Romain Hamouma came off the bench to help AS Saint-Étienne to a come-from-behind 3-1 victory over Montpellier Hérault SC on Saturday, and the 34-year-old plans to deliver for some time to come.
Hamouma is les Verts' top scorer in the 21st century with 61 goals and 47 assists to his name in 313 appearances, but in the autumn of his career, he has had to settle for a bit-part role at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard this season, making just seven league starts.
He was one of four substitutes who helped turn the tide in the dying minutes against Montpellier. The most recent visitors to ASSE looked on course to leave with three points after Elye Wahi's opener, which went unanswered until Hamouma's 82nd-minute strike.
Arnaud Nordin and Adil Aouchiche had also entered the fray late on, the former scoring Sainté's second and the latter assisting two of the three goals scored inside the final 10 minutes.
"We have more choice from the bench than when I first arrived," said Pascal Dupraz. "This can make the coach look like a winner even if I had nothing to do with it. There is no secret recipe to stay up other than team spirit. The fans too, they can help us move mountains."
Hamouma, a Coupe de la Ligue winner with Saint-Étienne in 2013, turns 35 in March, but has no thought of retiring before helping his long-time employers secure their top-flight status.
"I see myself as a craftsman, there to improve the work of my colleagues," he said. "It's unimaginable to see such a club go down. I really want to help them out."
