FC Pompei pulled off a fiery survival bid to stay in the fourth tier of Italian football in their first-ever season in Serie D. But financial challenges continued to undermine the job that boss Robí Sulpicius was doing at the club.
Sulpicius had at least managed to cool the financial turmoil as his third season began £350k in the red, which meant they’d only lost £100k in the last 12 months. But his concerns were confirmed as the board reduced the wage budget from £3,700 to £2,500 in January, leaving the manager £500 over budget.
They again had to rely on bringing in free agents in the summer, but this time signed some players ahead of tier 5 teams and even some that Sulpicius was excited about. The pick of them was former Napoli winger Matteo Malasomma along with midfielders Alessio Lettera and Michele Grande, target forward Cristiano Ingretolli and promising striker Cosimo Nacciarriti.
With that transfer business done, Sulpicius looked to build his attack around Ingretolli as the target man. Antonio Orefice will move out to the right with Malasomma cutting inside from the left.
Defying The Odds In Tier 4
The bookies expect another tough campaign for Pompei, predicting them to finish 18th of the now 20-team division with title odds of 200/1. Paganese remain 4/6 favourites followed by relegated Sorrento (Evens) and Fidelis Andrea (9/4).
However, they got a great start as Ingretolli scored a header and missed a penalty to edge a 1-0 win at Rotonda then bagged a brace in a superb 4-1 thumping of Matera. They were unlucky to lose 2-1 at Fidelias Andrea after having 10 shots to 8, which offered plenty of promise. And that was proven as they won a crazy game 5-2 at home to Molfetta with Ingetolli scoring a hat trick and Orefice a brace.
They’d been struggling away from home but Malasomma’s stunning winner nicked a 3-2 at bottom side Angri to send Pompei top of Serie D for the first time in late September. But that didn’t last long as they lost narrowly 2-1 at Sorrento, who spend £990k per year on wages compared to Pompei’s mere £143k, and 3-1 to new leaders Bitonto.
Ingretolli snapped a 5-game winless streak to defeat Barletta, his late penalty earned a point at Gravina and he bagged a brace to lead a 3-0 win over Altamura and go past 10 goals for the season. That kicked Pompei on a level as they earned a surprise 3-2 win at league favourites Paganese, which was part of a 10-game streak that took them unbeaten to the end of 2025 and sitting 5th heading into the new year.
Pompei began 2026 with home draws against 3rd-place Rotonda and struggling Fidelis Andria. They drew again at Lavello but wins over Angri and Savoia took them 2nd in early February, trailing leaders Sorrento by six points. But their superb form ended with a 1-0 defeat at home to Sorrento that virtually confirmed the visitors’ promotion.
That sparked a 5-game winless streak for Pompei, which was snapped by Ingretolli’s hat trick inspiring a 3-0 victory over Gravina. But a solid conclusion to the campaign saw them come home in a very impressive 3rd place in Serie D. They finished with 73 points, 15 behind champions Sorrento, after 20 wins, 13 draws and just 5 defeats, scoring 65 and conceding 37. Ingretolli proved an inspired signing, finishing as the joint-top scorer in the league with 29 goals
A Season Of Huge Improvement
Pompei surprised everyone with their performances in Serie D, missing out on the difficult-to-achieve promotion by a margin but exceeding all expectations. Ingretolli was their main man, scoring an impressive 29 in 38 followed by Orefice (16), Lettera (8) and Malasomma, who were the only four players to score more than twice. Orefice was the lead creative force with 11 assists followed by Malasomma (9), Vincenzo Panaro and Vincenzo Carotta (7) and Lettera (4).
Pushing for promotion was probably a little ambitious, especially considering the club’s ever-deepening financial woes. But, if they were to gain an unlikely promotion, it was clear they needed more contributions from beyond the front three.
Could Pompei build on this season’s unexpected success and go a step further in Sulpicius’ fourth season? Join us next Friday to find out!
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