What a strange creature a local derby is, anything can happen and all reason goes out the window. CD Tenerife captain Suso wont argue with the bizarre nature of a 1-1 draw at arch enemies UD Las Palmas, his 84th minute penalty strike squared the game and got him a booking for diving into the 1,500 wedge of travelling fans in Gran Canaria.

Both teams came into the fixture in poor form but Tenerife had the better of early play. Nano crashed a shot into the diving body of home goalie Raul after just 30 seconds. Las Palmas were keen to shoot from anywhere, Araujo headed over from some way out, and blasted a long strike over the bar. Malbasic got himself booked for a late tackle, earning him a top up suspension for Tenerife´s Friday night end to 2018. The Tenerife strikers must realise they are in danger of being discarded when the January transfer window opens, it didn´t show in their play, Nano produced a sloppy pass to Malbasic when something slicker was required, and the Serbian forward dithered when Carlos Ruiz found him with a better pass.

The Las Palmas goal was down to Camille, after 17 minutes the left back was beaten too easily by Fidel who set up Araujo for an simple finish. A quick response was needed, Nano, playing out on the right, put the ball across for Malbasic but his header was poor. Tenerife were struggling to make an impact and were getting caught up in some typically robust derby challenges. The best chance of levelling came late in the first half when a Bryan Acosta free kick veered off target. Carlos Ruiz showed some enterprise when he opened the second half with a long shot that just missed the post. The ref was a bit unpredictable, he gave Castro an undeserved free kick that Dani Hernandez tipped aside in style.
Raul Camara had to be replaced after 55 minutes after getting a knock in the mouth, Suso came on to bolster the attack as the back five became a four. Dani Hernandez denied Araujo again, and Camille made partial amends for his earlier error by heading out a dangerous home shot. Encouragement was on hand for Tenerife when Garcia handled the ball and was sent off for a second booking. Malbasic spurned another half chance and there was a delay as Nano was treated and then taken off after a heavy blow to the neck from Timor.

The previous week, the ref had denied Tenerife a clear penalty, with the arrival of VAR not due in the Second Division until next season, this weeks ref gifted Tenerife a penalty for a hand ball. It was a shocking mistake, if the defender had a hand where the ref said, he would be in a circus. After much arguing by the Las Palmas players and staff, Suso focused his mind and slotted the ball past the goalie. The captain´s reaction was all about his passion for his home island team, he was the first Tenerife born player to score in a derby game since 1989. The Nano injury and penalty row meant seven minutes of added time, Las Palmas feared it more than Tenerife. It could have been an away win, Acosta had an easy finish at the far post but skewed his shot wide just before the final whistle went. That still leaves Tenerife in 17th place and one point above the relegation zone.

Referee Ramos will find his mantle piece void of Christmas cards from CD Tenerife players and fans this festive season. More carrots with his turkey dinner are needed to improve his poor vision, he was the only person in the stadium who didn´t see Alex Barrera mug home sub Joao in the penalty area with 5 minutes left to play. As Joao did his best Victor Meldrew rant, the ref waved play on and the game ended 0-0 against Extremadura.
It was another poor home performance and with only two more games before the January transfer window, some players edged further towards the exit door. Defensively, CD Tenerife did well, Raul Camara put in a sprightly performance for the injured Luis Perez. Camille needed to lift his form after recent slack showings at left back, he looked much better, starting with a well timed kick out from an Extremadura header at the post. Camara made his mark with a robbing tackle on the Segunda Division top scorer, 14 goal Enric Gallego.

Suso was back in the starting line up, his threaded pass to Malbasic created the first home chance but the big Serbian striker shot at the keeper. Pardo wasted a clear opening by blasting the ball high and wide. Naranjo was looking his usual casual and ineffective self, a silly booking means he misses the derby game. Extremadura started the day just a couple of league places above Tenerife and needed a win, they were over reliant on Gallego and Alberto had him in his pocket for much of the game. Dani Hernandez also thwarted the hot shot by coming out to rob the ball off him. Suso and Naranjo both spurned decent late chances to leave the 9,313 crowd in low spirits at half time.

There was no lightning start to the second half so coach Oltra brought on Nano for the below par Montañes. The local born striker looked lively and could have scored within a minute after Malbasic powered through and slipped the ball across, Nano could only get a half touch to it. Some patient build up play from Tenerife hinted at better things but Undabarrena fired his shot skyward. Naranjo snapped out of his daydreams long enough to get behind the Extremadura defence and lay the ball off to Nano for a wayward header. The red and blues were uncomfortable with pace so Oltra added flying winger Joao in place of Suso. There was always a risk that chasing the game might let Extremadura in, Zarfino floated a cross in for Alabe to slide onto, Dani got his body behind the ball and blocked an attempt.

Joao looked odds on to at least test the goalie after weaving his way into the box, Barrera´s cynical charge was laughably obvious but the refs lack of action was far from funny. A late flurry could still have produced a winner. Gallego found some room and let the ball fly, Dani was down fast and covered the danger. Last Tenerife sub, Tyronne, got the ball to Malbasic on the left, he beat a defender before crossing into the centre, Nano´s shot was weak and easy meat for the keeper. It was a frustrating way to end the night, those goals just wont come, new strikers are needed, hopefully new sporting director, Victor Moreno, can conjure up a nugget in the transfer window.

Five mid week goals in a friendly at lowly La Orotava was supposed to sharpen up CD Tenerife but despite good build ups, they couldn´t find a way past Albacete and ended with a frustrating 0-0 home draw. A return to a traditional back four gave the side more stability, Malbasic hustled and bustled up front but goals were elusive, and they are the key to pulling away from the relegation zone.

At least a couple of wayward players returned to top form. Jorge was dominant in the centre of defence from the moment he saw off early danger from Febas. Eugeni had a pop for the visitors that produced a fine low save from Dani Hernandez to fend off the shadow of recent wobbly displays. Olivera gave Dani another chance to shine with a close effort that the keeper pounced on. That signalled a robust response from Tenerife, with Nano looking lively and forcing their goalie to smother his shot from the left. Luis Milla nearly caught them out with one of his curling shots, Zozulya had to look smart to clear the danger.

Albacete, nicknamed The Clockwork Cheese, arrived as one of the eye catching teams of the division, sitting in 5th place but only looked half wound up on the night. Febas wasted their clearest chance just before the break when he sent his free kick wide of the goal. With a little slice of luck, Tenerife could have been ahead but the breaks are hard to find when results have been poor. A foul on Malbasic gave Tenerife a free kick, four home players crowded around the ball before Luis Milla took a poor shot as Camille begged for the ball out wide. Alberto sprung up well to power in a header that the confident Nadal claimed well between the sticks.

Nano tried to set up Malbasic, his pass was a bit short for the charging Serbian, and another let off for the visitors. Suso was having a quiet game and gave way to Joao Rodriguez after 63 minutes, the Colombian still looked a little rusty after a recent lay off and needs to be stretched with a full 90 minutes. Jose Narranjo became the second sub, replacing Bryan Acosta who left with unfinished business. Acosta was a booking away from a one game suspension, and should have forced the extra card so the ban could be served when he was unavailable anyway on international duty for Honduras a few days later. Incredibly no one on the coaching staff reminded him of that little useful nugget, a worrying glimpse into the slack way the club is run.

There was still time to unlock Albacete, Luis Perez blasted a shot high, Naranjo struck hisi effort straight at a defender, and Camille’s aim was true but the goalie rode his luck, patting the shot down and grabbing the ball. There was a nasty clash of heads when Gentiletti and Naranjo went for the same ball, after lengthy treatment the Albacete player had to go off, Naranjo played on but felt the affects for a few days afterwards. Final home sub Tayron added some renewed urgency to Tenerife as he made some determined runs down the central channel. Malbasic bulldozed his way past the visiting defence and squared the ball across the face of the goal, Naranjo should have popped it in the net but ran over it without applying the needed touch.

The result could have gone either way in the closing minutes. Joao carved an opening but Jorge’s shot hit the post. At the other end Albacete had their own near thing when their attempt was thwarted by the woodwork. A draw was probably a fair result and leaves Tenerife hovering over the drop zone in 17th place. Coach Oltra has a long list of potential absentees for Saturdays trip to Osasuna, Jorge is on Spain under 21 duty, Acosta in Honduras, Alberto suspended, and injury niggles for Naranjo and Suso. January is six games away, Tenerife need to dip into the transfer market again, a goal scorer is an absolute must.

Despair, utter despair, that was the feeling in the Heliodoro stadium after four minutes, as CD Tenerife went 0-2 behind to Alcorcon. Redemption looked like an impossible dream against a team that had only conceded three goals in their first 10 league games but Tenerife slowly steadied the ship before unleashing a second half fight back to win the game 3-2.

Seats had hardly been filled when Alcorcon grabbed the quickest ever goal in the stadium after just 18 seconds. It was a comedy of errors as Alberto mistimed a sliding tackle on Sangall, and Dani Hernandez spilled the ball twice to present the visiting striker with a gift goal. The second goal also owed a lot to poor defending, Alberto made a hash of a tackle and the ball broke to Juan Munoz who tucked it just wide of diving Dani. Many fans feared a cricket score, to their credit Tenerife kept their composure with Suso taking the game to Alcorcon with a couple of lightning breaks.

Former home player Casadesus was back in town, this time in an opposition shirt, he was the pivotal link between their defence and attack, his pass to Nono was met with a wayward shot and a let off. The best home move of the first half came when Luis Perez robbed Nono, and fed the ball on to Suso via Jorge. The end product was lacking but it showed the home flame was still flickering. Casadesus was stretchered off five minutes from half time after he and Camille clashed going for the ball. That loss unsettled Alcorcon, and Tenerife nearly capitalised with an Alberto header that came back off the bar before the players took their break. Jose Luis Oltra must have had the paint peeling with his half time talk to the home players, they came out with a positive attitude that saw Milla go close with a clever corner.

The turning point was the introduction of forward Felip Malbasic for Tenerife. Even his odd glimpses of talent had deserted him this season but there was no faulting him from the second he ran onto the pitch. It was a gamble using him to replace Acosta but the Serbian played to his strengths, power, determination, and sheer persistence. Nano enjoyed having the big man make valuable space for him, the two combined perfectly after 57 minutes, Nano made the pass, and Malbasic crashed home his goal past a well beaten goalie. The chase was on. Tyronne (Tayron) made his comeback from seven months injured, replacing Luis Perez, a clear sign that Tenerife were going all out to catch Alcorcon. Camille was adding his sprints down the left, the Alcorcon goalie had to made a decisive take from a cross to Nano.

The home players were playing more as a unit and looking for each other. Malbasic held up the ball and played it ahead for Joao to chase but it ran on a bit too fast. Suso thought he had beaten the away defence, the goalie raced out to the rescue, the 9,016 crowd was buzzing with hope and anticipation. Even the ultra defensive midfielder Undabarrena managed to fire in a long, low shot to test the goalie. With 84 minutes gone, Luis Milla lined up to launch a free kick well outside the keepers area, he struck it with power and accuracy and it dipped over the defence and between the keepers outstretched hand and the post, a perfect equaliser. Nano was coaxing the crowd to turn the volume even higher and two minutes later they had good reason to celebrate.

Naranjo had done little since coming on for Joao, Malbasic burst through to the right of the away goal and sent in a looping shot just as Naranjo drifted in from the left to apply the touch it needed to steer the falling ball into the net. There was still work to do to keep their noses in front, Dani showed why the fans were still singing his name even after two below par games. A goal line save in the final minute of regular time, and a diving stop during an agonising five minutes of injury time sealed the win and lifted the spirits of fans and players alike. That moves Tenerife up to 16^th, the crowd added some late cries for the removal of President Concepcion, a recognition that long term internal problems linger at the club, but at least there is now something to build on and hope of climbing up the Segunda division table.

As if poor form and low confidence weren’t bad enough, CD Tenerife nearly sunk themselves with a couple of moments of individual stupidity at Real Zaragoza. A generous referee and a late face saver from Bryan Acosta saved a 1-1 draw but left the team in 19^th and trapped in the relegation zone. Coach Jose Luis Oltra tried another format for his 400^th match as a manager in the Second Division, and it did offer some hope. Nano survived a training ground ankle injury scare to pair up with Suso as central strikers, the five man defence had Luis Perez and Hector Hernandez ( in for sore throat sufferer Camille) to provide the width. Hector made early ground down the left past two defenders but his cross found empty space. Perez pumped a ball in from the right, an easy take for the home keeper. The home crowd had come to bury their under fire coach, Imanol Idiakez, rather than praise him, a wild shot from forward Pombo and a Delmas back pass from the half way line brought plenty of stick for the coach and players.

Suso was adjusting to his more central role, Acosta sent him a well weighted cross , he slipped the ball though the goalies legs and along the line but a defender spared his blushes and cleared the danger. That was about as good as it got for Tenerife in the first half, not enough players were creating space for decent shots. Zaragoza showed some urgency at the start of the second half, Pombo turned well to set up Lasure for a shot off the bar. The big forward set himself up for another attempt but Hector robbed him with an effective sliding tackle. There had been some niggling exchanges between the two sets of players in the first half but pushing and shoving as Zaragoza pressed Tenerife back brought a booking for Jorge’s agression that included a half hearted punch. The ref could have easily sent Jorge off but didn’t get a clear view of what went on. A crunching Munoz foul on Nano a few minutes later really lit the fuse. The home player had done his homework and clearly knew about Nano´s injury. After trying to hobble, Nano had to make way for sub Naranjo, while Munoz got a yellow card.

Suso was never going to be intimidated, he just played harder and better, he turned Lasure inside out before shooting wide. Joao came on later for Suso to try to exploit the left wing, his success was only limited. Munoz rode his luck again with a flying boot to stop a Naranjo run. The home crowd were stirred by their sides physical tactics and the players responded to the increased vocal backing. Pombo brought a smart save out of Dani Hernandez. Zaragoza sub Medina was lively, but should have connected with a shot fired across the Tenerife goal mouth.

With five minutes remaining It was shaping up for a goal less draw when Dani, under no real pressure, made a two handed push to the chest of Medina. It was sheer lunacy and a clear penalty that Delmas despatched swiftly. Tenerife brought on Malbasic for Hector to add a bit of late muscle up front but it was James who went close for Zaragoza. Six minutes into injury time, Joao was fouled, Luis Milla teed up the ball from the free kick, and Acosta leapt to head it into the goal. A great escape for Tenerife but the Zaragoza coach wasn’t as fortunate, he was sacked after the game.

Visitors Lugo were in the pink after grinding out a 0-0 draw but CD Tenerife produced another shocking performance with chances squandered by their wayward strikers. The 10,074 crowds frustrations were rising faster than the shots that flew over the Lugo bar, and there were widespread chants for President Concepcion, and Director of Football, Serrano, to go after assembling a squad that has sleep walked into a relegation battle.

Coach Oltra is frantically trying to juggle his pack of players for a winning hand. Nano was back to lead the attack, his expensive strike partner Naranjo was consigned to the bench, and young Tanzanian striker Chilunda didn’t even make the squad after his 10 minute debut as sub the previous week. Paco Montañes got the nod for the starting eleven and was bright and breezy, straying inside from the left. Making space, Montañes laid the ball off to Luis Milla whose long shot was too high. Nano stumbled and could only manage a week strike after good work from Luis Perez.

When your down things don´t go for you, Tenerife should have been awarded a penalty after 14 minutes. Iriome rose through the youth ranks at Tenerife but was back with Lugo and cut down Camille when the home defender had made a good run into the penalty area. It looked a certain spot kick to everyone except the ref. Home heads started to drop and Lugo´s Dongou cut loose up front with a powerful header that Dani Hernandez took well. Tenerife suffered another cruel blow when the busy Montañes fell awkwardly after going for a header, and had to go off with an injury to a right leg muscle. Exactly a year ago Montañes had suffered an injury that kept him out for most of last season, this latest setback will side line him for up to four weeks.

On came Malbasic to fill the void, he flickers now and then but for a big built player, he doesn´t impose himself on the game and is frequently let down by his ball control and half hearted shots. The big Serbian couldn´t fault Suso for his hard won crosses from the right but his slow responses gave Juan Carlos an easy ride in goal. Sergio Gil came more into the game for Lugo, and combining with Dongou they forced Dani to tidy up at the post just prior to the break, and had Carlos Ruiz coming to the rescue for Tenerife just after the restart. Suso must have been getting pretty frustrated, everyone called for the ball when he flew down the wing, he found Malbasic who kicked it straight at a defender, it rebounded out and Camille popped it over the bar. At the other end it took a combination of Camille and Dani to keep Iriome at bay.

Tenerife were too slow and predictable, bringing on Joao Rodiguez for Carlos Ruiz on the hour helped, at least his pace on the left troubled the Lugo back four. The Colombian’s skills gave Malbasic two more golden opportunities which he couldn’t convert. It’s hard to believe that Tenerife have ever had such a collection of duds in front of goal, thankfully Lugo were not much sharper, Dongou and Gil showed they didn’t have their radar working. Acosta, just a couple of days back from Honduras duty, was the last home change as the negative Undabarrena went off. Naranjo is so poor he can’t even get on from the bench now.

Joao put a good ball in from a corner, it came to Nano who turned well in a tight spot and wasn’t far off the target. Luis Milla sent another free kick up and over goalie and post but even with the noon kick off, Tenerife wouldn’t have scored by midnight. The cries of “Concepcion Dimision” continued raining down from all around the stadium as the game fizzled out. The bad luck continued into the week with Nano straining an ankle at Wednesdays training session, making him doubtful for Sundays away game at Real Zaragoza. It’s hard to see how Tenerife can turn the season around, maybe B team hotshot Giovanni will get the call this weekend, otherwise the tea lady will be digging out her boots.

Strangled by the five man defensive system of coach Joe Luis Oltra, CD Tenerife were humbled 4-1 at Mallorca. The score flattered Mallorca a little as Tenerife matched their hosts for some of the second half but football is about scoring and defending, there were glaring errors in both departments for the visitors.

Any coach would struggle to squeeze some quality out of this poor Tenerife squad. Colombian winger Joao was still out injured, why do recoveries take so long for the blanquiazul? And striker Nano was ruled out of the trip after a family bereavement. From the kick off Gamez teased Hector, and after just four minutes Mallorca took a lead, exposing the Tenerife defence with a square ball that found Aridai unmarked to score. The only real Tenerife chance of the first half came from Naranjo who rose well to head on target before the goalie made a fine turn aside.

Abdon Prats was a waste of space during his spell with Tenerife but he was fired up to put one over his former team, Aridai set him up for a pop at goal, Jorge and Alberto managed to stop and clear it between them. The half hour was approaching when Gamez got the ball through to Lago Junior who doubled the lead with a header into the top corner of the Tenerife net. No strong holding midfielder and acres of space in midfield encouraged Mallorca to keep launching raids, just before the break, Aveldaño headed clear after Prats burst through. Oltra must have told a few home truths in the break, Tenerife came back out with a spring in their step. Hector made a good run and tested the goalie, Acosta managed a side shot at goal, and Suso forced a rescue dive from the keeper. Malbasic awoke and went close twice before the pressure paid off.

Luis Milla launched a corner into the box, home defender Salva Ruiz tried to clear but could only head into his own net. Technically that makes him Tenerife´s joint top goal scorer. It was a short lived moment of relief, Rodriguez roasted Hector and fed the ball via Aridai to Prats who gratefully popped it past Dani Hernandez. Montañes replaced Aveldaño and was soon in action playing a nice interchange with Malbasic before stumbling and only making a half contact with a shot. Tenerife had a bit more balance now, Milla linked with Acosta to set up Naranjo for a long range effort that the goalie stopped low at the post. With 16 minutes left and a faint hope of a comeback, forward Chilunda made his debut in place of Naranjo. The Tanzanian international couldn´t react quickly enough to exploit a Suso pass but hopefully a few games will sharpen him up.

The crushing blow came a few minutes later, Alberto made a half hearted tackle on Lopez who was able to score in the top corner past a static Dani. Luis Perez for Raul Camara was a pointless late change for Tenerife. It could have looked even bleaker as Mallorca´s Lopez skied an easy chance in injury time. The defeat dropped Tenerife back into 19th place, a relegation slot, and leaves a mountain of questions to be answered by club President Concepcion and player recruiting Sports Director, Serrano.

No prizes for guessing who felt the most uncomfortable at the end of this reunion of former CD Tenerife coaches. Jose Luis Oltra was basking in the satisfaction of a 1-0 victory, back on the home bench ten years after his first spell as boss, Alvaro Cervera was nursing his wounds on the wrong end of that scoreline to continue the recent decline of his visiting Cadiz side.

It was no time for gloating though, Tenerife did just enough to get their first win of the season, and Nano got his first goal since returning in the summer. It wasn´t a thriller to watch, Oltra stuck to his five man defence with a few tweaks. Alberto became the stay at home centre back with Carlos Ruiz roaming in front, that worked better but at times players seemed unsure of their roles. Alberto put his previous weeks poor display behind him, a strong block on striker Mario Barko marked his card. Nano is gradually finding his fitness and some form, a quick break showed his alertness but fizzled out with no support on hand.

A patient build up just before the half hour took Tenerife close, Suso was back in the starting line up and running at the visitors defence, this time they ganged up to close him down. You can´t keep Suso chained for long, a couple of minutes later he was off down the right again, passed to Naranjo who helped the ball on to Nano who finished with a neat side foot for a 1-0 lead. Cadiz needed something from the game to stop their poor run, Matos thought he was through, Carlos Ruiz had other ideas and cleared with his head. Dani Hernandez was on top form, he easily repelled two decent shots on him. Jorge is learning to enjoy his little excursions to the sharp end, he produced another goal bound header only to see the keeper make a good save just before the break.

A home lead with a 10,075 crowd behind them should have made the Tenerife confidence flow, instead some of the old uncertainties reared their head in the second half. Naranjo was very poor again, Camille should have had a shot when holding the ball, instead he passed to Naranjo whose control let him down. Suso and Nano both forced corners that brought no reward. At the other end, defensive slowness gave Edu Ramos a chance, his poor strike was worthy of Naranjo. Nano was trying hard, he skipped past a defender and won another corner, again it was wasted, set pieces need a lot of work in the next training sessions. Tenerife were living dangerously, they should have pushed more for the second goal, Montañes came on for Naranjo but didn´t make much of an impression.

Undaberrana was a defensive replacement for Nano with 13 minutes to go, a signal to Cadiz that Tenerife were just looking to cling on. At least Nano got plenty of cheers as he left the pitch, the local boy will appreciate the fans are letting him back into their hearts. Suso tried his luck with a back header before making way for Malbasic. In injury time Luis Milla made light work of defender Alex Fernandez but Bryan Acosta couldn´t finish off the move. The win was a great relief and moved Tenerife up to 15^th, but now the hard work really starts.

With a 0-1 lead at Cordoba from a first Naranjo goal, a penalty save, and a steady recovery after Luis Perez was sent off, CD Tenerife thought things were looking up. Then in injury time the roof fell in as a 25 metre pile driver made it 1-1 to leave the visitors still looking for their first win. Coach Jose Luis Oltra, back in charge 10 years after weaving his promotion magic, must have thought his bold tactical revamp had reaped its reward but now he knows he can´t rely on any help from Lady Luck.

Oltra rung the changes and started with a very fluid defence, Aveldano replaced Carlos Ruiz, and defender Luis Perez played further up with Jorge covering across as a part time right back, a role he performed with some style. Alberto didn´t cope as well with his deep midfield role and extra responsibility to fill in the centre of the defence. The forwards got some early encouragement with Naranjo forcing a corner, and Nano setting up Acosta before the goalie gathered the ball. Jaime Romero was the danger man for Cordoba, but wasted a free shot after 10 minutes. Tenerife produced their first half chance when Nano slipped a pass to Bryan Acosta before the goalie raced out to claim it. There was an air of desperation about Cordoba, sharing the relegation zone with Tenerife, and there was no romantic intent when Quintavilla gripped Naranjo´s hand, it was just to pull him back when he looked like setting off on a goal bound dash.

Quezada tried to grab Perez and having failed, dropped to the floor clutching his face, it earned him a free kick and a booking for the Tenerife player. The kick was heading for the visitors goal but Dani Hernandez was decisive and punched the ball clear. It was a sultry night more suited to Tenerife, a water break on the half hour quenched a few thirsts, Jaime was still hungry for a goal and tested Dani with a dipping cross that the keeper handled well. It signalled a mini siege from Cordoba, Alberto half cleared with his head, and Dani turned aside another Jaime effort. Tenerife had the last word for the first half, Naranjo was flattened by Bambock and hit a long shot free kick that took a deflection before hitting the back of the net for a half time lead. After the break,the home goalie was fortunate to get a second grab at the ball from an Acosta shot as Nano ran in for a possible follow up. The keeper did better when running across his goal mouth to thwart Acosta with a fine one handed save.

Tenerife suffered a big blow after 60 minutes when a loose Perez tackle got him a second booking and a sending off, Raul Camara came on for Nano to shore up the defence and Cordoba sensed hope for them. Aveldaño blocked Jaime well at the post, and Dani made a great feet and body save from sub Jovanovic. Hector replaced Camille, it would have been nice to see some width introduced through maybe Suso but it was understandable that Oltra wanted to hold on to the win. Alfaro had joined the Cordoba attack from the bench, a former big star in Oltra´s golden season with Tenerife, his soft shot showed that the years had caught up with him. Acosta spurned an easy chance to make it 0-2, Naranjo made the run and fed him the ball but his hesitation allowed a defender to get an intercepting foot in.

Just six minutes remained when Jorge pushed a Cordoba player over in the box and Jaime stepped up to take the penalty. Dani judged it magnificently and saved with his feet. Still in front and still believing, Tenerife were in injury time when a screaming free kick from Aquado pole axed them, Dani had no chance of stopping it. Alfaro could have made things worse when he broke free but Dani was quick to scoop up the ball. Even the final seconds of the game betrayed Tenerife, a Cordoba defender body charged Alberto to the floor in the box but the ref was unmoved and blew the final whistle.

Nano and Naranjo sound like a firm of accountants but the strikers have failed to bring any net gains to CD Tenerife this season. The lowest point so far came with a 0-1 home defeat to lowly Reus, bringing the new league season form to 3 draws and 2 losses, plus a 1-2 home defeat to Cadiz in the Copa del Rey. As other results put Tenerife in the drop zone, the club acted quickly to sack coach Joseba Etxeberria and appoint Jose Luis Oltra who took Tenerife into La Liga in the 2008-2009 season.

Inevitably fingers were pointed at coach Joseba Exteberria but he did all the right things this game, starting with Undaberrena in midfield and Hector Hernandez at left back after their impressive debut showings in the midweek cup defeat. The starting line up also included the clubs best players, Luis Milla and Bryan Acosta in midfield. Tenerife looked bright in the first half, a Suso cross was helped on by Naranjo but Malbasic was slow to react and the chance had gone.

Veteran Suso has been putting the younger players to shame and continued with a couple of early raids, including a defence splitting diagonal ball to Naranjo that the goal shy striker lost to a defender. An old nemesis came back to tease Tenerife, Edgar Badia in the Reus goal had proved himself before to be a mix of inspiration and irritation, he inspired his team mates with some great saves and irritated Tenerife with his constant gamesmanship and delaying tactics. After Malbasic had headed a chance at the keeper, Acosta hit a fierce shot that Edgar tipped over. At the other end Dani Hernandez had only one first half chore, taking a routine shot from Reus player Borja Herrera.

One of the best home moves came on the half hour, Undaberrena fed Acosta who brought another splendid save from Edgar. Luis Milla got a slice of the action with a goal bound strike that was headed clear, it all looked very hopeful at the half time break. Time was Tenerife´s enemy, a win was vital and Reus were happy to sit back and frustrate as the second half got underway. Another Acosta effort was easily dealt with by Edgar and a rare Reus attack ended with a header off a post. Naranjo was useless, no supportive runs, no holding up the ball, and no clear attempts on goal, no wonder he was off after 55 minutes, could his replacement Nano find his first goal? The La Laguna born strikers first touch of the ball was easily blocked by Edgar.

Milla went close with a low drilled shot, an Acosta corner missed defenders and attackers alike and the frustration of the 9,532 crowd was growing. Next swap was Montañes for Undaberrena, that should have given Tenerife more width down the left but it didn´t really work. It was all happening on the other flank, where Suso was busting a gut to prise open the Reus defence, Villanueva fouled him in the box but the ref wasn´t interested in giving a penalty. Tenerife had to push forward and Reus fancied their chances on the break, Ortiz pounced on a loose ball and headed towards the Tenerife goal, a pass to Alfredo left him facing Luis Perez and Dani Hernandez at the post. With the help of a rebound, Alfredo forced the ball in the goal as Dani hesitated.

Just 10 minutes remained to salvage the game, forward Borja Llarena came on for defender Jorge for the final push but Reus dug in. Edgar used every trick in his power to waste time and Tenerife didn´t have the cutting edge to break through. Four minutes of injury time didn´t help, Nano´s only real contribution of the afternoon was a last minute low shot straight at goalie Edgar. There were some whistles from the crowd at the end, a sign that the tide was turning against the coach and some players. No new players can be brought in until the January transfer window, that left the coach as the easy option for change but Nano and Naranjo were both long term targets for sporting director Serrano, maybe he should take some of the flack. That first win of the season is like a long overdue train, away to another of the new boss´s old teams, Cordoba on Saturday 22^nd September,it wouldn´t be a moment too soon.