If in Saint-Ouen it was a party with Red Star's rise to L2, further east in the Vosges, the walls of the visiting locker rooms in Épinal also resonated. By winning (1-0) thanks to a goal from Jordan Mendes (11th), Versailles almost ensured its continuation in the National with four days remaining. Jean-Luc Vasseur's team, which has moved up to 8th place, is 7 points ahead of the first relegated Nîmes.
For the ambitious tenant of Jean-Bouin, staying in National was a question of survival. The projects of the owners, who welcomed a prestigious shareholder with Formula 1 driver Pierre Gasly and established a partnership with Kombini for an inside mini-series, would not have survived a return to National 2. Versailles will also be able to start again on d other bases next season, relieved of the weight of certain player contracts, some of whom no longer even play, a legacy of the financial excess of the former managers, who weighed down the payroll.
By picking up Jean-Luc Vasseur on February 26, their third coach after Laurent Peyrelade and Grégory Vignal, Alexandre Mulliez, Fabien Lazare and Salomon Kashala also made a winning choice. The former PSG trainer and coach of Créteil, Paris FC, Reims and Châteauroux had not coached since his departure from the Lyon women's team in February 2022. His last experience on a bench of a men's team dates back to October 2018.
Vasseur did not hesitate to exclude players
But the one who was National champion in 2013 with Créteil, quickly imposed his stamp on this squad. He did not hesitate to make some strong choices, removing players and restarting others. With 17 points out of 24 (5 wins, 2 draws, 1 loss), its balance sheet is excellent. Versailles remains on three victories in a row, without conceding a goal, which allowed it to move away from the red zone.
“It smells good but there are still two points missing to really have peace of mind,” said President Alexandre Mulliez. Friday's match against Orléans will still be crucial. Against Épinal, it wasn't easy but the team once again showed a remarkable state of mind. »