6pm 16 July 2019
Pre-season friendly
En Avant Guingamp 2 SO Cholet 1 (att 1,200) at CS Plédrannais
Pre-season games in England are too often tepid affairs played in front of small crowds who care little about the outcome, but in France they take a different approach that makes them more of an occasion.
Fixtures are mostly played on the grounds of local amateur clubs, and for CS Plédrannais, relegated last season to the third tier of the Brittany leagues, this friendly was a big deal.
They pulled out all the stops, as did second division Guingamp for whom this was a great PR exercise. The crowd was the equivalent of about one in five of the population of Plédran, and plenty were wearing shirts and scarves of their local 'big' team.
It was a lively game for a friendly. Cholet play a division lower than Guingamp, and threatened to upset the Plédran party when they they took an early lead. Handball in the box resulted in a penalty and although the spot kick was saved the rebound was converted.
Locals had reason to cheer when Guingamp levelled about five minutes before half time, and six minutes after the break the 'home' team scored a second that, despite chances at both ends, proved decisive.
CS Plédrannais have a modern and impressive complex called the Stade Horizon. The main pitch has a seated stand with high roof, with a raised open standing area adjacent, and flat standing around all four sides. There's also a couple of additional pitches, one grass and one 3G, which, unlike the main ground, are both floodlit.
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