The unbeaten run had to end sometime but we weren’t expecting it at Sporting Gijon B, poor defending led to a 3-2 home win and some head scratching for coach Alvaro ahead of next weeks big home game with Real Oviedo.

Not surprisingly it was same again with the starting line up after the 4-0 home win last week, Suso had an early shot deflected over from a Chechu corner and at the over end Sporting had a half hearted penalty appeal after a push by Inigo Ros. There was a scare as Llorente lost the ball but it ended with a weak shop at Sergio Aragoneses, a few minutes later a home move down the left came to Moises who found room to score despite Tarantino (below) being close to him.

A quick reply was needed and it came thanks to Moyano going forward and crossing the ball into the box, it emerged from a crowd of players for Aridane to crack home an equalizer. Sporting relied on fast, quick breaks and Tenerife struggled to cope with them, Ros had to make two strong defensive interventions in one attack. Bustos put a clear chance wide after beating Bruno in the air and Querrero found space to fire on the turn but at the break it was still 1-1.

Tenerife’s best move was a cheeky back heel from Suso that Raul Llorente took inside before firing into the side netting. At the other end an incisive pass found Santi Jara free of markers and despite a Ros lunge he found the net. It could have got worse, Sergio got a foot to a goal bound shot and the rebound hit the bar and went over. Yeray had been warming up but after the goal Nico came on instead and his aggression won a corner but Loro couldn’t beat the keeper. Suso sliced through the home defence to find Aridane but the keeper was equal to his shot.

Moyano (above) offered hope netting from a mid air volley from the edge of the box after 68 minutes. Yeray replaced Chechu and Sergio had to pull off a couple of classy saves, the second a one handed dive from Jara. It seemed the danger had passed, Loro blasted wide from Nico and the last sub Jeremy made his full debut, the Frenchman got stuck in and showed some power and skill. Nico’s wide header looked a missed opportunity but the linesman had already signaled that Aridane was well offside. Oh well an away draw would still be a good return, it wasn’t to be though, with the last touch of the game Guerrero burst through with the defence missing, Bruno raced back but was too late to prevent him grabbing the winner.

I didn’t need asking twice, a circus of horrors with zombies, vampires and blood splattered mad nurses sounds just my cup of blood. So with my neck washed and a sprig of garlic tucked in my pocket I set off for the Tenerife capital in plenty of time.

It had been a bit cloudy down south but as soon as I got off the bus in Santa Cruz I could see they had just been drenched but that didn’t deter me from popping into the port to see what ships were about. The Costa Atlantica cruise ship was heading out leaving me to focus on La Belle De L’Adriatque (above) this four deck cruiser spends the summer carrying 200 passengers around the coasts of Croatia, Turkey, and Greece.

Round in the marina sailing ships were gathering for the Transatlantic Superyacht & Maxi Regatta to St Lucia at the end of the month, one of the biggest was Shenadoah Of Sark (above) I also spied Regina Maris and Wylde Swan, both registered in Holland and ready to embark on training voyagers for young crews.

With dainty blobs of rain splashing the water I headed back inland to grab a bite and just avoided a deluge by nipping into El Rincon Canario near the Caja Canarias HQ. Bargains abound in these tight times and for 7.50 euros I enjoyed a thick vegetable soup, followed by hake, spuds and salad, and rounded off with a soft creamy desert, all washed down with a can of coke. Time to head in the direction of the big top with a stop off at the TEA library for a little research, all the study desks were packed with students doing home work and I just managed to get a free hours internet on one of the 50 computers. Another regular stop is CC Tres de Mayo near the bus station, they often have mini events on to entice shoppers, this time it was a cup cake workshop, and what lovely cup cakes the assembled ladies had, I hung around hoping for a bite but the circle was closed.

The witching hour was near so I cut through to the big top – black of course – at the Parque Maritimo car park and could already hear demonic screams and howls. Circo de los Horrores updates traditional circus acts with a horror theme and as I entered the reception area I was nearly caught by the ghoulies like the gravedigger, the blood soaked nurse, and a leather faced lumberjack wielding a chainsaw. It was a good show, if you want to see a full review with photos go to Tenerife Magazine. I looked around the bar area in the interval but 3 euros for a can of beer was a little bit too frightening.

Just over two hours later I made a quick getaway fearing they might lock me in one of the cages or try to scrub my scarey make up off – Oi I always look that rough. A quick dash through the rainy side streets and I caught the 11.30 Titsa bus back to Los Cristianos in time for a Dorada at The Merry Monk – now that’s what I call the devils brew.

Suso got his first goals, it was another clean sheet, and a killer instinct when it would have been easy to relax, all these things made the 4-0 home win over Marino de Luanco a very pleasing victory.

CD Tenerife always had the measure of their visitors, Suso showed his intent with a fierce shot cum cross that flashed wide of the goal after six minutes. A cross from the right by Suso found Loro and he too saw his shot drift wide. Marino haven’t held steady in sixth spot by luck but they were made to look ordinary by the hard working home side. Suso and Chechu ran the flanks making plenty of openings for Loro and Aridane, it took 42 minutes though for a square ball from Chechu to find Suso who grateful grabbed his first elusive goal back in Tenerife colours.

Yeary came on for Medina for the second half and pushed the team forward bringing an early turn aside from the Luanco keeper. Loro stubbed a clear chance and found a defender while at the other end Sergio finally got some exercise with two danger clearing punches. Aridane made way for Guillem who had a glaring miss before Loro increased the lead from a short Guillem pass in front of goal.

It was a comfortable win with 13 minutes to go so it was encouraging to see Tenerife push for further rewards. Suso looked less frantic with his duck broken and he latched onto a good ball from Yeray and tucked his shot just past him to make it 3-0. The 8,070 crowd were delighted with the score but in the final move of the game Guillem rode a tackle to complete the rout.

When bathers get careless, when the sea gets choppy, when disabled beach lovers need a little help, the lifeguards of Los Cristianos can be relied on to step in with a helping hand, reassuring advice, or ultimately life risking bravery. The socorristas of El Camison, Los Cristianos, and Las Vistas beaches now find themselves desperate for a lifeline after the company that employs them ran out of money leaving them unpaid for over three months.

The 18 lifeguards are on strike and drowning in a sea of debt with Arona council unable to offer any help. Three years ago Catalan company Sport & Salvament took over the contract after it was put out to tender by Arona council but now the money has dried up. Banners hang from the lifeguards station explaining their plight and even the flags indicating the state of the sea carry messages of desperation and frustration.

One of the guards explained “ we are all struggling and have rents and mortgages to pay, the council say they have more important areas where their help is needed. The only thing keeping us going is the kindness of the public who have been making donations to us. If people feel strongly about this they can call the council direct on 010 to give their view or sign a complaint in the Tourist Information Office.”

Los Cristianos beaches have a proud record of safety, and accessibility for all but the amphibian chairs for the disabled are not in use and the look out posts are empty as the strike drags on.

Latest – the lifeguards are now amending their banners to say “not paid for four months”

Ooh you wouldn’t get that in your bath…and other admiring phrases were heard from a packed harbour wall at Los Cristianos as the four mast barque Sea Cloud began a new era of leisure cruise visitors.

Advance reports said it would moor offshore and shuttle passengers to their short Tenerife stop off but I was delighted to see it nestled up to the port as Fred Olsen and Armas ferries inched respectfully around it. Once on the dockside I could appreciate the sheer size of the 3,077 ton yacht built in 1931 at Kiel shipyard. The 316 foot length (96 metres) Hassar as it was originally christened fitted snugly in port and a welcome table of Canarian food and wine awaited at the bottom of the gang plank as traditionally dressed dancers and musicians tuned up.

The 32 cabins of oak and Italian marble hold only 64 passengers and they seemed shy to come ashore and meet their large welcoming party but gradually they emerged and were given flowers and nibbles. I grabbed a few words with Wollmer a German from Berlin who had got on at Cadiz and he turned out to be an experienced sea dog. “This is my third cruise on Sea Cloud, it has a nice family feel, most of us on board are from Germany or Belgium. The weather has been good but the waves got a bit strong near Madeira and for two days it was quite lively.”

Wollmer had also been hiking in La Gomera and Tenerife before and was looking forward to seeing some old favourite spots. A coach was nearby waiting to whisk a few keen explorers to Teide national park but with only five hours in port it would be a whirlwind trip.

I really wanted a look around on board but the staff at the top of the gang plank weren’t having it, maybe I should have mentioned my nautical past – Captain Birdseye inspired me as I grew up. The free food wasn’t shifting that fast but lots of trays of goodies were being moved about on board just before the Arona mayor and friends joined the crew.

Sea Cloud certainly added a buzz to Los Cristianos waters before heading off to Las Palmas and will make a quick return on 16 November and Sea Cloud 2 gets in on the act on 18 November. The ships get bigger next year, The World with 550 passengers arrives on 25 February and Albatros (above) with 900 money spending tourists pops in on 18 April, 5 May, and 9 December.

It’s the debt that can never be repaid, CD Tenerife owe so much to goalkeeper Sergio Aragoneses after another wonder show, this time to save a 1-1 draw at Coruxo after the team looked to be cruising. It was going to be a yummy main course after CD Marino impressed me with a 2-0 home win over Rayo Vallecano B but I ended up with football indegestion after a tense finish for Tenerife.

Llorente returned at left back and Chechu started as Suso sat out his suspension, Sergio got an early touch from a Iosu header but his opposite number Fernando was also warmed his gloves taking a hanging ball from Chechu as Aridane threatened to pounce. Tenerife had a major scare after 15 minutes when Ross stumbled and Iosu beat two defenders to chip the ball over Sergio and thankfully the bar as well.

Tenerife settled and Ros set up Cristo for a long shot that the home keeper tipped over on the half hour. Chechu tooka short corner to Cristo who had a shot, the keeper got a hand to the ball but it was not enough as it bounced up for Aridane to crash into the net for a 1-0 lead. It was refreshing to see the ref book home player Samuel for a theatrical fall as he looked for a soft penalty.

The second half opened with Fernando smothering a Loro effort, Aridane hooked a shot over the bar, and Loro had another go with a curling free kick the keeper caught – so far so good. Coruxo started to threaten, a free kick over the wall was mopped up by Sergio but he had no chance with the goal. A high loopung cross fell beyond the defence for Atunez to head down into the goal. The tide had turned but Sergio defied it all, as the CDT defenders lost their footing on the boggy pitch he was quick to snaffle the ball and Iosu had two great chances foiled first with a hand save and then an outstretched foot. Sub Guillem had a clear opening but struck his shot straight at the keeper and the last word went to Sergio with an acrobatic diving save from a long shot in injury time.

Earlier I had expected to see a demoralized and nervous CD Marino side but they were full of spirit and determination as they destroyed a poor Rayo team. Matias has been getting rave reviews in goal and a fingertip first minute save was the first of several classy stops. Balduino (above) led the attack like an old fashioned English forward and coolly rounded a defender for his first goal after 11 minutes. Just before half time Balduino was on target again this time after a good team break.

Sendings off and defensive errors have undone Marino this season but they looked solid in the second half and deserved more goals even before Rayo had a player sent off. Balduino made way for experienced striker Noah who continued to torment the visiting goalie with a charge that nearly caught him out and a hard shot that rebounded off the keeper to Jordan who fired over the bar.

There was plenty of hunger in the Marino ranks, Jordan blasted a shot straight at the keeper and Noah kept leading the charge with good support from midfield. Rayo woke up in the final minutes but Matias turned another effort over and Jordan made a strong blocking clearance to ensure a well deserved home victory.

I’ve always been fascinated by how people write as much as why they do, so after channel surfing through some truly awful telly tonight I latched onto a BBC 1 Imagine special about Ian Rankin writing his new Rebus crime novel Standing In Another Man’s Grave. Partly a video diary of his creative process it’s another prompt for me to push on with my oh so slow work in progress that might one day emerge blinking into the sunlight as something near readable.

Back to my main fascination, Rankin was writing much of his new thriller with a favourite LP from Tangerine Dream playing in the background. Maybe I should see if some classic mood music from The Undertones might inspire me to knuckle down. My mind tends to wander easily, you really wouldn’t want to see inside my head, it’s like my sock drawer, muddled, dirty, and full of holes.

One of the best books I have read on the discipline of putting pen to paper (or finger to computer) is On Writing an autobiography written by Stephen King as he lay in hospital recovering from a near fatal knock down by a drunk driver as he walked home one night. The amazingly productive Mr King only talks fleetingly about his drink and drug problems as he wrote his first books but it’s still a good insight into the great horror writer.

Back in Oxford I had the pleasure of interviewing Colin Dexter in a local hotel just after he had killed off Inspector Morse in The Remorseful Day. Very old school and like a prickly but kindly old uncle he told me how he still wrote on an old typewriter rather than a new fangled word processor. The cunning old devil was a bit deaf in one ear and sipping coffee and holding court with American tourists daily in the lobby of the swanky Randolph Hotel he would get the pretty young waitresses to lean in close to talk to him.

Music lyrics grab my attention for similar reasons, Bob Geldof often talked in the music papers about how he collected snippets of news and scribbled down odd phrases for future inspiration for songs. I was a great fan of The Boomtown Rats and still have a couple of their cassettes even though I have nothing to play them on. Paul Heaton of The Housemartins and The Beautiful South had an unusual method of conjuring up new song lyrics, he would head off to Utrecht on the ferry from Hull to Holland for a few weeks and loose himself in the brown cafes. Returning with a folder stuffed with random words and ideas he would get the band to wrap some music around his minds wanderings – amazingly he still came up with more brilliant lyrics after he gave up booze and funny cigarettes.

Whoops this was originally going to be a short comment on Facebook about the Ian Rankin documentary but my mind has slipped the latch on the gate and gone meandering up the road, I’d better give chase.

Everyone has off days, this was a poor performance from CD Tenerife, especially in the first half but a 1-1 home draw with Getafe B makes it 11 games unbeaten. The visitors mean defence had only let in six goals all season and was going to be a tough nut to crack even if the midfield had been creating good chances for the home forwards. The Tenerife defence was a bit hesitant and normally reliable Moyano had his worst game at right back giving plenty of encouragement to the Getafe players. Jony got in behind the Tenerife defence after 10 minutes and Sergio had to halt the threat, a couple of minutes later the same player screwed a shot wide of the goal. Gomez shaped up for a shot, thankfully Inigo Ros slide tackled the ball clear.

There were home chances, Loro won the ball and set Suso off wide on the right, he cut inside but put his ball across the face of the goal found no takers.Tenerife seemed to be viewing this as the easiest of two successive home games, it was a dangerous attitude to adopt. Suso got booked and misses the next game and the fans thought he might get taken off at half time before his frustration earned another red card. Marti Guillem turned out to be the big change, on for Loro, and he looked hungrier and faster than his team mates. Cristo Martin had sight of goal but the Getafe keeper out jumped him to win the ball. The referee missed a lot of dodgy tackles by the visitors even those right under his nose. Chechu replaced Cristo and added more urgency to the play, Marti got plenty of close attention but battled well to make a break through. Suso had another good raid but when the goalie foiled him it was somehow given as a goal kick – more frustration for the 8,433 crowd. Samuel looped a shot over theTenerifebar and Medina launched a long range shot wide of the Getafe goal.

Marti charged again and tucked the ball back to Chechu who blasted it into the net for a 72 nd minute lead. Relief swept through the Heliodoro but as the last sub Bravo settled in for Aridane, the right side of theTenerifedefence was wide open and Arturo broke from the flank and put a powerful cross in that eluded Sergio and fell nicely to Samuel for an equalizer. It could have been worse as Moyano was missing again a few minutes later, Sergio had to race out and block an attack as Arturo loitered in front of the far post gazing into a gaping goal.

A draw was a fair result, we have been spoilt by a cracking start to the season and are judging the players against the high standard they have set. A surprise 3-1 defeat for Salamanca sees Tenerife 3 points clear at the top, a few tweaks will hopefully have us back on track for Coruxo away next Sunday. Fluctuations in form are nothing new to the Armada Sur after 20 years of loyal support, at the bar before the game The General was presented with a montage of photographic memories to mark the anniversary season – the current squad is still on course to add their own glowing chapter.