Are they a good team having a few bad days or a bad team that´s had a few good days? The pendulum swung in favour of the latter for CD Tenerife after a shambolic 1-3 home loss to Almeria. The previous weeks first away win for over a year should have been all the encouragement they needed to keep the improvement going. Upcoming home derby and relegation rivals La s Palmas had lost and other results aided the cause. Even the sun was shining in Santa Cruz when the tourist south moaned about Easter clouds. The scene couldn´t have been set any better.

At least it took five minutes this week to leak the first goal. Rioja cut in from the left after beating Luis Perez, slipped a cross in front of goal and Gimenez managed to hook the ball into the net. That wasn´t in the script and any confidence the home side brought into the game evaporated. Coach Oltra´s negativity didn´t help, Racic was brought back after a suspension but he and the other creative midielder, Luis Milla, were played deep and at times were getting in each others way. Racic has only shown flashes of his January loan debut form, it has been widely reported that several big teams including an English Premier League outfit, are set to offer parent club Valencia big money to buy him in the summer. The lack of creative ideas starved the home forwards, and neither Nano or Malbasic looked inclined to fight to win the ball.

Almeria´s goalie hardly broke sweat to come out and take the ball off hesitant Nano when a half chance did arise. Juan Carlos Real was released by Tenerife at the end of last season and returned in new colours to torment his old team mates, he let them off the hook by putting a shot wide. At the other end Luis Milla had a penalty shout when fouled in the box, the ref wasn´t keen though. It was distressing to watch as Almeria threatened more punishment, Owona should have ended a good move with better than a shot over the bar. Dos Santos looked shaky at the back for Tenerife, he´s all arms and legs, a booking waiting to happen, the ref was glad to oblige. Racic managed a set up for Borja just before the break, he blasted it and the visiting goalie pushed it away.

Nano looks a spent force in his second spell with his home island club, he has neither power, speed, or drive, he got sight of the Almeria just into the second half and was easily dispossessed by Owona. Centre back Jorge Saenz felt a little muscle pull and was taken off in favor of Alberto, another player whose fire has gone out. It was all in vain as Almeria increased their lead. Dani parried a shot from Saveljich but the player shaped up to net the rebound, Dani pulled him back by his foot and a penalty was awarded. Gimenez despatched it and a collective groan shook the 10,385 crowd. A couple of minutes later Rioja had an easy finish as the home defence backed off, Albert even slipped up as he tried to block the shot. So an hour gone and 0-3 down some fans started to filter out of the stadium.

Naranjo had taken over from Borja and slipped into his comfy groove on the left, and another striker, Coniglio, tried to pep up the attack as Racic left the pitch to a mixed reception. Captain Suso was having a quiet game by his busy standards but his pride drove him to push his mature legs a bit more. A neat cross from the right by the skipper found Naranjo for a tap in to reduce the deficit with 10 minutes left. That goal raised Naranjo up to top scorer on five goals for the season, that tells its own story. There was not to be any miracle recovery, just the final whistle and the realisation that relegation is a bigger threat than ever. Tenerife are 15th just three places above the trap door, with seven games to go, and Alberto and Suso will miss the vital next game at Extremadura after bookings earned them a game suspension.

The deeper the down, the higher the up. Those words would have sounded so hollow as CD Tenerife let in a first minute goal at Rayo Mahadahonda. Wind on 90 minutes and the stunning transformation was complete as Malbasic robbed the roving home goalie and cracked the ball into an open net for a 1-3 win, the first away victory in just over a year.
The pea in the refs whistle had barely stopped vibrating when Hector strolled past Tenerife full back Isma Lopez and launched the ball across the face of the away goal. It hit the far post and sat up invitingly for Carcelen to tap it into the net. The harmonicas were out and the away day blues were about to be played. Heads could have dropped but Tenerife reacted in the best fashion against a team just above them at the wrong end of the table. Suso set up Borja Lasso who was stopped by an offside call. Luis Milla sent a screaming shot over the join of bar and post. The team from the outskirts of Madrid were riding their luck but it was not going to last. A Milla corner got a touch on from Malbasic and Nano got a foot to the ball to poke it in the home goal for a 13th minute leveller.

Borja was buzzing, his rising shot wasn´t that far off the target, Del Toro curled a free kick at the other end and found goalie Dani Hernandez ready to receive it. Aitor caused concern when he fired wide after the Tenerife defence failed to shut him down. Milla hit a shot on the turn at the home keeper, Nano was offside but the moves encouraged Tenerife. The half ended with a couple of scares, Aitor dragged a shot wide, and a header was on course until Dani made a safe catch. As the game resumed, Tenerife went looking for the lead, a Milla pass found defender Jorge Saenz in a good position, he picked his spot and showed the instinct of a striker to fire the ball into the net to take the lead.

Holding onto an advantage hasn´t always worked out for Tenerife this season but Dani has been in inspired form for the last month, he showed his authority to marshal Aitor wide when he was looking to shoot. Home sub Manu offered no threat with a wild shot that pounded the tarpaulin that closed off that end of the ground. Tenerife´s first change was Naranjo for Nano, the forward put a square ball across that the defence cleared, and juggled the ball before testing the goalie with a shot. With 10 minutes left, defender Carlos Ruiz took over from Borja and it looked like Tenerife might try to sit on the lead. Varela beat Luiz Perez and let fly at Dani, his response was another accomplished save. A dipping shot could have been difficult to read, not for Dani, he added it to his tally of stops.

The icing on the unexpected cake was pure class from Serbian striker Malbasic. The home goalie ran out from his area to pick the ball up and completely miss read it, Malbasic raced inside him and was Mr Cool as he belted the ball into the unguarded net. There was just a couple of minutes left, Mahadahonda managed one last chance but Dani wasn´t about to show any generosity and made a point blank save. The joy of the team and coach was clear to see when the final whistle sounded, the players ran to the small wedge of travelling fans and they shared the moment. It´s a big barrier lifted on the road to salvation but other results kept the gap above the relegation zone to 4 points with 8 games remaining. The other big incentive is Tenerife are just three points behind plummeting Las Palmas and the home derby has been set for Sat 4 May at 7.30pm.

A few choice Serbian swear words must have punctured the night air of Santa Cruz as in form Sporting Gijon stole a 0-1 victory over CD Tenerife. They were cries of frustration for the home players, misfiring forward Malbasic, and booked midfielder Racic who topped up his tally for a one game suspension. For visiting striker Djurdjevic it was in joy and relief that his 37th minute hand ball goal went unpunished by the ref.

It was another Tenerife performance with much for the home supporters to cheer but the old curse of missed chances was evident again. Oltra rejigged the defence with Jorge Saenz retuning from his suspension, Alberto was dropped after a poor run of form, and Isma Lopez kept his place at left back. Lopez unlocked the Gijon defence with an early cross to Borja, his shot was true but keeper Mariño reacted well to push the ball away. Mariño was fortunate with a later attack when Malbasic used his strength to get into a good position but only delivered a weak shot. Suso was furious at himself for beating the away defence before finding the keeper with a low shot.

The home defence were doing well to repel Sporting´s best advances, Luis Perez saw off Garcia and Djurdjevic in the space of a few minutes. Shortly before half time, Dani got a hand to a low cross and did just enough to push it upwards, Dos Santos swung wildly at the ball and missed as Djurdjevic jumped up and redirected it into the net with his hand. It was a tough one for the ref as the Serbian strikers body shielded his illegal touch, and it came a season too soon for the introduction of VAR to the Segunda Division. It was a hammer blow but Tenerife came out for the second half with a positive attitude, Borja and Naranjo opened up the Gijon defence with a flowing move that had everything – except the finish.

Coach Oltra made a double change, withdrawing Borja and Naranjo and introducing strikers Coniglio and Nano. Neither of the new front men looked like scoring, Coniglio can jump but can´t head with direction or power, and Nano only showed a brief glimpse of hunger when he shook off his marker but couldn´t get a decent shot in. Another mazey dribble from Suso went agonisingly past the post Gijon had chances to increase their lead, Dani Hernandez denied Djurdjevic, and a free kick was sliced wide of the target. Traver turned Lopez inside out but could only muster a poor shot. Montañes was the final home sub as an attacking gamble in place of Luis Perez, the oncoming wide player is another destined to be culled in the summer and made no real impression. Dani Hernandez was steady as a rock when he showed his class again by turning a late shot wide.

The spectre of relegation still stalks the corridors of the Heliodoro, other results meant the gap from relegation is just four points with nine games to play, Tenerife have to sharpen up in front of goal. Oltra´s short term contract runs out at the end of the season and the clubs sporting director has indicated that there will be a big summer clear out. There´s plenty for the staff to play for, and another 10,000 plus crowd showed that they will do their bit to push the team over the line to safety.

On the ropes with coach Jose Luis Oltra close to being counted out, CD Tenerife trailed 0-2 at half time to CA Osasuna. The score flattered the visiting league leaders, even with three key players missing, Tenerife had matched Osasuna in all but finishing. Home pride was still intact and a stirring second half fight back saw Tenerife claw their way back into the game and grab a late 3-2 winner.

Defence became the launch pad for attacking sharpness as January signings, Mauro Dos Santos and Isma Lopez showed what they could do given a full game. Jorge Saenz was on Spain Under 21 duty, Dos Santos hadn´t played regular games for 10 months and was a gamble as his replacement in the centre of defence. The Argentinian impressed from the start, he looked confident and assured as he denied Brandon an early shot at goal, he made nonsense of his newcomer role by cajoling and encouraging his new team mates. Lopez was another revelation, signed as a left sided midfielder, he filled the left back slot and combined alert defending with a natural urge to raid deep into the Osasuna half.

It was easy to see why Osasuna were topping the Second Division, they looked a class act, their game plan was to sit back and absorb pressure before unleashing fast breaks. Brandon led their line in the absence of last seasons Tenerife player Juan Villar, he continually tested Alberto, the weak point in the home defence. The cutting edge has been very blunt for Tenerife this season but despite missing the creativity of Racic, on Serbia Under 21 duty, and Nano serving a suspension, determination and passion prompted some good attacks. Lasso set up Coniglio whose shot was wayward. A hesitant back pass from Mericia to Osasuna goalie Herrera showed that the top team were not invincible.

A three minute spell of brilliance made the difference when the mainland team took a 26th minute lead after some neat passing across the home third that gave Ibanez an easy goal. There wasn’t time for Tenerife to regroup, another flowing move saw Brandon place the ball inside Dani at the post from an acute angle. Undabarrena blasted a long shot wide, and Montañes couldn´t make the most of a pass from Luis Perez, so Tenerife went off with a mountain to climb. It would need a barnstorming second half from Tenerife, and that´s just what they delivered. Lopez pushed forward and forced a save from Herrera and Dani Hernandez ensured the door stayed closed at the other end with a smart save from an Osasuna break.

Jose Naranjo was another gamble, replacing Borja Lasso after 55 minutes. The forward has done little to impress his new fans after arriving in the summer but he got stuck in and added to the forward momentum of the blanquiazul. Suso forced a Tenerife corner, it was only half cleared and Garcia jumped to clear a Coniglio header but put the ball in his own net. The tall home forward was inspired to use his head again, this time goalie Herrera grabbed the ball. With 20 minutes left, Oltra made a bold substitution, bringing on Serbian striker Malbasic for Montañes. The big man showed no ill effects from midweek flu, his touch in the box after a Naranjo run made an opening for Lopez to hit the equaliser.

With 10 minutes remaining Dani Hernandez made a vital save to hold out Osasuna, and Lopez grabbed the glory with a well taken goal to put Tenerife in front. Naranjo played a part again, this time he drove through the middle before touching the ball off to Lopez to finish. It was a nervous ending with three minutes of injury time added, especially with a last gasp Osasuna shot landing on the top of the home net. Fortune favours the brave, and this was a well deserved win against top opposition. Another five bookings threatens more disruption to the squad but the form of Lopez and Dos Santos gives the coach extra options for the remaining 11 games of the season. Tenerife fans have been cursing the unfair amount of late night Friday kick offs the league give them, this one will be savoured for many years by the 9,356 lucky enough to witness it at first hand.

It was a 1-1 home draw with Numancia on the scoreboard, but for most of the 9,412 crowd it felt like a defeat, and a grim warning that CD Tenerife could still get pulled into the relegation mire. It was the Carnaval game but the mood was strangely subdued. The residents of Santa Cruz could be excused for feeling a little delicate after the previous days record breaking 400,000 revellers partied into the wee hours, but what was the players excuse for a pitiful performance.

Jorge Saenz was suspended from his centre back role, January signing Mauro Dos Santos was expected to make his much delayed debut, but coach Oltra opted for Carlos Ruiz instead. The veteran defender is always a reliable option but not even using Dos Santos as a late sub added to growing doubts over Oltra´s judgement. Numancia showed the greater hunger and determination for the game, a smooth build up from David Rodriguez saw an early shot covered comfortably by home keeper Dani Hernandez.

Numancia were looking to expose Tenerife, Luis Perez had to make a smart intervention to derail another raid from the visitors. Oyarzum sensed the lack of adventure in the home team and tried a long, looping shot that just cleared the bar. Tenerife were struggling to make any impact, Racic was playing deep again, a total waste of his talent, captain Suso was trying to lead from the right wing but when he opened up the Numancia rearguard he found his team mates were slow to support in front of goal. It took a moment of brilliance from Luis Milla to put Tenerife ahead. The midfielder launched a wonderfully flighted 23rd minute corner that curled and caught the opponents goalie completely stranded,

That should have been the spur for Tenerife to push on and bury the game. Coniglio, still looking to break his duck, managed to get up for a header but it lacked power and direction. Ganea was doing well down the Numancia left wing and dropped a teasing cross into the heart of the Tenerife box, Ruiz used his experience to intercept the ball with a well timed header. Dani Hernandez has been below par recently, he showed he is still a class keeper and put on a master class that included a reflex parry just before the half time whistle. Home form this season has seen Tenerife save their best for the second half, that trend was reversed as they emerged for the second half with no purpose or drive.

Even allowing for the usual sprinkler soaking of the pitch at half time, the home players had trouble keeping their footing. How can a striker as big as Malbasic become invisible? He wasn´t the only one, Borja Lasso was missing in action, Alberto continued to look uncomfortable in the centre of defence and had to be bailed out by Ruiz. It was up to Tenerife to push for a second goal to kill the game but they looked content to sit back, Racic tried to head a loose ball away, it fell to a Numancia forward and only a sprightly dive from Dani saved his team mates blushes. The resurgent keeper was the hero again with two saves from a corner, Numancia were well on top.

Subs are also a bone of contention for Tenerife fans, predictably the first swap came after 64 minutes, midfielder Isma Lopez on for consistently poor striker Coniglio. With 20 minutes left, Nano came on for Lasso, the striker doesn´t even look interested these days and his fitness level leaves a lot to be desired. The final swap was the most negative of all, the dour, defensive Undabarrena for Suso. Within a minute the equaliser arrived, as Higinio scored with a free header as a cluster of defenders looked on. It was now all about holding on for the last six minutes, Dani blocked a Ganea shot at his near post and made an injury time stop from a last gasp Numancia onslaught. The point keeps Tenerife in 16th place but the performance was more circus than Carnaval.

His keys, his wallet, or his mobile. Jose Luis Oltra may forget them all at some time in his life, but he will never forget his 150th game as coach of CD Tenerife. It must have been purgatory as his team slipped to a 0-2 home deficit against Mallorca and 462 minutes without a goal. Thankfully Serbian midfielder Racic became his friend for life by belting a 71st minute lifeline goal to set them on the road to a 2-2 draw.

All the old problems were present and incorrect in the first half, poor passing, little support for each other, and woeful finishing. Borja Lasso in a more forward role fired an early chance straight at goalie Reina. The suspension of Jose Naranjo gave Coniglio a starting chance, the Argentinian striker again looked totally out of his depth, he has neither speed, power, or positional awareness. Malbasic was left to offer his brand of hard work and determination, Mallorca defender Valjent made it tough for him and his team mates. The visiting promotion candidates were a sharp side, after 14 minutes Lago Junior brought the ball under control with his back to the goal line and popped a pass out to Estupinan who cracked a fierce shot beyond Dani Hernandez and into the bottom corner of the goal to take the lead.

Tenerife´s best weapon was Racic, always in the action and ready to chance a shot. A corner gave him the chance to launch a strong header but the keeper took it well and punched away another header soon after. It was already looking an uphill task for Tenerife, Malbasic needed some support as he had a good go at beating three defenders who crowded round him. Just before the break, defender Jorge Saenz got booked to signal a suspension for the next game, it would be a bleak half time dressing room. Dani Hernandez had received plenty of criticism in the week for his latest goal keeping error, it reached a new low just after the restart. A harmless ball came towards Dani who had time to cover it but he slipped and missed it, leaving a gift for Budimir to tap in. It was a schoolboy error to increase the pressure on the the teams saviour of so many games.

A huge reaction and show of character was needed and to their credit Tenerife set about clawing their way back into the game. A determined break opened the Mallorca defence but Malbasic´s shot came back off the underside of the bar. Lago Junior threatened again, Luis Perez was quick to intercept his shot and Dani seized on the loose ball. Nano, back from another injury, made his entrance after 62 minutes as Coniglio departed. The striker showed glimpses of his old form when he emerged from the youth programme, it gave encouragement to the home cause. It was Mallorca´s turn to hang on as the ball pinged around their defence and they tried to close down the game with some delaying tactics.

Racic deserved some reward for his efforts and it came after 71 minutes. A long free kick from Luis Milla fell kindly for the Serbian and he showed no mercy as he fired the ball into the visitors goal. It was like a release from a curse for Tenerife, hope was in the air and the players were chasing for the equaliser. Suso added some of his trademark runs into the box from the right to the mix, and when Mallorca made a dash for the other end, Dani showed his better side with a clean take from a Lago Junior attempt. Tyronne has been seen as a strange choice of sub as the club have told him his days are numbered in Santa Cruz. Coach Oltra brought him on after 84 minutes as an adventurous replacement for defender Hector.

Suso was fouled near the touchline by Estupinan who was sent off by the ref, an idiot in the San Sebastian stand threw a plastic bottle, the ref noted it and got Tenerife officials to flash a warning about behaviour on the scoreboard. The club could face sanctions from the league. Tenerife did well to not let the incident break their resolve, and the ref did well to make sure he added on five minutes for stoppages. With two minutes of the added time used, Tyronne headed an incoming ball down to his feet and unleashed his shot to tie the game. The point leaves Tenerife in 17th place and with an awarded 0-1 win at financially sunk Reus to come, they can rest a little easier in their two week gap before the Carnaval game at home to Numancia on Sunday 10th March at 5pm.

On the 12th minute mark, the Heliodoro stadium became a sea of swirling flags and scarves in tribute to super fan El Barraquito (Damian Fleitas), who died a few days before. At the final whistle, the ground became a low tide of despair and disbelief after an inept performance saw CD Tenerife lose 0-2 to struggling Cordoba. Good and bad runs often overlap for the Santa Cruz faithful, but ending a three game shut out and recording a third straight game without scoring was hard to swallow for the 12,596 crowd.

Luis Milla was out suspended and losing his influence in midfield was a huge blow but didn´t account for the negative approach, particularly in the first half. Undabarrena played like a crab in his deep midfield role, sideways and backwards became the home pattern when Tenerife should have torn into the second from bottom visitors. Cordoba were encouraged to have a go and found room on their left against a hesitant Luis Perez. The danger was evident after Dani Hernandez blocked a shot at the post after Naranjo had dropped back and put a half hearted clearance into the path of De Las Cuevas. The forward tried again soon after and drew a diving save from Dani. The home attack was in a shy mood, Naranjo hiding out wide, Malbasic taking one touch too many when he got the ball, and Suso struggling to make an impact.

Borja Lasso made a couple of decent chances for Tenerife and they could have rode out the first half all square if their marking had been better. After 38 minutes a corner from Aquado was headed on by Flaño to Herrero at the post to squeeze past Dani Hernandez with a header. The second half started more promisingly, Borja slipped a little before unleashing a long shot, and Suso started to cut inside from the right to worry the visiting defenders. Malbasic managed a good run and put the ball across the face of the Cordoba goal, sadly there were no takers to finish it off. Alberto put a header over the bar as the Cordoba players began to drop easily to waste valuable time and hold onto their lead. Suso got in behind two Cordoba defenders and looked mightily frustrated when his ball into the box was snapped up by the goalie.

Coniglio, was given 30 minutes to impress when he replaced Naranjo, but the Argentinian striker didn´t make the most of it. Jorge pressed forward to help the search for an equaliser, a weak shot at the keeper was his best attempt. Another January transfer window addition, Isma Lopez, made his debut, taking over from Undabarrena, and tried to open a channel from the left of midfield. Tenerife were making a few openings but Cordoba had an eye for a break and picked up a free kick a little way outside the Tenerife box. The defence hadn´t learnt from the opening goal and were powerless to stop a well struck goal from De Las Cuevas. The ref wasn´t making things easy for Tenerife, he booked six home players and added a comedy moment as goalie Lavin slipped when walking backwards, he blew for a Tenerife foul even though there was no home player near.

A late bid for redemption saw Tyronne on for defender Perez but it didn´t bring the turnaround, even 5 minutes of injury time couldn´t ignite Tenerife. Coniglio got within sight of the Cordoba goal but defender Quintanilla held him off easily, making the forward look like a light weight. Not a good end to a turbulent week, that saw Jorge sign a 4 million euro pre contract deal that will see the defender move to Valencia in the summer for 5 seasons.

Jorge Saenz rejected Janaury transfer window offers from a host of clubs and made light of the attention, showing magnificent form in a battling 0-0 draw at high flying Deportivo. It was a third straight shut out as CD Tenerife dominated for much of the game but once again the lack of fire power frustrated their aim to break their away drought. Storm Helena diverted the clubs flight and it looked like coach Oltra had used the extra time to drum a new style into his back four. Deportivo were left chasing shadows in the first half hour as Tenerife stroked the ball around in defence with a confidence bordering on arrogance. When the chance came to break forward the confidence didn´t stretch that far, Malbasic ploughed a lone furrow for much of the game. Borja Lasso couldn´t make the most of his teams first chance but Tenerife were unlucky with a well worked free kick after 8 minutes. Suso played the ball to Luis Milla who fired a powerful drive high into the box, Jorge got a head to help it onto the target, and only a smart save from the home goalie saved his team.

Deportivo stirred and Caballo tried his luck with a shot that went well over the bar. Malbasic got in behind the home defence but his poor control produced a weak shot. Dani Hernandez was wide awake to thwart Dique, and a late firs t half Deportivo chance went the way of so many of their efforts, high and wide. Dique was severely restricted in the game by another excellent display at left back by Hector Hernandez. The defender was told he should look outside Tenerife in the January transfer window but he opted to stay and fight for his shirt. Midfielder Montañes has been cursed with injuries in his two seasons with Tenerife, he had to be replaced at half time by Jose Naranjo, and may face another few weeks on the treatment table. Racic got into a strong second half position before firing at the home keeper, and Malbasic hustled between a clutch of three defenders before losing the ball.

A booking for Milla after 56 minutes pushed him over the line for a suspension at home to Cordoba, the influential player will be a big miss. Deportivo were finding the Tenerife defence a hard nut to crack, Jorge rejected bids from Valencia, and Fulham, both were willing to meet the Spain under 21 players 3 million valuation but he decided to stay with his home town club. Winning the CD Tenerife player of the month award the last three times has been a rich reward as he has turned early promise into mature, disciplined performances. Naranjo has been one of the big let downs of the season, he is the teams top scorer, but with just four goals, he spurned another chance as the game went into the final phase.

Coniglio replaced Suso for the last 13 minutes, the Argentinian forward is still settling in after being lured over in the window, and added little threat. Underbarrena came on for Borja with two minutes left and his foul gave a free kick to Deportivo. It was heading for the goal until Dani made a double save to parry and then secure the ball and the away point.

More good vibrations for CD Tenerife as they held second placed Malaga to a 0-0 home draw in an entertaining match. Even with Montañes and Camille out injured, Tenerife continued their revival in form, and only a mix of nerves from new striker Coniglio, and athletic saves from visiting keeper Munir, denied another win.

N´Diaye put an early header over the home bar, Malbasic had a similar miss at the other end, and Munir juggled a long shot before clearing the danger. Hector Hernandez was drafted in at left back and set out to show he wants to stay at Tenerife despite the club telling him he should look elsewhere. The previous weeks debut boys Rasic and Borja Lasso kept the home midfield tight and offered plenty of attacking options. N´Diaye was a thorn in Tenerife´s side, he was involved in most of their best moves and was hard tackling on and off the ball. He tried to curl a shot around the diving Dani Hernandez but sent it outside the upright.

Suso was hustling as always, he pitched up a deep cross from the right which Munir plucked out of the air. There was a rare Scottish born visitor in the shape of Jack Harper, formerly with Real Madrid and Brighton, he was a throwback to the old British forwards, strong and awkward to mark, but his final ball let him down, noticeably after he turned Hector inside out. Tenerife were more adventurous in the second half, Naranjo showed a glimpse of a threat, beating the Malaga defence before putting his shot wide. Coniglio arrived to add to his few brief minutes the previous week, he looked more dangerous than Naranjo who went off for him. Malbasic carved an opening but the tall new strikers header was a little weak. Another chance soon followed, this time a half clearance that came to his feet, he scuffed the shot and it went begging.

Jorge marked his 100th game as a senior Tenerife player with a polished performance but was unable to crown it with a header that went close. A corner from Luis Milla found Borja whose shot was tipped up by Munir, the keeper tidied it up by diving into a crowd of Tenerife players and claiming the ball. Coniglio had one last near thing as he hit a shot into a defender, Suso calling in space might have been a better option. Hector was having one of his better games, a timely intervention on sub Ontiveros prevented a late break, and Dani denied the same player with an injury time save. The January transfer window still has more possibilities to offer and Tenerife at last have a chance to push up the table.

Give up this, that, and everything. It’s that time of year when those smug promises get right on your pip. Thank goodness CD Tenerife showed that giving up is not on their agenda, this was a spirited and defiant start to 2019 for a 2-1 home victory over an Elche team just above them in the lower half of the table.
The squad looked smaller than ever as Bryan Acosta tied up his big money move to Dallas FC, and several fringe players were politely encouraged out of the exit door, ready for some January transfer window arrivals. There were some towering performances from those left behind, in particular Jorge in defence, and Malbasic at his bruising best up front. There were a few early jitters, Benja flashed a shot wide of the home goal, and 10th minute injury replacement Manu, continually exposed Raul Camara at right back. Tenerife refused to be ruffled and got better as the game went on, Suso had a full head of steam and led by example, Milla was cool and composed, and Malbasic looked hungry for the ball.

The 22nd minute opener for Tenerife was a class act, starting from a Dani Hernandez clearance, the team stroked the ball upfield until a perfect pass from Milla found Malbasic who crashed the ball past the keeper. Former home legend Nino was honoured before the game for his past heroics in the white shirt but he looked to be nearing the end of his career, Benja was by far the greater threat, he beat Alberto but was denied by a crisp tip over from Dani. It marked a busy spell for the goalie as he forced Flores to fire wide. Just after the half hour a speculative Elche ball into the area caught Alberto on the turn and he deflected it with his hand to give away a penalty. Torres converted the kick to send the teams in level at the break.

Tenerife came back out charged up and gave goalie Francis plenty to deal with. Luis Milla crashed a shot against the post, the woodwork has been a saviour for several visiting teams this season. Suso went on one of his determined runs and squared the ball to Naranjo who tried a scissor kick shot that would have been spectacular if it hadn´t found the keepers body. Naranjo should have done better with his next effort, this time hitting it tamely into the side netting. On the hour a set piece undid Elche, a floated ball from Milla into the box was met by a majestic glancing header from Jorge to make it 2-1. There was no resting on the advantage, Montañes and Undabarrena both went close. Nano replaced Naranjo and nearly cashed in after Malbasic powered through the defence and laid the ball off. The sub must have thought he was cursed when a few minutes later his kick came back off the post and he got a head to it but couldn´t steer it past Francis.

Carlos Ruiz got a run out in place of Suso, and Joao Rodriguez had to make do with just the last three minutes action but a booking for Suso takes him to a suspension, that should give the Colombian an extended outing at Real Oviedo. The win was enough to lift Tenerife to 16th place, but just as important it lifted the 9,859 crowd with hints of better times to come.