February is not a good time to be in the relegation zone, it becomes a bit of a scrap and points are like gold dust. Cruz Santa from Los Realejos near Puerto de la Cruz arrived below Marino and with just two wins to their name and they left with a vital 1-1 draw that looked unlikely for much of the game.

Marino spurned plenty of chances to build a untouchable lead but a mix of rugged defending and bad luck kept them at bay. Josito was fast an d nippy down the left early on and Adan got plenty of close attention from Pablo in the red and white shirt. This was my first sight of Adan, back for a second spell with Marino, he’s big, stubborn, and awkward – a nightmare for defenders, and with two goals from his first two games he was constantly sniffing for more.

Eric produced the first attempt for Cruz Santa with a free kick that was well blocked by the home defence. Marino should have opened the scoring after 16 minutes, a lovely chip from captain Airam fell to Adan but an opposition defender pounced to stop him getting a clean shot. Alexis was a threat on the left for Cruz, he weaved past three Marino players before being intercepted. Airam tried his luck with a high shot but Javi reached up to tip it away from the visitors goal. A ten minute spell of sustained pressure on the Cruz Santa net should have tipped the balance, Adan struck wide and was beaten to a low ball by the goalie while Airam unleashed a strong shot that sailed by the post.

Those let offs seemed to give Cruz Santa a boost, they surged forward and Eric put the ball over Cicovic to make it 0-1. A coach load of away fans with drums and whistles celebrated and cheered the half time call after Mendy had headed a late shot at Javi between the sticks.

It would have been a massive victory for Cruz Santa, sitting below Marino, and they dug in, Javi grabbed the ball from a high duel with Airam and Tato did enough to deter Adan when he got close to scoring. Pacheco nearly made it 0-2 but found Cicovic ready to dent him as Marino stepped up the pressure at the other end. A corner from the left caused chaos in the away defence and Mendy struck the loose ball firmly to level at 1-1. There was a penalty shout from Marino in the final five minutes after a push on Adan and still time for a late charge from Cruz Santa, Cicovic was at his best to ensure the point.