A native of Marseille who attended the OM Youth Academy, Benjamin Gavanon has been playing for AS Nancy Lorraine since 2003. Scorer of 8 goals last season and the side’s playmaker, he has become an indispensable part of the Nancy team.

How do you see Nancy’s season so far?
We have 2 wins in 2 matches, so it’s a positive start. But it’s not perfect yet; we have had problems as well in these 2 matches, which proves there is still room for improvement. Despite that, we have collected 6 points, which is encouraging.

Did you expect to get off to such a good start?
You always hopeful. At the start of the season, people don’t expect big things from clubs like Nancy. Also, because we signed no new players, people weren’t talking about us. We did say to ourselves however that if we could get off to a good start, it would be great for us.

What do you put your good start down to?
The stability in the squad has meant that we haven’t had to take time to get to know each other and how we play. That’s given us a head start on a lot of other sides. Also, we had a strong preparation and enjoyed some luck in our games. All this has been in our favour.

So stability has been the main ingredient in your success?
It gives us an advantage in the first few rounds. But we need to keep our eyes on the prize, which isn’t to stay at the top of the table. It’s the start of the season and we’ll make the most of it but we’re getting ahead of ourselves. We’ll do our thing calmly and see where it takes us.

Returning to the Vélodrome is always something special for you…
When I was a kid, the Vélodrome captured my imagination. I was lucky enough to be an OM fan in the 90s and I experienced some amazing things. Then I signed a professional contract with OM, in my home city. OM will always have a place in my heart.

Your family and friends will come to see you play and support you…
We argue a bit (laughs). I’ve asked them to support Nancy but they’re not really prepared to take such a drastic step…

The last time the 2 sides met was just 3 months ago (May 9, 2007). Is the match still in your minds?
It’s in the past. Each match is its own story. Last season, we managed to reduce the scoreline. We have to hang onto what worked well, correct what didn’t and see what we can do to improve over the years. Last season, we weren’t far from getting a good result, so this time we’ll try to get that much closer.

What are Nancy’s objectives this season?
We’re hoping to avoid relegation; we want to secure our survival as soon as possible. In 2 years we’ve finished 12th and 13th, and the sooner we can assure our survival, the better our chances are of finishing in the top 10. That would be great. But despite our good current results, we’re not mixing things up, we know where we’re coming from and what we’re capable of. First we avoid relegation, then we’ll see…