“We're all in”, the Saint-Martin-de-Londres U18s dream of a feat in the Gambardella Cup

Les Héraultais ont battu Juvignac au tour précédent. USSML

L’US Saint-Martin-de-Londres accueille Lunel au 3e tour de la Coupe Gambardella, la Coupe de France des U18, samedi à 17h au stade municipal.

It may be a detail for you but for them it means a lot. The U18s of the Saint-Martin-de-Londres football club, a village of less than 3,000 inhabitants north of Montpellier, will play this Saturday from 5 p.m. the most important match of their lives as young amateur footballers.

Facing Lunel, which is playing at the highest regional level, this group of friends will try to achieve the feat with a heart as big as that and bonds of friendship that have lasted since their earliest childhood. “We are participating in the Coupe Gambardella for the first time, we are eagerly awaiting this match, we feel the enthusiasm for this event, we are all going all in because it is a rare moment,” explains Timéo Bencivengo, captain and left winger of US Saint-Martin-de-Londres. We have been playing together since we were little. For the club and our team, this match is important."

"Experience something beautiful"

Two weeks after the third round of the Coupe de France of the flagship team (D4) against Aimargues (R2) and a 5-0 defeat, the municipal stadium will once again vibrate, this time for its young guard. "I can count on a good little group that knows how to play football well, rejoices coach Ludovic Chappé. I am having a great time with this team that is both friendly and competitive."

Against Lunel, the coach does not admit defeat in advance: “We would like to experience something beautiful, we want to do it. The players are motivated, they know their qualities and have a great team spirit. We can make a difference on set pieces but also thanks to our midfield and our fast attackers.”

This Saturday morning, the young players of Saint-Martin-de-Londres will wake up with butterflies in the wind and the desire to get together to prepare for this important meeting in their shared history. And at kick-off, they will try to extend the adventure by achieving a feat that only the national cups are capable of offering us.

On the program

Third round of the Gambardella Cup
Saturday (2:30 p.m.): Castelnau-Le Crès – Canet-en-Roussillon
Saturday (3 p.m.): Conques – Alès, Caissargues – Clermontaise, Mende – Agde, Beaucaire – Saint-Privat
Saturday (5 p.m.): Saint-Martin-de-Londres – Lunel
Saturday (6 p.m.): Nîmes Olympique – Vendargues
Saturday (6:30 p.m.): Alberes-Argeles – Petit Bard
Sunday (11 a.m.): Vergèze – Montpellier Arceaux, Foot Terre Camargues -Saint-Clément Montferrier, FC Sources de l’Aveyron – SC Sète, Saint-Jean-de-Védas – Saint-Estève Perpignan, Montpellier Atlas Paillade – Thuir