ESTAC Troyes coach Bruno Irles was staying upbeat after his side conceded a 1-1 draw in their potential relegation six-pointer away to Saint-Etienne on Friday night, hailing his side's fighting spirit in the face of some tough circumstances.
Troyes looked to have done the hard part in collecting a precious three points against fellow relegation contenders Saint-Etienne, South Africa striker Lebo Mothiba striking early (18') at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard, and although the points ended up being shared, Irles was pleased with the fight his side showed.
'A great state of mind'
"Saint-Etienne didn't have many clear-cut chances. We had a very complicated week with sick players, some of them played tonight without having been able to train this week, one of them stayed in the hotel with 39-40 fever [Mama Baldé]," said the Troyes boss, whose side climbed to provisional 15th with the draw. "It was very difficult to compose this XI and yet the lads showed a great state of mind. We lacked juice in the second half, but I saw players who fought, a team that defended with eleven players, and that's crucial for winning the points to beat the drop. Even the substitutes gave a lot."
And they had to - Troyes were under the pump for much of the second half, with Ryad Boudebouz converting from the spot after VAR awarded a penalty for a foul on Wahbi Khazri (67'). But Troyes showed plenty of grit to hold out for the result and Irles felt that this showed plenty of promise.
'Focusing on the positive'
"I don't have just eleven players, and it's good to be able to count on all of them, especially when a flu party occurs," said Irles. "There is some frustration, as we gave our opponent the chance to equalise. But I told the players we're moving forward. We would like to move forward a little more on a game like tonight's, but we're focusing on the positive. In two weeks, we have Reims waiting for us."
Indeed,Troyes next challenge comes when they play host to Stade de Reims in their Ligue 1 Uber Eats Round 30 clash on Sunday 3 April (Kick-off at 15:00 CET), following the international break.
