Friday 13th May - Lens v Metz (h)

No superstitious thoughts had entered my head during the planning of this trip since it was Friday the 13th. I made sure I stayed well clear of any scraggly, sword wielding, masked men called Jason as I took an early morning taxi to Newcastle Central Station. Luckily my driver was called Norman (or so it said on my text message). 

Meeting Alex and Adrian at York, it all seemed quite civilised with the sun shining. Just to prove the point that Adrian knew everyone, everywhere, he bumped into someone he knew from York...even though he lived in Lancashire.
It was our first trip together since Niort in 2014. How the times had changed, a promotion defining victory then had seemed to all like the return of the glory days. With Mammadov's millions to back the team everything in the garden had been rosy. How times had changed.
Tonight's game was a dead rubber after three defeats in three games had put paid to promotion. A Beckamenga-inspired run-in by Metz had virtually clinch third spot with a 4-0 victory at a distinctly unimpressive Dijon, who were themselves already promoted and seemed to quite like the idea of Lens in Ligue 2. How Beckamenga had suddenly managed eights goals in 16 games after recording only one goal in 14 starts for Lens was anybody's guess. Suffice to say he was going to get some stick tonight. My wander around La Rochelle on the first day of the season searching for a bar to watch the first game of the season seemed a long way off. The 0-0 draw at Metz, despite being a great result, was also the start of a winless run that had seen les Sang et Or drop to 19th before victory away to Valenciennes, at the end of September, had begun the climb up the table. 
Apart from the great company, tonight was about defeating an old enemy and possibly depriving them of third spot. It would, however, take a Le Havre victory at home to Bourg en Bresse and a seven goal swing to keep Metz down. Stranger things had happened!
We were advised to get there early as the new electronic barriers were still causing problems and for tonight's 36000+ sellout crowd there could be more difficulties and delays. 

The only difficulty we could find was the lack of a visible friterie inside the stadium for our fricadelle/merguez americain. The friteries outside filled in nicely however.
Once inside it turned out that our expected 90 minute chant-a-thon would be delayed because the Marek was on strike. It seems that the French authorities have responded to recent terrorist attacks by only banning football fans from travelling. So Lens fans have been banned from visiting a number of grounds this season: hardly la liberté that the French are so keen on protecting. The only reasoning behind these bans seems to be in clubs saving themselves the wages for a few extra stewards. 
The aftermath of the trip to Le Havre was still rumbling on in May, when there was trouble between over-zealous CRS (heavy police boys) and Lens fans before the game in January. Testimonies of a good number of Lens fans stated that the CRS herded men, women and children using CS gas and when the fans tried to stop them or escape the cordon they were arrested. There was also a ban on the fans' favourite tifos at the Stade Bollaert : always a chance for them to demonstrate their devotion and pride towards the club. It also wasn't wise to get them started on the season ticket prices for the following season....
They were not happy bunnies! 

While the rest of the stadium tried to cheer the team on, the Marek mostly stayed silent and firmly rooted to the seats they wished hadn't been installed for the Euro Championships.
In spite of this weird atmosphere the team were playing with freedom and passion. They battered Metz, who barely looked like a team on the verge of Ligue 1. 
On his last appearance for Lens, Lalaïna Nomenjanahary latched onto a through ball and perfectly slotted past the advancing Metz keeper. There was celebration but still no singing. At the front of the Marek, fifty fans held up a protest banner in black writing so that it obscured both their view and that of the front few rows.
This carried on throughout the first half as one of the leaders blared out the reasons for their protests, which Alex had to translate, and kept promising to everyone....
"Wait for the 46th minute...wait for the 46th minute..." He said it often enough that even Adrian and I could understand him in the end. 
There was no Les Corons as the players came out but on 45:30 a countdown began as red and yellow flags were passed out. 
"Don't wave them until the 46th minute!" we were repeatedly warned and so on 46 minutes the Marek erupted with flares, flags and basically.... fun. 

The mood improved as news filtered through of Le Havre's progress against 10-man Bourg. They were doing their part as their score increased ....from 1-0 to 5-0 with eight minutes to go. The first club to ban Lens fans from travelling in 2014, after their own fans had caused difficulties on their way back from the return fixture, Metz were one goal away from not being promoted. Equal on goal difference and points with Le Havre: they looked shell-shocked. They had expected an easy stroll and were now hanging on. Beckamenga had disappeared at half time; an event that had been greeted with great delight by the home fans and they had also used up all of their substitutes. 
Metz bodies were thrown at everything, a header was cleared off the line with the keeper nowhere and despite 13 shots on goal, the only effort that counted was Lalaina's effort in the first half. The Metz team celebrated their promotion by the narrowest of margins. Le Havre had managed 13 shots themselves and scored 5 goals. The need for a Lens striker was never more pressing. Finishing sixth, having scored only 39 goals in 38 games was a pretty amazing position although losing Chavarria had been a season-changing injury. The final four games he had missed only returned tonight's three points. 


Who knows what next season will bring but needless to say we still had a fantastic night out before heading off to our rented flat for the night on the Rue Gambetta, Lens. This flat could well be receiving a return visit next season!

Thank you La Reinitas!

A night out with some great company!
Thanks Mac!