Skill alone is not enough to make a winning team. Hard work, good attitude, and working as a unit all play their part, CD Marino are now showing these qualities and the results are coming. This injury time 1-0 home win over Buzanada was richly deserved and the players are growing in stature each week. Even if Jonathan Sesma´s last gasp break through hadn´t arrived, it would have still been an impressive performance from both sides in a good old fashioned, hard fought local derby. Even the crowd showed an improvement,up to 400. Buzanada brought good support with them and there were also quite a few curious visitors keen to see latest signing, Mylan Carrasco, brother of Belgium star Yannick. Playing on the left wing he fitted in well and bought into the updated game plan of coach Zeben Hernandez.

The goalies were destined to make a big impact on the game, David responded well to his first minute test, and Edwing was equally decisive for the visitors to repel a Favarel shot from a Jony Cabrera right wing cross. Young right back Niki is playing like a seasoned veteran, quick to break, but always ready to clear danger, an early tap back to David snuffed out a Buzanada raid. Javi Gonzalez makes a powerful target man for Marino, Edwing had to be strong and quick in his duels with Javi for the high balls. Buzanada were looking for quick breaks to get at the home defence, Favarel dealt calmly with a twin assault as the white shirts surged forward.

Ahmed is another player who has made big strides, he gets involved all the time, is difficult to shake off the ball, and will take a shot at goal from anywhere. Juan and Benito were dangerous up front for Buzanada, they conjured up a low shot that David mopped up well with a decisive dive. Juan went close again as he squared up to David for a high ball, the home goalie stood tall and blocked the forwards aim. Just after 20 minutes, Buzanada were fuming after being denied a penalty. Arturo beat Saavedra and made to shoot, David stretched and cleared the ball from his feet. The attacker went down claiming David caught his foot, the ref thought otherwise, it looked a close call and the feeling of betrayal simmered for the rest of the game in the Buzanada players, and added more spice to an already hard fought contest.

Lionel set up a clear chance with a soaring free kick, Erwin rose to meet the ball but his header went wide to further frustrate the visitors. Guti had a similar experience for Marino, his floated corner found the head of Ahmed but his downward nod didn´t trouble the keeper. Mylan´s influence had been growing through the first half, winning balls in the air, and chesting them under control, he kept a good supply channel open. After the break, the new boy came close to adding to his previous weeks debut goal at Ibarra, this time Edwing blocked his attempt. David was having an exceptional game in the home goal, his anticipation was first class, and he commanded his area, dribbling the ball out and away for a throw in cleared another danger.

Buzanada had another, lesser shout for a spot kick, they were awarded a free kick on the edge of the Marino box but claimed the foul was inside. The claim hardly ruffled the home feathers, Antonio Samuel went flying up to the other end of the pitch and dropped in a lovely cross, Javi Gonzalez jumped for it but had to give second best to Edwing. Mylan will need a few games to get his full sharpness back, he was replaced by Jonathan Sesma after 67 minutes as the sides continued to struggle for top billing. Djavan came on for Javi Gonzalez a few minutes later, another of the youth prospects, Djavan was looking to add to a goal for the B team the day before. Borjita had his own ambitions to score for Buzanada, David was in place again to keep him at bay.

Sub Antonio spotted an opening for the visitors but was squeezed out by two Marino defenders, that brought another hopeful call for a penalty, the ref wasn’t even tempted and showed consistency a few minutes later when Diaz and Meñe closed out Djavan in an almost identical way. Sesma had been making Buzanada nervous with a series of dangerous corners, he went one better deep in injury time, by chasing across and squeezing the ball between goalie and post to ignite wild celebrations with his team mates. Buzanada didn´t have time to mount a serious late charge and trudged off with a few hard stares for the referee.

Confident going forward but a bit naive in defence, CD Marino slipped into the bottom four with a 2-4 home defeat at the hands of high flying Santa Ursula. Even though the score flattered the visitors, it was a classic lesson in capitalising on scoring chances and shutting down opponents.

Sebas was to be the main tormentor for the north Tenerife visitors, he made his intentions known within a couple of minutes as he scooped a shot wide. Jony Cabrera was shaping up for a free shot at the visitors goal but keeper Juanje charged and stopped him, in the process he picked up a muscle strain that haunted the stopper all game. There was a different look to the Marino attack, with Javi Gonzalez taking over the central role and Juanmi adding strength and size alongside him that forced a Santa Ursula defender to intercept his early shot on behalf of his goalie. Yeray was instrumental in driving the visitors forward, his corner deserved a better finish from Joel. With just 20 minutes gone, Yeray found space out wide before crossing into the box for Sebas to snap up a goal as the Marino defence hesitated. Jonathan Sesma was sharp at the other end to send in a swinging shot that just missed the visitors goal. Javi Gonzalez turned Santa Ursula defender Mauro but was fouled before he could unleash a strike, the free kick from Saavedra was some way off target. Just as Marino were threatening to draw level, a speedy break from Pedro unlocked the Marino defence and he pushed on to make it 0-2.

A quick response was needed to stop Santa Ursula from killing the game, Niki provided it by sending across a deep ball from a corner for Javi Gonzalez to head past Juanje. Now it was the reds turn to drive forward and force a corner, Pedro played a long ball across but it had too much power and beat both teams players in front of goal. Yeray cut loose on the right and looked dangerous before Favarel robbed the ball off him. After the half time break, Marino replaced Niki with Ahmed, the pacey forward prompted more pressure on the visiting defence. Jony set up Javi for a decent effort but goalie Juanje cut out the danger. Santa Ursula were always willing to risk a shot, Yeray screwed a shot in from a long way out and it wasn´t far off the target. Joel thought he had an easy finish to extend the lead, David read his intent well and seized the ball at his feet.

Marino still had plenty to offer, a slick move saw Jony go close after some neat passing from Javi and Sesma. Antonio Samuel took to the pitch for Sesma and made a quick impression with a hard shot that Juanje took two attempts to gather safely. Another link up with Ahmed forced Juanje to be at his best again. Marino´s best moves weren´t quite enough to beat a strong, physical defence and a quality goalie, so they added another striker, Djavan in place of defender Connor. Juanje was in the front line again as Djavan challenged him for a high ball, both players fell to the ground, the keeper needing some attention to his niggling injury. The outfield players of Santa Ursula were constantly niggling at the Marino players with pushes and trips, they were determined to protect their advantage.
Another Marino attack saw the ball ricochet around the penalty area like a pinball, Juanmi had the vision to catch it at the right moment and force it into the reds net to tie the game with 10 minutes left.

The blues pushed up for a home win but it left them vulnerable at the rear. Ahmed stepped over a cross ball to let Samuel have a shot but it went wide. Santa Ursula spotted their chance and broke with Miguel riding a half challenge to regain the lead for his team as the final four minutes arrived. Marino kept on attacking but when they lost the ball deep into injury time, a long clearance found Sebas racing down the centre of the pitch to take on David, he slowed and took his time to pop the ball beyond the home keeper. All the youthful promise of recent weeks hasn´t stopped them sliding into the drop zone but reinforcements could put them back on track. Experienced goalie Brandon Hernandez has arrived, and Belgium forward Mylan Carrasco (brother of ex Monaco and Atletico Madrid player Yannick) has also signed.

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.

Emerging up the dressing room steps of the Heliodoro stadium, Egatesa Granadilla Tenerife soaked up the adoration of 2,374 fans. CD Tenerife’s home ground in Santa Cruz may have been a bit bigger than their usual San Isidro setting but the ladies rose to the challenge with a confident and well deserved 2-1 league win over Sevilla.

Early exchanges were cautious but Maria Jose Perez showed her usual flair with a daring long range lob that beat former Granadilla goalie Noelia Ramos, and the bar. There was plenty of commitment from both sides, with 10 minutes gone Eva Llamas and Sevilla captain Ali clashed heads when leaping for a loose ball. Both needed treatment, and Ali returned to the pitch with her head swathed in bandages. Pinel of Sevilla made some speedy wide runs but the Granadilla defence coped well with her. Ivory Coast forward Ange Koko on the right for Granadilla posed plenty of problems for the visiting back line, and Martin-Prieto was unlucky to see her skewed shot rise over the bar.

The blue and whites were building the pressure on their mainland opponents. Martin-Prieto opened Sevilla up with a quick raid, Noelia couldn´t hold her shot, and Maria Jose buried it in the open net. The ref whistled for a harsh offside. Five minutes later their was a similar call when the same two players combined to bulge the net again. The lineswomans flag went up and despite captain Pisco pleading her case, the goal wasn´t given. Sevilla must have sensed a dip in the Granadilla morale, Amparito nipped past the Granadilla defence for a shot that Aline Reis couldn´t hold onto, leaving Pinel with an easy tap in lead. That brought an immediate response from the home side, a well measured ball from Joyce found Maria Jose in a good position but Lucia robbed the ball from her. Ange changed wings and found room on the left, Bores stopped her progress with an arm in the face, and a Pisco free kick just before the break came to nothing. They carried on their assault on goal in the second half, Joyce went close with an effort just the wrong side of the post. Within minutes Granadilla were level, a surge forward was partially repelled as far as Estella who stretched to poke the ball over the line. Sevilla were keen to restore their advantage, a hard shot was tipped over by the alert Aline Reis to keep them at bay. Martin-Prieto was close at the other end, beating Lara before putting her shot a little too high.

Ana Gonzalez and Sara Tui added new blood from the bench for Granadilla but it was Ange who made Noelia work hard to snuff out another opportunity. Estella thought she had got a second home goal, it was destined for the back of the net before Noelia produced a classy full stretch save. Jackie Simpson pushed up to add her power in the air to the Granadilla cause but going for the same high ball as Sevilla´s Lucia meant both players needed attention.Twice Paloma unleashed long shots to try to break the stale mate, neither brought their reward. Sevilla started to show more urgency, Morilla tried a delicate lob to let her fellow sub Olga through, the final shot missed the target.

With time running out, Noelia parried a shot from Ange and saved at the second attempt. Four minutes of injury time were signalled, Ange took off for another mazy run and picked out Paloma who’s finish was lethal to make it 2-1.The action switched to the other end where Olga floated in a hanging cross. Before a team mate could get to it, Brazilian Aline Reis plucked the ball down safely. That was the last chance, Granadilla just had enough seconds to take off Maria Jose, giving sub Natalia Ramos a brief moment to share the pitch with her sister Noelia. The final whistle brought joy to the crowd, the players, and recently appointed coach Pier Cherubino, on the ground he graced as a CD Tenerife player. Most important of all were the three league points that put Granadilla in fourth place, in Spain´s premier league.

From their promotion wave to their top of the table start to life in the Tercera Division, UD Tamaraceite have caused quite a stir as they swept long established teams before them. In the first half at CD Marino it was easy to see they had height, power, strength, and bags of confidence to fire them into a 0-2 lead. The home side had more youth team blues in their line up, and they learnt quickly to forge their raw talent into a formidable force, and ultimately were unlucky not to go one better than an impressive 2-2 draw.

A mix of injuries, suspensions, and absentees left gaps to be filled and positional changes to be made. Coach Zeben Hernandez had confidence in his young guns who have come up through the youth ranks together. Connor moved into central defence and inspired those around him, especially Niki at right back. Jony Cabrera again flew down the right wing, and Antonio Samuel still made his lightning breaks of the previous game but this time was overlapping from the left back role. Jonathan Sesma enjoyed more freedom as the lead striker with Gaizka tucked in just behind him.

In some ways, Tamaraceite´s hot form instilled some wariness in the home side. Zizu tested David in the opening minutes, but the keeper was equal to the shot. It took just 7 minutes for Eros to find the back of the home net from a Jose Maria pass. Big left back Jordan of the Gran Canarian side pushed forward and imposed himself at first on Niki but it didn´t last long. Making his own pitch long run, Niki got a great cross in that the goalie, Jonay, had to cut out. Gaizka won a midfield ball and passed on to Jony who found Antonio galloping in, his shot was a little wild but it showed that the visitors were vulnerable to pace.

Tamaraceite made their breaks in numbers with plenty of width and support from their defence, it paid off again after 25 minutes when Jordan picked out Borja for a clear shot to make it 0-2. They should have added a third a minute later, Jordan beat Jony and Niki before setting up Borja who made a mess of his shot. Niki showed his defensive coolness when he tidied up a dangerous loose ball back to David whilst under pressure. Jony made room for Ahmed to run at the away goalie, he scrambled the ball to safety. A third goal conceded before half time would have buried the game, Tamaraceite put more pressure on but the Marino defence stood firm despite Lopez Silva going down in search of a penalty.

Marino were more adventurous in the second half, after Niki had headed clear a Tamaraceite chance, Ahmed´s chipped into the box just eluding Sesma, both in the opening minutes. Jony felt hard done by after being hacked down in the penalty area, the ref didn’t want to know. Pace always worries defenders, Marino had already shown that they were full of running, bringing on another youth player, Djavan for Gaizka just added to the attacking threat. Quickness of reaction was also serving Marino well in defence, Alvarez and Borja combined well for the visitors but Niki nipped in and cut out the danger.

Sesma was enjoying being back in the initial eleven and cut in from the right only to see his shot go out of play after clipping the post. Marino deserved a goal for a slick move involving Niki and Jony that ended with Juanmi heading wide. Tamaraceite were pinned down, goalie Jonay rescued them by snatching the ball off Jony as he bore down on goal. A home goal was overdue, Antonio powered down the left and crossed the ball, Juanmi used his strength to drive the ball into the visitors net with 15 minutes left. Djavan got in on the act, turning Jordan easily and aiming at goal, a defender managed to get the loose ball back to his goalie but it was just a temporary reprieve.

Ahmed picked up a loose ball and picked his way through the Tamaraceite defence before burying the ball in the back of the net to level the scores. There was a frantic end to the game as Marino queued up to try to find a winner. Djavan had another chance that was stopped when the keeper rushed out to claim the ball. Prince easily beat Borja but he went over a little easily and got the free kick call. The final chance came in injury time, a Sesma cross was destined for the head of Djavan but he couldn’t get the direction he needed and it passed outside the post. The point kept Tamaraceite top of the pile, and Marino in 13^th place, a gallant draw and another boost for the future growing confidence of the home squad.

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.

Contented smiles radiated from CD Marino´s dressing room after a comfortable 4-0 home win over CD Union Puerto Rosario. It was a complete team performance but the emergence of players from the Tenerife clubs youth system is gathering pace. Jonathan Cabrera was the latest to make his mark with a debut senior goal.

The Fuerteventura visitors had two good breaks in the opening five minutes but were severely restricted after that. Antonio Samuel tested the visiting goalie, Paquito, from a corner, he was continuing his education on the left wing, and with Cabrera taking up the right flank, Marino had plenty of pace. Samuel was quick to react to a Marino free kick, his downward header was pounced on by Paquito. Union Puerto favoured the big boot up field, which left their forwards plenty to do, Cristian found himself if front of the Marino goal but struck out a foot and actually cleared the danger.

Connor was using his speed on the right to support the home attack, and wasn’t shy to have a pop at goal, the safe hands of Paquito covered his best effort. Marino were taking control of the game, Gaizka miscued one shot, and was robbed by central defender Teto as the goal beckoned. Chata was the most potent threat for the visitors, from a corner he struck the ball well but David turned it aside with ease. The home pressure was constant, when Union were struggling to cope with Samuel, Marino switched the play to the right and up popped Cabrera with a crisp goal past Paquito on the half hour.

Union Puerto tried to respond, a speedy break could have been the answer but Favarel was having none of it and his interception was well judged and effective. Union Puerto had to hang on for the remainder of the half as a rampant Marino lay siege to their goal. Samuel put a free kick over the bar, and Ammed fired wide when he could have laid the ball off to a team mate. The white shirted visitors were mightily pleased to hear the half time whistle. There was plenty more to come from Marino, Teto had to divert an Ammed shot for a corner that Samuel skied from the edge of the box. The only real threat to the home goal was when unmarked sub Lautaro aimed true but was thwarted by the outstretched hand of David.

The task got tougher for Union Puerto just after the hour when Chata picked up a second booking for a foul and was off. Prince had arrived from the subs bench and added his tricky runs to the Marino assault, Paquito did well to divert his early goal bound effort. The keeper was equally impressive when denying a rasping shot from Ammed a few minutes later. Brayan could have doubled the score, he jumped well before heading over under pressure from a challenge that looked like a foul. In the past, Marino have regretted not cashing in on their superiority, it wasn’t going to happen this time.

Prince carried on where he left off last home game, another mazy dribble unlocked the visitors defence and his finish gave the keeper no chance. The striker celebrated with the same enthusiasm he shows in his play, shirt off and sprinting out to the running track, his team mates had to catch him to mob him. The ref booked him for the shirt removal but at least looked apologetic for the compulsory punishment. Into the final 10 minutes and Ammed got his reward for another star display, his powerful drive left Paquito grasping at air. Jonathan Sesma had joined the party from the bench, Prince served him a tempting ball and Sesma placed it perfectly in the bottom corner of the net.

It was a very satisfying all round display from Marino that lifted them to 10^th place in group 12 of the Tercera Division. If they can pick up a few away points they should be able to push for a top four promotion play off place. There’s a nice mix to the squad and confidence is growing fast.

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.