They’ll be the first to admit they cut it a little too close for comfort. But FC La Paillade knows the playoffs can erase all past failings.

“We just barely managed to qualify this year,” explains captain Florent Guemas in the wake of a 5-2 loss to second-seed ESC to close out the season. “It was a tight division and every match was hotly contested. Any team could have beaten any other team on any given night.”

FC La Paillade can thank the Universe the winless and hopeless FC Fausto managed to draw 1-1 against the Panthers, who could very well have stolen their spot with a win. Funny, then, that Guemas and company are still keeping their heads held high. “We fear no one right now. If we stay concentrated, we can stage some surprises despite our sixth-place ranking. We’ve got players who can make the difference.”

POTG: Forward Julien Dubois ended his own regular season on a positive note with his 18th of the season and will continue to be key to any FC La Paillade March miracles.

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