The 1998 - 99 season was a landmark one in the history of FC Lorient as the Brittany club kicked off its first-ever Ligue 1 campaign. The architect of the club's rise was coach Christian Gourcuff who managed the club for a quarter of a century over three spells and was in charge as they eased their way to that historic promotion. The step up in quality was a hard one to bridge for the club and they battled relegation all season before succumbing on the final matchday by the narrowest of margins, missing out to Le Havre only on goal difference.