and whoever those other two are.... |
The team had secured their Ligue 2 safety by beating Paris FC 1-0 in the penultimate home game of the season so true to their word, the majority of the Ultras made the decision to boycott the game. The Marek was substantially emptier than usual. Only one of the supporters' groups had decided to support the team to the end and they did their best to raise the rest with limited success.
Alex and I were delighted to be in the Marek with Pascal, despite the boycott, and could make out Adrian and the rest of the crew in the Delacourt so we didn't feel as bad at being separated from the others. Adrian had tried his best to share his enthusiasm with his friends by buying a bulk-lot of Reebok-era Lens scarves for the group but while this noble effort was appreciated by most of the party, it didn't inspire the team.
The lack of atmosphere in the ground was made worse by the most appalling half of football Lens had conjured up that season...and that was saying something. Auxerre were just as bad. It was like watching two aged dinosaurs of France's golden era of club football sizing each other up but deciding not to bother doing anything more than nudge each other a bit. For some of the Brits, they had seen enough and headed for the safety of an Irish bar on the other side of town. On reaching it they were disappointed to find out that the regulars still spoke French and had never visited the Emerald Isle either. Some were drinking Guiness though. "You take the boy out of Preston but....." They simply missed home after a whole half day away and Ireland wasn't that far from Deepdale, after all.
In their absence, the game picked up. Pre-match, the sad news was that Christian Lopez was not to have his contract extended, despite his desire to sign one. He hadn't reached the heights of the previous season but none of the strikers had fared very well and the blame for that had to lie squarely on the constantly wayward crosses from the wings. In his expected final game for Lens, the Spanish matador rose high to head home fellow departee, Karim Hafez's cross in the 47th minute. The latter's season had similarly not got going after a long-term injury and would prove too expensive to sign on a permanent deal.
Walid Mesloub popped up again with another great strike a couple of minutes later. 2-0 they led but the fans in attendance hadn't the fervour that they were famous for. For many it was the least the team could do to finish on a winning note after this let-down of a season. The visiting Brits were not to experience anything more than a larger than usual Ligue 2 crowd in a half-full stadium: a sadly underwhelming experience. Auxerre pulled one back late on as Lens tried to throw the game away with traditional late nerves. At the final whistle, there was little more than polite applause and the players went through the motions of applauding the crowd and ignoring the Marek.
Groom-to-be Adrian was most upset when he run to the front and saw Christian Lopez trotting towards him. The Lens player was approaching Adrian's outstretched hand and taking off his shirt! However, the number 9 trotted straight past. There was to be no consolation game-worn shirt or even a sweaty high five for our leader! No, CL ignored Adrian and handed his shirt to the little boy standing screaming excitedly behind him on the front barrier. Lack of presence, there AJ!
The rest of the evening was much more enjoyable. We were able to say "Bonjour and Felicitations" to newly qualified headteacher Arnauld before we bid farewell to both he and Pascal. In complete contrast to the match, an entertaining evening was spent at Chez Muriel, La Reinitas and Le Pirate. There were plenty of enthusiastic fans to talk to and the chance to play 'Reversing Lorry Beep-Beep-Beep' as the staff of La Reinitas gave us extremely unsubtle hints to head home by removing all the tables around us. Yes: they reversed into the bar each time...hence the game. You had to be there to experience the true genius: honest!
Yes,] and also, I didn't head my own advice...
"Beware well-meaning, friendly Frenchmen offering you drinks."
Late drinks of particularly strong Rince Cochon and Tripel Karmeliet beers were a step too far and I was extremely glad to reach our appartment in one piece.
Hopefully twice bitten...shy for the rest of my life!
A forgettable season was at a close. The last two seasons had ended in massive disappointment: surely things can only get better!
No comments:
Post a Comment