Occitania R1 – Pool B.
SAINT ALBAN – L’UNION SAINT JEAN FC Saturday April 30 at 6 p.m.
In pole position five days before the final with 47 points, 8 points ahead of Pibrac the second, the USJFC will face in the return of the derby, Saint-Alban, 8th with 28 points.
In December, the USJFC had won (1-0), coach Grégory Sorroche had described this meeting as complicated against a team with a solid defensive block with a good transition game. Since then, the paths of the two teams have been different, the USJFC has remained on a dynamic of victory, Saint-Alban has been less regular. During the previous day, in Pibrac, Saint-Alban conceded defeat (4-3), as for the USJFC on the move to Béziers, they struggled to overcome (2-3) a team combative reduced to 10 from the 25th minute.
In the holding zone, Saint-Alban will want to win the return match, and the USJFC, which is aiming for the climb, must stock up on points to keep Pibrac at a distance, which moves to Colomiers, 6th. In the background, the fight for maintenance is tough. Revel, the last, receives Balaruc (9th); Tournefeuille, the penultimate, goes to Sète (3rd), and the meeting Papus (12th)-Castanet (11th) is that of hope.
Coach Grégory Sorroche’s pre-match: “It’s a match like the others, our objective is to remain in control of our destiny, to maintain the lead over Pibrac in the obligation to win to stay in contact. Saint-Alban is a team that we respect, which has quality and pride. We know that it will be difficult to play for victory, in the first leg it was not easy. We want to continue our road, the group is motivated and serene as the final approaches”.
