President Jacques Prévost National Champions Coupe de la Ligue First round | Head coach Philippe Hinschberger Coupe de France Fifth round Top goalscorer Benoît Leroy (9) | |
In the 2005–06 season, French football club Chamois Niortais played in the Championnat National, the third tier of football in France, following their relegation from Ligue 2 at the end of the previous campaign. Philippe Hinschberger was hired as Niort manager in the summer of 2005, replacing Pascal Gastien. Hinschberger led the club to the National title in 2005–06 with a record of 20 wins, 10 draws and 6 defeats from their 38 league matches. New signing Benoît Leroy was the team's top goalscorer with nine league goals.
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Niort were knocked out of both the Coupe de France and the Coupe de la Ligue on penalties in the first round of their participation.
Coupe de France
Niort entered the Coupe de France in the fifth round, in which they were handed an away tie at Division d'Honneur (sixth tier) club FC Chauray. The match finished 1–1 after 90 minutes and when the extra time period produced no further goals the game went to a penalty shoot-out, which Chauray won 4–3. This marked Niort's worst ever performance in the competition as a professional club.
Coupe de la Ligue
As one of the three clubs relegated from Ligue 2 at the end of the 2004–05 season, Niort were eligible to compete in the 2005–06 Coupe de la Ligue. Their first round opponents were Ligue 2 side Sedan at the Stade René Gaillard. The game finished goalless after normal time and extra time, and Sedan won the subsequent penalty shoot-out 5–4; Niort defender Johann Chapuis was the only player to miss his spot-kick.