It was 20 years ago when Stade Malherbe de Caen pulled off one of the greatest achievements in their modest history by winning promotion to the French top flight for the very first time. Among the class of 1987/88 was one Franck Dumas. And two decades on from that momentous season, the former defender is back in the big time with the men from Normandy. With the local hero now calling the shots from the bench, the fans are rubbing their hands in anticipation of another ground-breaking campaign.

At the midway point of the season Caen find themselves in an eyebrow-raising sixth place in the league, just two points off the top three. Making light of their new-boy status, the Normans have been in sensational form of late, picking up some of the biggest scalps in the championship along the way. Bordeaux, Paris, Lyon and Rennes have all come off second best to the revelations of the season so far, who have confounded the critics tipping them for a quick return to Ligue 2.

Yet that was exactly where they looked to be heading in the early stages of the season. Despite opening up with a 1-0 defeat against Nice, SMC had to wait another two months before recording their second win of the campaign. Sandwiched in-between was a nightmarish run of six defeats and a solitary draw that left them firmly entrenched at the wrong end of the table with survival looking a distant dream.

The winning habit
The town's football fans are well accustomed to disappointment, however. In their decidedly unglamorous 110-year existence, Caen have landed but one trophy, the 1996 second division championship. But just as it looked as if another dismal season was upon them, the success-starved fans are finally daring to dream, with Dumas and his charges engineering an improbable reversal of fortunes. It all began on 24 November with the visit of high-flying Bordeaux. On an incredible afternoon, the crowd at the Stade Michel d'Ornano rubbed their eyes in disbelief as the hosts belied their lowly position to rack up an astounding 5-0 win and leave the visitors' much-vaunted defence in tatters. "Just for once, everything went our way and we took full advantage," recalls midfielder Anthony Deroin. "That win gave us more confidence and the desire to keep on winning."

Three days later came a further test with an away-day at Lens, with Caen still waiting for their first away goal a full four months after the season's start. But up stepped defender Jeremy Sorbon to end the goal drought and secure a precious 1-1 draw. The tide appeared to be turning, much to the delight of coach Dumas. "That should definitely ease the pressure the media have been generating by telling us we can't score away from home," commented the former Monaco, Marseille and Newcastle United man at the time. "Points are starting to come because we're looking for them. It's a good little spell for us and we should make the most of it."

And make the most of it they did, the intrepid Caennais gaining even more momentum with a string of notable wins over some of the biggest clubs in the land. Seven days after their stirring demolition of Bordeaux, Dumas took his side to the Parc des Princes where Paris Saint-Germain became the next side to feel the force of Caen's considerable punch. A 1-0 defeat pushed the Parisians to the brink of crisis and the Normans into the top half of the table. They then went and topped everything the following weekend with a 1-0 defeat of six-time champions Lyon, front man Yoan Gouffran grabbing the goal and the national headlines on yet another red-letter day for the northern upstarts. And just to prove that was no fluke, Dumas' men travelled to potential title candidates Rennes a week later and promptly notched a 2-1 win, their first success on the road this season and their fourth victory over supposedly superior opposition in just three weeks.

Gouffran reborn, Eluchans dominant
The main reason behind Caen's surge up the table perhaps lies in the gambling instinct of their coach. Even when the going has got tough this season, Dumas has stuck gamely to his attacking philosophy. "I'd rather see my team lose 4-3 than play for a goalless draw. We'll get there if we carry on this way." So far the gambling game has paid off, thanks in the main to the resurgence of his leading striker, France U-21 international Yoan Gouffran, the player of the season in Ligue 2 last term. Constantly rumoured to be joining PSG, the young hitman seemed to be letting the speculation get to him at the start of the season. Since then, though, he has buckled down, grabbing five goals in recent weeks to spearhead the Caen renaissance and prompt the delighted Dumas to comment, "The old Yoan is back and he's fully committed to Stade Malherbe."

Another factor in the club's recent run is a sensible recruitment policy that has added a touch of experience to a youthful squad. "You don't just buy for the sake of buying," continued Dumas. "You try to bring in players who are better than the ones you've got. If you can't, then you're just showing a lack of respect to the guys who won promotion." Pulling the strings in midfield is the one-time Troyes playmaker Benjamin Nivet, while Swedish international defender Karl Svensson is bringing to bear the expertise he has acquired over the years, most notably with Glasgow Rangers.

But perhaps Dumas' best investment hails from Argentina. An Apertura championship winner with Independiente in 2002, midfield maestro Juan Eduardo Eluchans is earning rave reviews for his combative and tactically astute performances in the centre of the park and, not least, for his goals. With four of them under his belt already, the left-sided midfielder is proving to be one of the revelations of the season. And having fashioned such an effective unit, the Normans are quietly setting their sights on more than just mere survival.

If success does come their way, then the patient home fans will deserve it. Founded in 1897 as Union Athletique du Lycee Malherbe, Caen had to wait fully 90 years before taking their bow in the first division, and made their one and only appearance in Europe in the UEFA Cup in 1992. And their season so far perfectly encapsulates the way they do things at Caen: slowly but surely. It might have taken the early-season relegation candidates time to get going, but now they have built up a fearsome head of steam, there is no telling what the rejuvenated northerners could achieve.