Season 1995/1996

During the Summer of 1995, the departure of Gourvennec was compensated for with the arrival of Ziani. In the goalkeeping department, Pandurovic, Le Garrec and Heurtebis made up for the lost of Rousseau and Rousset. Strengthened by this stability, the Manager Le Milinaire rapidly imposed his style of play with the strike pairing of Grassi and Wiltord in great form. Whilst Rennes was a fortress for home games (8 wins for 1 defeat in the first half of the season) including a thumping 3-0 win over Guingamp, Stade Rennais only managed 5 draws on the road, which still left them comfortably placed at the halfway stage (8th, 29 points). Knocked out of both cups in the early stages by Le Havre (2-4) and Nancy (1-2), the Red and Blacks were rarely beaten in the league, but they didn’t win much more either, drawing 10 games (7 of which we goalless draws) in the second half of the season. Aside from an entertaining 4-3 home win over Bordeaux, there wasn’t much else for the home fans to shout about, and finished the season without having won a single game on their travels. An 8th place finish was still sufficient for them to qualify for the first time to take part in the Intertoto Cup.