Playing a Ligue 1 team in the round of 16 of the Coupe de France, the BPFC has already done it. The Bergerac club receives AS Saint-Étienne, this Sunday, January 30 (6:30 p.m.) at the Francis-Rongiéras stadium in Périgueux. Something to bring back memories to some supporters who had already experienced this stage of the competition five years ago. On March 2, 2017, the BPFC faced Lille on the lawn of the Jean-Antoine-Moueix stadium in Libourne, in Gironde. The “collector” scarves of this meeting have also begun to bloom again in town and in shop windows in recent days.
At the time, this 8th finals had been synonymous with elimination for the Bergeracois, then trained by Fabien Pujo and who were already playing at the fourth level, the CFA. The BPFC had given up (1-2) in added time, on a goal by the Portuguese striker of LOSC, Éder, who had already made all of France cry a few months earlier, by scoring the winning goal against the Blues in the final of Euro 2016. “First of all, we say to ourselves that we have had an incredible journey. And then, with a clear head, we say to ourselves that we could have gone for the shots on goal”, remembers Christophe Hugot, the assistant coach at the time.
And yet, the Bergeracois had provided intense emotions to their supporters. A few minutes earlier, captain Mamadou Kamissoko, crippled with cramps, had the strength to get up to equalize on a corner, responding to Lille’s opener signed Rony Lopes.
In short, the Périgourdins came out of the competition with their heads held high. Especially since they had beaten a professional club for the first time, by offering RC Lens, then in Ligue 2. On January 31, 2017, Bergerac won a well-deserved victory, beating the Northerners (2-0) thanks to two very nice goals from Sébastien Bouscarrat and Grégory Covin, at the Gaston-Simounet stadium in Bergerac.
The first goalscorer remembers his winning header perfectly. “This goal, I can still see it precisely, sometimes I have the impression of still being there. When you see the joy that it had generated, the euphoria that there could have been… It’s a real pleasure to think about that, said the former Bergerac striker, who kicked off the 32nd final against Metz this season.
Christophe Hugot remembers “The whole gallery rising suddenly. You’re in another universe, another world.” Only one player from Bergerac version 2022 was already there in 2017, the side Sam Ducros,“Happened at the end of January, before the match against Lens. I had been able to experience it with the group. The scenes of joy, with people in the locker room, the TVs… Magnificent.”
Before this feat, there had been hot matches, narrowly won, in the round of 16 against Toulouse Rodéo on penalties, or even in a rural setting in the Landes, on the lawn of Doazit (2-3)where the victory had been difficult to obtain despite the five divisions difference. “A crazy atmosphere, a band, boiling stands. That’s also the Coupe de France, not just the feat against Lens”, smiles Christophe Hugot.
There is more maturity in this year’s team
So, what differences between this Bergerac 2017, which had come close to climbing, and that, in 2022, trained by Erwan Lannuzel? “There is more maturity in this year’s team”, analyzes Christophe Hugot. “Perhaps more leaders in all lines. But we had a team with a lot of talent at the time”. Sam Ducros him, sees “a lot of similarities, we have great guys, who get along really well, who pull in the same direction, a mature group”.
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It therefore remains to take one more step, the one that leads to the quarter-finals. “It would be great, huge. For the city, the region, the group, the staff, Paul and Christophe Fauvel [directeur général et président] who do a great job”wishes Sébastien Bouscarrat, who emphasizes the “exceptional season” of Bergerac. “They have to play their game, they have to stay on track. There’s no point in changing everything or overdoing it.”
This time, in Périgord
Still, the club learned. And this time, there is at least one change to report before this round of 16, since the match will be played in Périgueux, in Dordogne, and not in Libourne, in Gironde. “I’m not saying that we regretted it, but we thought that taking the event out of Périgord would lose some of its charm”, explains Paul Fauvel. “We fought to maintain the event in Dordogne, in the name of the club, there is Périgord”. And despite the gauge, this Sunday, the 3,800 spectators will make noise. Some were surely there five years ago already.