Jeunesse Club d’Agoè (JCA), one of the football clubs in Lomé, Togo, is actively preparing for the second phase of the national D2 championship. After finishing first in the regular phase in the Southern zone, the club from Agoè-Nyivé now aims to take the next step and secure promotion to the first division.
In preparation for the playoffs, the Red and Yellow played a friendly match against Haut Niveau on Friday, a team made up of players from the Togolese D1. JCA lost 2-1, but the match primarily allowed the coaching staff to keep the players in shape after nearly two weeks without official competition.
A fruitful first phase
This first part of the season is already a source of satisfaction for Haure Tchalim. The coach believes that the results achieved reflect the efforts put in by his team, as JCA was not necessarily expected to perform at this level.
“It’s a positive assessment, as no one was betting on JCA. Last year, we were one step away from the playoffs, but this season, our hard work has paid off.”
For the coach, this success is largely due to the game plan, discipline, and the group’s mindset. However, improvements are still needed, particularly regarding offensive and defensive efficiency.
“This can be explained by the game plan, the discipline of the group, and the mindset. Now, when we look at the ratio of goals scored to goals conceded, we need to work on converting our chances and conceding fewer goals.”
Promotion in sight
Once the goal of reaching the playoffs is achieved, JCA does not plan to stop there. Haure Tchalim has now clearly stated his ambition to gain promotion to the first division.
“Appetite comes with eating. Today, it’s not normal for us to finish first in the South and not be promoted to the first division. That’s our goal.”
The coach is aware that the task will be challenging. According to him, JCA must be able to compete with the best teams to hope to reach the elite.
“To sit at the table of the greats, you must defeat the greats. If we want to achieve that, we need to be capable of beating everyone.”
The pressure does not seem to disturb the coach. On the contrary, he sees this expectation as a factor that can contribute to the club's and its squad's progress.
“JCA is a bit like Marseille in France. Every weekend, everyone comes to see their child shine and win matches. Often, it’s the pressure and challenges that allow great teams and great coaches to grow.”
Haure Tchalim offers his apologies
Before fully focusing on the playoffs, Haure Tchalim also addressed the incident that occurred during the match against Abou-Ossé d’Anié. The coach acknowledges having made certain remarks in the context of that match and wished to apologize to the Anié community.
“I want to apologize to the entire Anié community. We are football actors. Tomorrow, I could coach Abou-Ossé.”
JCA is now looking towards the playoffs with a clearly defined objective: to convert their first place in the regular phase into promotion to the first division.
