RENNES MAKE IT SIX OF THE BEST - 11:43 AM, Mar. 27, 2006

Troyes saw their relegation plight worsen with defeat against Rennes who posted their sixth consecutive League 1 win.

John Utaka and John Mensah scored the goals for the Brittany club against a Troyes team that is now winless in 11 fixtures.

The only mercy for Troyes is that they remain just one place above the relegation zone although both Strasbourg and Metz made ground on them on Saturday.

With six matches to play all three teams below Troyes are still capable of catching them - only one needs to for them to go down.

Troyes started the match well enough and an early Benjamin Nivet free-kick was just too high.

But at the other end Youssouf Hadji and Kim Kallstrom found Jean Joel Perrier Doumbe who fluffed the chance.

Erik Edman then played in Yoann Gourcuff who looked set to score before referee Claude Colombo whistled for offside.

The reprieve only lasted two minutes for Troyes with Nigerian international Utaka racing onto a clearance from goalkeeper Andreas Isaksson before firing past Ronan Le Crom.

Le Crom later parried a shot from Gourcuff before Hadji headed an Edman cross over as Rennes finished the half strongly.

Early in the second half Le Crom saved well again when Utaka got on the end of a move involving Edman and Olivier Monterrubio.

After 52 minutes Monterrubio was the creator of the second goal for Mensah with the Ghana international finishing with a powerful shot.

Rennes were in full flow and Monterrubio forged an opening for Kallstrom whose shot was too high and then Le Crom foiled Hadji with a good save.

Two minutes from time Troyes could have pulled one back but Isaksson reacted well to keep out a free-kick from Branko Boskovic.