The FTHB (Frontignan Thau Handball) travels to the leader Dijon this Saturday April 15, a match broadcast at 3:15 p.m. live on France 3. An important meeting for the Hérault club, just promoted and already qualified for the play-offs at five days of the end of the championship.
The final stages of Proligue are getting closer for the Frontignan handball club! Just promoted to the second professional division, the Héraultais are already guaranteed to finish among the first six, while at this stage they are 13 points ahead of Bilière – seventh in the standings.
A dream course for this collective which aimed to maintain at the start of the season. A place that owes nothing to chance: the players of Frontignan are strong with a series of ten victories in a row from the beginning of December to the end of March.
Kévin Mesnard, captain and goalkeeper of the Frontignan team (who is also taking the medical intern competition), explains this rise in power for the club in the Thau basin: “There is a lot of investment, with a group of young people who live very well on and off the pitch. A real group of friends who enjoy coming to train, with a coach who has brought us many tactical and technical solutions.“.
The FTHB coach is Asier Antonio Marcos, a former Spanish international of 2.04 meters, voted best Proligue coach with the Nice club in 2020. The former left-back from Valladolid (Spain) managed an express adaptation , since this is his first season at the head of Frontignan. A rapid integration in the image of his club which will play the final stages of Proligue for his first campaign at this level.
An unexpected success that reflects the quality of the squad and the club, according to Asier Antonio Marcos: “it’s a group of players who really want to work, who want to show themselves at the highest level and above all we started the season well, which helped us for the future. We wanted to show everyone that we were at the level, we take things one after the other, first the maintenance, the play-offs then we will see for the climb. In any case, it will be a party for the club.“
We are already qualified for the play-offs, we have as many chances to go up as the small teams.
The match this Saturday, April 15, 2023 against the Dijon leader will therefore be a real test between the two best attacks in the league, before attacking the play-offs. A first place synonymous with a direct climb to the first division that Dijon will want to ensure against the FTHB. As a reminder, Frontignan has the fourteenth budget of Proligue on a championship of 16 teams. That is three to four times less than clubs like Saran, Tremblay or Dijon.
To see the match, go to Saturday April 15 at 3:15 p.m. on France 3 Languedoc-Roussillon and on our France 3 Occitanie website.
Written with Hugo Gens and Denis Clerc.
