The derbies are matches scrutinized, expected, sometimes tense, always strewn with little stories that make the charm of the big one. For those who await the DFCO against the AJA, Monday, November 22, 2021 as part of the 16th day of Ligue 2, the specificity revolves around the Auxerre past of the current Dijon coach, Patrice Garande. The former striker marked the history of the Yonne club between 1981 and 1986, even finishing top scorer in D1 at the end of the 1983-84 season. As the derby draws closer, Patrice Garande opened the box of memories.
“This is where it all started for me”
This move to AJA marked a turning point in the career of the current DFCO coach, since it is in the Yonne that he revealed himself to France of football, after training at AS Saint-Etienne and a stint in Switzerland, at CS Chênois. “It’s a club that matters, that’s where it all started for me, it’s there where I learned my job, I was top scorer, I played in the Olympic Games ( Olympic champion with the Blues in 1984, Editor’s note), the first European Cup matches … that remains for me an excellent memory “, remembers Patrice Garande.
What are its current links with Auxerre? The first to come is with his former coach. “I have relations with Guy Roux (coach of Auxerre between 1961 and 2005, Editor’s note) that I have from time to time on the phone – since I have been a coach, not simply because I am in Dijon, he recounts. Obviously, he’s someone who matters to me, who taught me a lot of things and with whom I was able to interact in the complicated moments of my job as a coach “.
Patrice Garande also highlights his relationship with Gérard Bourgoin (former vice-president and then president of AJA) and salutes the memory of Jean-Claude Hamel, who died in 2020. “These three characters brought me a lot, I have always kept in touch with them since I left Auxerre”, he sums up.
– PHOTOPQR / THE PROGRESS TEAMSHOOT
During the match, no feelings
Patrice Garande left Auxerre 35 years ago, and even if the memories are very present, “it won’t have any influence”, he promises. “It’s a derby, I have already played against Auxerre as a player and as a coach, recalls Garande. My background in Auxerre is not going to disturb me at all, in the preparation of the match to coach my team in this match you can be sure of that! “. The proof last season: Patrice Garande, then on the Toulouse bench, won 3-1 against AJA (before losing by the same score in the return match).
My past in Auxerre is not going to disturb me at all