After the relegation of N2, Patrice Maurel, the coach of Colomiers, confides following the five friendly matches won since the end of July.
First of all, what do you remember from these five successes during your preparation?
Of course, there are the results. Even in a friendly match, we show up on the field to win. We first beat Onet (3-0). Before continuing against Narbonne (1-0), Canet (2-1), Union Saint-Jean (3-2) and Blagnac this Wednesday evening (2-0). But there is also what the boys were able to offer during these meetings. And so far, yes, I’m happy with what the team has managed to put together. It was a real desire to have so many friendly matches in our summer preparation. We still have two left. This Saturday, we face Castanet and next week we will finish against Tarbes.
What about your squad for this new season?
Inevitably, before preparing for this new season, we first needed time to digest this descent from N2 (the last appearance of Colomiers in the fifth hexagonal echelon, called at the time CFA2, dates back to the 2007-2008 season , Editor’s note). In the past, I had already had to rebuild a group within this pennant team. But we are not starting from scratch. I have a squad of twenty-three players, including three goalkeepers. A few U19s joined the group. Training is always one of the club’s priorities. Since the start of our preparation, things have been going well. There is a good ambiance. We managed to create a unit. It’s already reassuring. And, above all, for now, I have a full group. As long as it lasts (laughs).
How do you view this National 3 championship?
To be honest, I don’t know him at all. So, seen like that, we are heading into the unknown. But when we see that the Haut-Garonne teams have a lot of trouble getting into N2, I suspect that this championship will not be a cakewalk. Every match will be difficult. And we will surely be expected at the turn. In any case, I like challenges. We obviously want to go back to N2. We are ambitious, but we also have to be humble.
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