 | FOOTBALL CLUB |
| FOOTBALL CLUB |
THE FARM
MY LIFESTYLE
ON MY TRAVELS
There are more links at the top and bottom of each page.
These concern the administration of the site, but you should visit them just the same.
SITE SPONSORS
please support them
You can contact me to order a full-size high-quality image.
E si vous voulez commander une image en plein dimensions et á haute qualité
Please if you would like to add anything to the text of each image or to correct an error.
Si vous avez des choses á ajouter, ou vous voudriez corriger quelque chose que j'ai écrit,
One of the most important moments for ceasing to be an expat and becoming a resident is to begin to take up an active involvement in some kind of local community activity. And for me, of course, that can only mean one thing.
FOOTY!
Pionsat has a football club that has three teams competing in the Puy-de-Dome League.
The first team competes in Division 1 pool A of the league. They've been slowly improving over the last couple of years since I've been watching them and last season finished quite high up the table. In fact at one time they were in front but they couldn't keep the momentum going. Their attack is excellent but the defence is a little shaky at times and a long series of injuries didn't help matters.
The second team competes in Division 2 pool A. They were promoted from Division 3 at the end of season 2008-09 thanks to a lightning-quick attack that compensated for a sometimes-sleepy defence. They found Division 2 much harder-going and suffered a couple of heavy defeats, and their cause wasn't helped by losing a few key players to reinforce the 1st XI. Eventually however they settled down and consolidated themselves into a mid-table position.
The 3rd XI is the "ugly duckling" of the club and competes in Division 4. It's made up mainly of the veterans, and only those who are available once the 1st and 2nd XIs have chosen their teams. They were often short of players for matches and played for almost all of the season without a recognised goalkeeper, Damien and Xavier doing their best. As a result, it was a long, hard season. But a nice gesture of goodwill from two or three players from the other teams who helped out when unavailable for their own team (and it would be nice if others could follow these generous examples), an electrifying performance against Neuf-Eglise (and if I knew what it was that they had put in the half-time cuppa I'd have a pint of that myself) and one or two dogged and determined performances, they ended up fourth from bottom. If they can sign a recognised goalkeeper from somewhere and turn out with a full complement of 14 players for each match then a mid-table position would be a realistic expectation for this forthcoming season.
If you have or have had any pretensions to club football, no matter how long ago, then come along to a 3rd team match and talk to the trainer. I'm certain that he'll be able to fit you up for a game. You don't need to be particularly fit as these matches are played with rolling substitutions so you can go off for a breather at any time. Age is no barrier either. One player who turns out regularly for Montel-Villosanges is 77 years old!
But if you are just looking for some entertainment on a Saturday evening in a warm and friendly atmosphere, come along and watch the matches. With an average gate of 30 if they are lucky, it won't take long to be noticed and to become part of the local support.
SEASON 2010-11 |
||||
| DATE | HOME TEAM | RESULT | AWAY TEAM | |
| 05/09/2010 - 15:00 | BLOT L'EGLISE | 0-1 | 1st XI | |
| XXXX - XX:XX | NO MATCH | 2nd XI | ||
| 04/09/2010 - 20:00 | 3rd XI | 2-1 | ES ST ANGEL | |
| 11/09/2010 - 20:30 | 1st XI | 4-0 | US MENAT | |
| 11/09/2010 - 18:30 | 2nd XI | 1-2 | US ST GERVAIS | |
| 12/09/2010 - 13:00 | LE MONTEL-VILLOSANGES | v | 3rd XI | |
| 19/09/2010 - 15:00 | CONDAT GIAT VOINGT | v | CUP MATCH | |
| 26/09/2010 - 13:00 | JS ST PRIEST | v | 1st XI | |
| 26/09/2010 - 15:00 | HERMENT-PUY ST GULMIER | v | 2nd XI | |
| 25/09/2010 - 20:00 | 3rd XI | v | AS CISTERNE | |
| 2-3/10/2010 | TBA | v | CUP MATCH | |
| 09/10/2010 - 20:30 | 1st XI | v | US ST BEAUZIRE | |
| 09/10/2010 - 18:30 | 2nd XI | v | FC SAYAT ARGNAT | |
| 10/10/2010 | NO MATCH | 3rd XI | ||
| 16-17/10/2010 | TBA | v | CUP MATCH | |
| 23/10/2010 | 1st XI | NO MATCH | ||
| 23/10/2010 - 20:00 | 2nd XI | v | FC CHANAT | |
| 24/10/2010 - 13:00 | BROMONT LAMOTHE | v | 3rd XI | |
| 30-31/10/2010 | TBA | v | CUP MATCH | |
| 07/11/2010 - 15:00 | LE MONTEL VILLOSANGES | v | 1st XI | |
| 07/11/2010 - 15:00 | US PONTAUMUR | v | 2nd XI | |
| 06/11/2010 - 20:00 | 3rd XI | v | AS ST AVIT | |
| 13/11/2010 - 20:30 | 1st XI | v | CHARBONNIERES PAUGNAT (I) | |
| 13/11/2010 - 18:30 | 2nd XI | v | CHARBONNIERES PAUGNAT (II) | |
| 14/11/2010 - 15:00 | CS TEILHET | v | 3rd XI | |
| 20-21/11/2010 | TBA | v | CUP MATCH | |
| 28/11/2010 - 15:00 | ST BONNET | v | 1st XI | |
| 28/11/2010 - 15:00 | BIOLLET ST MAURICE | v | 2nd XI | |
| 27/11/2010 - 20:00 | 3rd XI | v | AS MONTFERMY | |
| 04/12/2010 - 20:30 | 1st XI | v | NORD COMBRAILLES | |
| 04/12/2010 - 18:30 | 2nd XI | v | CHAPDES BEAUFORT | |
| 05/12/2010 - 13:00 | CHAPDES BEAUFORT | v | 3rd XI | |
| 11/12/2010 - 20:00 | 1st XI | v | AS CELLULE | |
| 12/12/2010 - 15:00 | AS MIREMONT | v | 2nd XI | |
| 12/12/2010 - 13:00 | BIOLLET ST MAURICE | v | 3rd XI | |
| 19/12/2010 - 15:00 | CS MANZAT | v | 1st XI | |
| 19/12/2010 | NO MATCH | 2nd XI | ||
| 18/12/2010 - 20:00 | 3rd XI | v | BLOT L'EGLISE | |
PLEASE NOTE - dates and times of matches are subject to change without notice |
||||
One thing that I have to say is that reading through my reports of the matches you might think that I have a tendency to be ...er... somewhat overcritical of the players and officials on occasion, so perhaps I ought to explain.
Back in the past I had certain connections elsewhere with a Football League that was probably at level 4 of the equivalent English football pyramid, where all of the players and most of the officials were either full-time or semi-professional and where crowds could be in three or four figures. Given that kind of environment and that standard of football it's quite easy to lose sight of the fact that people here are taking part in sport for fun and amusement and not on account of any skill that they might or might not have, and that it is entertainment. In the Puy-de-Dome League no-one is paid.
And as for any criticism of the referees it has to be said that without anyone willing to referee the matches or run the lines there would be no football at all. I've been on a refereeing course and as a result I see things much differently now than I did before and I think that a few other people would benefit from taking the courses too. I've also tried my hand at refereeing and I will tell you now that whoever picks up the whistle and goes out to referee a match, and then goes out willingly to do it a second time is a braver man than I am.
So if anyone is upset by any remarks that I have made, I would like you to know that I am grateful none-the-less for the effort that you have put in to provide entertainment on a Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon in this isolated part of the world.
Il y a sans doute des francophones qui aimeraient lire cette page en français. Donc vous devez m'aider á la traduire!
En plus, si vous avez des choses á ajouter,
home page | latest updates | site map | site index
about this site | audience participation | copyright notice | technical issues | accessibility statement | read this | contact me
©