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Serie B: May review	Tuesday 26 May, 2009
With one game to go the promotion and relegation issues in Serie B have almost been resolved. Paul Watson rounds up May's heroes and villains



THE GOOD… Empoli: After a mid-season slump, Empoli are back and eyeing a Serie A return. The automatic promotion train has departed, but the Azzurri are unbeaten in 10 and will be the form team in the play-offs. THE BAD… Sassuolo: The upwardly mobile minnows seem to have run out of steam at the worst possible time and may have lost the play-off place that seemed to be theirs. Blighted by a leaky defence, shipping 10 goals in four games caused defeats against Ancona, Livorno and Brescia and has allowed Grosseto to barge in front. THE UGLY… Ascoli: It has been a bizarre season for the Woodpeckers who flirted with the relegation zone but will finish in mid-table. Despite their survival, the Marche men have been depressingly flaccid in front of goal and have managed a miserly 35 goals in 41 games. May was another month of misfiring from a potentially deadly striking line. STAR OF THE SHOW Massimo Ganci (Salernitana): When the relegation dogfight reaches its bitter climax, every struggling side needs a hero and Ganci came to Salernitana's rescue. The former Bari man netted four times in May and helped heave the Seahorses away from the trapdoor. COMEBACK KIDS Francesco Flachi (Empoli) and Davide Possanzini (Brescia): Flachi's career seemed to be over when he was banned for using cocaine while at Sampdoria, but the 34-year-old returned to football after a hiatus of nearly two years and has been a valuable asset for Empoli. Possanzini's drugs ban was a different beast as he missed a drugs test but was clear of any illegal substances. After widespread protests the gifted hitman was allowed to return to action and netted on three of his first four games back. CONDOLENCES The thoughts of the entire calcio community go to the family of Vicenza fan Eugenio Bortolon. The 19-year-old fell from the stands of the Stadio Tardini during the second half of Parma-Vicenza and lost his fight for life in hospital. AXED Francesco Monaco (Ancona): Ancona have been sliding towards an immediate return to the Lega Pro for some time and the man who go them up from Serie C finally got his marching orders. There's no room for sentimentality when a crushing relegation looms. Nedo Sonetti (Brescia): President Gino Corioni lost faith in the experienced Sonetti after a defeat against Grosseto and turned to Alberto Cavasin for the forthcoming play-off campaign. The new man immediately delivered a resounding 4-2 win over Sassuolo. Leonardo Acori (Livorno): Livorno may be guaranteed a play-off berth, but that wasn't enough to save Acori's job. The former Rimini hero's downfall was a mystifying inability to win at home - a problem that persisted in May with defeats to Triestina and Albinoleffe in front of nonplussed fans.

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