Foggia Calcio had just got promoted to Serie B for the first time in 19 years. Whereas the previous summer evolution was the strategy implemented, the summer market saw revolution. A raft of new signings were made: Alessandro Celli from Lupa Roma, Matteo Fedele from FC Sion, Francesco Fedato from Sampdoria, Francesco Nicastro from Crotone, Giacomo Beretta from AC Milan and Elio Calderini came in through the doors. Meanwhile, a number of key players left including Matteo Di Piazza who left to join Lecce Calcio, Vincenzo Sarno who was left out of the squad all together due to disagreements with the manager,Davide Agazzi didn’t agree to join Foggia Calcio again and joined Livorno Calcio on a permanent basis and Miguel Angel Sainz Maza left to join Pordenone Calcio.

Giacomo Beretta

Matteo Fedele

The first matchday of Foggia’s Serie B campaign started with a bang- a rival clash with Pescara Calcio at the Stadio Adriatico – Giovanni Cornacchia. Unfortunately, for Foggia everything that could have wrong did that day with Pescara thumping the Satanelli by 5 goals to 1 including a Stefano Pettinari hat-trick.

Pescara 5 foggia 1 20th of August 2017.

The following week Foggia could only muster a 1-1 draw at home to relegation favourites Virtus Entella. The next away trip would be to a team who is arguably Foggia’s biggest rival- outside of the pugliese teams- Avellino Calcio. Things escalated between the two teams due to the famous 2004 Serie C playoff final whereby Avellino would score in extratime of the 117th minute leading to the Avellino fans running on the pitch which at the score of 2-1 controversially didn’t allow for the game to be resumed.

The first half between the two teams saw Avellino use a 442 with inverted wingers who cut the Foggia fullbacks into little pieces. Avellino were 4-1 up at half time with Matteo Ardemagni scoring a brace. Foggia would end up conceding another goal in the second half. Their return to Serie B had seen Foggia concede 11 goals in their first 3 matches.

Avellino’s fourth goal from a cross.

The lupo by which the Avellino players come out of the dressing room. It evidently affected the mindset of the Foggia players.

Foggia’s first win in the cadetteria would come on the 20th of September away to Carpi Calcio. Carpi had been in Serie A two seasons prior and so for this game Foggia decided to counter rather than attack and this paid off beautifully. Even though Jerry Mbakogu scored first for the hosts- goals from Luca Martinelli, Cosimo Chirico and Giacomo Berretta meant that Foggia Calcio had obtained their first win of the season and the Foggia players and fans present at the Stadio Sandro Cabassi rejoiced together.

Luca Martinelli celebrating with his team-mates.

The Foggia fans celebrating at full time.

Foggia’s first home win would arrive in the following month- 13th of October at home to Perugia Calcio who were 2nd in the league at that time. Alberto Gerbo and Fabio Mazzeo scored to give the 13,000 Foggia fans present at the Pino Zaccheria a most memorable Friday night to remember.

The Curva Sud at the Pino Zaccheria.

Foggia players celebrating Fabio Mazzeo’s second goal.

Foggia would follow that up with typically inconsistent form- a 3-3 draw away to Cesena(after being 3-0 up at half-time), a 0-3 home defeat to Parma, a 4-1 away win to Pro Vercelli , a 3-2 home defeat to Cremonese Calcio, a 0-2 away win to Ascoli Calcio and a 1-1 draw at home to Ternana Calcio.

Matchday 16 arrived. Foggia would be going away to the San Nicola stadium in Bari. The puglia derby had arrived. The regional newspapers and Internet talked about this fixture 24/7. This was a league game that hadn’t taken place in over 30 years- the last one being in the 1987/88 season whereby Bari won by 2 goals to 0. What increased the fire even more was that Foggia fans that lived in Puglia were banned from attending the game. Despite this, 5,000 foggia fans from across Italy would be maxing out the away end. In total 35,000 tickets were sold which was only was lower than a Napoli- Juventus Serie B game in the 2006/07 Serie B which drew 51,000 people. Foggia would go into the fixture with 4 key injuries including to their goalkeeper Enrico Guarna who was an ex Bari goalkeeper. 2 academy players made their debuts- Stefano Tarolli(Goalkeeper) and Giuseppe Sicurella(central midfielder). Foggia fought valiantly all game but it was to prove to be in vain with winger Christian Galano scoring a tap-in in the 93rd minute to make the San Nicola bounce.

Giuseppe Sicurella

Galano scoring in the 93rd minute breaking Foggia fans hearts.

This had an adverse effect on Foggia’s form going into the next four games with Foggia losing 3 and drawing 1. Matchday 19 however would be a chance for Foggia’s players to let their fans go into the winter break in a positive mood- if however they could get a victory at a place where few teams ever pick up points- the Stadio Arechi- the home of Salernitana Calcio(owned by the Lazio owner Claudio Lotito). The Stadio Arechi is a cauldron and a stadium whereby it’s prey has included Juventus,Inter and Roma in the past. 32,000 Salernitana fans pack out the stadium every week. Unlike the San Nicola stadium the Stadio Arechi is a very closed stadium where all of the noises and atmosphere is kept in. It’s best described has a mix between the Stade Velodrome(the home of Marseille) and the La Bombonera( the home of Boca Juniors)

The Stadio Arechi

If Foggia were to get anything from the Stadio Arechi they would have to play the match of their lives. What followed were glorious 90 minutes of beautiful attacking,possession based football by both sides with Foggia scoring 3 late goals(including goal of the season contender by Roberto Floriano)to leave the travelling 3,000 fans in pure ecstasy.

Floriano celebrates in front of his fans.

However, the ecstasy would only last 3 days when on the 27th of December the president announced that the director of football Giuseppe Di Bari would be relieved of his duties. In his place Luca Nember(who was the ex Chievo Verona director of football) came in to take his place. This appointment would prove to alter the history of Foggia Calcio. The philosophy of the club would change from a 4-3-3 attacking,possession based team to a 5-3-2 counter attacking team. The feeling was that by going more defensive- far fewer goals would be conceded however far fewer goals would be scored. This would cause a permanent division within the Foggia fanbase with those who believed that positive,entertaining football was what made Foggia special and unique and those who wanted Foggia to do whatever was necessary in order to get to Serie A. In order to accomplish this change of philosophy a winter transfer window saw three players arrive- Goalkeeper Andres Noppert(an ex PSV youth player), Oliver Kragl(on loan from Crotone Calcio), Nicholas Duhamel(from Le Havre) and Denis Tonucci(from Bari Calcio) on very high wages.

Luca Nember

Oliver Kragl

Denis Tonucci

The winter break was over and Foggia would start in imperious form- 4 wins (including a 2-1 away win to Palermo calcio and a 2-1 home win versus Avellino) defeat causing many to call Nember a genius and that finally Foggia had a director of football that understood what it took to get a team up into Serie A. Foggia would enter March in 10th place on 45 points ( 4 points off 4th place Venezia). From what looked like a season of struggle now looked like a season that could even see a promotion occur. The month of March would see 3 wins and 2 defeats and Foggia would rise to 8th place( level on points with 6th and 7th placed Perugia and Cremonese).

Oliver Kragl celebrating his winner v Palermo.

The month of April would be crucial. Things couldn’t have started better. A 4-0 away thumping to Cremonese Calcio and a 3-0 home win to Ternana Calcio saw Foggia in 5th position in a playoff position. However, the next game would see Foggia lose their playoff position once more by drawing to Ternana at home. The next matchday would see the Puglia derby on the 21st of April 2018. If the derby that was played in October was about pride- this was one was about getting a playoff position. The stakes were even higher. 19,000 packed out the Pino Zaccheria to see the Satanelli face the Galletti( the chickens-nickname of Bari ). Foggia would open up the scoring with a Francesco Nicastro header in the 26th mimite but would be pegged back 5 minutes later when Nene took advantage of a backpass to the goalkeeper and would finish into the bottom left corner of the net.

Nicastro celebrating Foggia’s opening goal.

Foggia would end the month of April losing by 3 goals to 1 away to Cittadella Calcio. Their hopes of obtaining a playoff place were now slim- on the verge of being impossible with 5 games left they had a 7 point disadvantage to make up. Foggia however wouldn’t give up easily on their hopes and would start May by beating Spezia Calcio 2-1. However, Foggia would go on to lose 2-1 the following matchday to Venezia Calcio causing the gap between them and 7th place to be 4 points with 2 games left.

Foggia played host to Salernitana Calcio at home on Matchday 37. If they could win and Perugia either lost or drew- then Foggia would still be in a chance of getting a playoff spot. Salernitana were in abysmal form having lost 7 of their last 10 games but the problem for Foggia was that Perugia were also at home- playing already relegated Pro Vercelli. Mazzeo would score a goal in the 29th minute and that would how it ended. However, with such cruel irony Federico Melc would net a 94th minute winner and win the game for Perugia.

Foggia goals from January to May 2018.

Foggia would go on to draw 2-2 away to Frosinone Calcio and would finish the season in 8th position. A season of tremendous lows and highs had meant that Foggia Calcio would be able to take a lot of momentum with them in the following season and had the tools at disposal to aim for a playoff birth.

The Serie B 17/18 final standings.