“And one day, play in the La Mosson stadium”: Atlas Paillade, candidate for promotion to N3, wants to establish itself as the second club in Montpellier

Les Montpelliérains sont en tête du championnat. Atlas Paillade

En tête de sa poule de Régional 1, les Montpelliérains, invaincus, reçoivent la Clermontaise, dimanche à 17h30, sur le terrain annexe de la Mosson. Récit d’un début de saison réussi.

Late Sunday afternoon, night falls on the Mosson stadium. Its adjoining field is lit up with a thousand lights for the clash between the local team Atlas Paillade, leading the Regional 1 group A and its runner-up FU Narbonne.

The stakes are high and the spectators who came in their hundreds were not mistaken. There are no more parking spaces available, almost as if the MHSC were playing against a Ligue 1 big name. The stand is full and around the handrail, it's the same thing: you have to jostle for position to see the match properly. “It's the best atmosphere and team in the championship,” said Narbonne president Moustapha Bouzbiba after the match. Real fun, real football and it must be said. This club is of public utility.”

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Akrafi: “The atmosphere helps us”

A few name-callings that we could easily do without pepper the match, but we are especially struck by the tremendous support of the Pailladin people for their players who, trailing 2-0, hung on to finally come back to equalize and remain undefeated. “Against Narbonne, a well-established opponent, we didn't give up, we always knew how to move forward, rejoices Abdel Akrafi, the Atlas Paillade midfielder. That's what makes us strong: the team and the seriousness that we put into every match. The atmosphere has always existed at La Paillade, it helps us, it's nice to see supporters come in large numbers.”

Nait Imaghran's equalizer in the 82nd minute sent the stadium into turmoil. A smoke bomb is lit, the chants of the neighboring den resonate: “Here, it's the Paillade, it's the Paillade, it's the Paillade!”

And if this was the right year to see Atlas Paillade reach National 3 ? Montpellier president Mahfoud Benali believes in it hard as iron: “The start of the season is very positive. I am very happy with the duo with coach Geoffrey Dernis and manager Sandryk Biton. We can count on good young people in the team. We have changed dimension. The number one objective is to move up to National 3. We are ready, we need the city hall to support us in terms of the stadium. It meets the standards for N3, except for the changing rooms for which work is necessary.”

Benali: “If we go up, we'll change our name”

The Atlas Paillade manager sees even further: “We want to get to National 1, to make our club the second in the city. If we go up at the end of the season, we'll change our name to Montpellier FC. It's normal to have a second club in Montpellier, the seventh city in France.”

And one day, play in the Stade de la Mosson and not next door ? “That's the plan after the departure of the MHSC. This stadium won't be destroyed, we have to continue playing football indoors.”

His Narbonne counterpart adds: “I'm going to interfere but I have to say it: football remains one of the last societal levers. When I see the osmosis and alchemy around the field, I say hats off. People are singing, having fun, there are mothers, little ones… I hope they go up! If it’s not us, I hope it is.”

But the road is still long and Geoffrey Dernis knows it perfectly well. After nine days (one game in arrears), Montpellier have a two-point lead over Grau-du-Roi, another favorite for promotion, and three over a trio of hungry players made up of Vauvert, Lunel and Narbonne. “We are setting ourselves concrete goals but there are a lot of contenders,” concludes the former MHSC player. We are not going to deprive ourselves of going up if we can do it.” That’s said.