In 700 Tercera Division games CD Marino will have seen fewer stranger than their 2-1 home win over Union Sur Yaiza. Before kick off the club honoured squad members from the 1980-81 season that started that long residency, they must have been as bemused as the other fans by  a flag happy young linesman, and a whistle happy ref who sent off three visiting players.

Antonio Samuel unleashed a crisp early shot for Marino that warmed the Lanzarote goalie’s hands. Right back Connor continually got in behind the Yaiza defence, and on the other side of the pitch Javi Saavedra overlapped and saw his shot ricochet off the post. David was nearly caught cold when Victor produced the first attempt for the green shirted visitors, but it was back to one way traffic as Fayez fed Juanmi for another home effort. Ruyman was bracing himself for a busy afternoon in the Yaiza goal, Connor breached the rear guard again, this time setting up Gaizka, his neat flick was snuffed out by the goalie.

Ammed and Guti both went close, it was inevitable that a home goal would come, after 25 minutes Samuel made another telling run down the left, cut inside, and finished clinically to make it 1-0. Yaiza were stung and tried to respond, Kamara got into a strong position but headed over the Marino bar. Ammed and Samuel both had further chances before the half closed with a Rami header that David took one handed in the home goal. After Tito had his own effort easily dealt with by David to open the second half, Gaizka made way for Javi Gonzalez for the blues. The sub wasted little time in winning a free kick from a menacing run, Ammed fired it over the bar.

Prince Dadia came on for Fayez as Marino looked for the second goal to underline their superiority. It was Yaiza though who found the back of the net with a soft goal from Rami that evaded David. That gave Yaiza some encouragement, they stepped up the intensity of their play and the tackles became fiercer. That still didn´t prepare the fans for a mad five minutes, first a clash of players saw some pushing and shoving, the ref, prompted by his assistant, showed a direct red to Raul and a second yellow to Miguel. Once order was restored, Sesma was Marino´s last sub, in place of Connor, a positive, attacking move.

Javi Gonzalez beat the Yaiza defence and was in the penalty area when Victor hooked him over. The ref pointed to the spot and another direct red for the foul meant Victor joined his mates for an early shower. Sesma stepped up and side footed the penalty straight, the keeper, Ruyman, stood his ground and made a spectacular save. Marino had 10 minutes left to seal the victory and threw their overwhelming numbers at the depleted opposition. Juanmi blasted too high, Prince was on target but brought the best out of Ruyman.

It wasn´t fair to expect more drama but it came anyway in the second minute of injury time. Prince looked hungry and showed great pace to exploit an opening in the Yaiza defence, from outside the box he let loose a perfectly timed shot to leave the goalie stranded. Prince was mobbed by his team mates, there were a few more seconds to be added on though. As play restarted, the Marino bench urged the final whistle to go, and after agonising seconds it did.. It was quite a game to witness, Marino will just be thankful for the three points that boost them up to 11^th place.

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.

Four goals separated hosts CD Marino and visitors Las Zocas but both clubs and many other Tenerife football fans were united as they said a sad farewell to Pedro Perez, who graced both teams. Both sides needed a win to lift them out of their Tercera Division basement but it was Marino who hit form in the second half with some clinical finishing.

The first chance was created by Pablo of Las Zocas, it took a neat back header from Guti to keeper David to ensure Marino weren’t caught cold. Aday was strong and determined for Las Zocas, David had to be alert to halt his charge but he wasn’t put off and tried a cheeky long shot that just missed the post. Marino weathered that storm and put some pressure on the visitors, forcing three corners in quick succession, young B team prospect Samuel figured strongly in each attack. Gaizka was denied after the half hour water break when Tato made a late intervention.

It was shaping up for an even contest, Aday unleashed a shot bound for inside the top corner of the net but David denied him with an athletic full length save. Samuel closed the half with a teasing high cross that Philip plucked out of the air. Marino continued to be on top as the second half started, Connor put in a good ball for Samuel who was only able to head over the target. Something had to give, Samuel squeezed the ball in from the left, Juanmi judged his dive perfectly and scored with a glancing header past the keeper. Two minutes later the lead was doubled, Connor rounded Cherre and Gaizka tapped the ball into the goal, despite the goalie trying to claw it back.

It was a tough double blow and took its toll on Las Zocas, especially with Marino bringing on the fresh legs of Prince and Javi Gonzalez, who were joined a few minutes later by Yassine. Using the wings well, Marino were able to build attacks down both sides of the pitch with plenty of support from midfield. It was striker Yassine who added the third goal with a nicely struck shot from the edge of the keepers box.

The afternoon showed Marino with an appetite in front of goal, a minute later they made it 4-0 as Javi showed that he could match his team mates. Las Zocas tried to rally late on, Carlos Salas couldn´t catch David out with a long range attempt, but the visitors stopper, Philip denied a fifth goal with a good save when Yassine latched onto a Fayez pass.

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.

Delayed by their inter island flight, Las Palmas C should have been there for the taking by hosts CD Marino, but neither side really took off in the forward areas and a 0-0 draw was always on the cards. The Gran Canaria side showed no ill effects of their rushed warm up and produced the best of the early exchanges. Home goalie David had to smother an early shot from Pipo, the liveliest of the Las Palmas strikers. Yeremi set up Adrian in front of the home goal mouth but Favarel blocked him well. A free kick from Stefane sailed high over the Marino goal as the blues struggled to make an impact with long hopeful balls.

Marino came more into the game when they used Javi Gonzalez on the left and Fayez on the right flank, the Las Palmas defenders found them hard to deal with. The final touch was lacking though, Yassine and Gaizka weren’t having the best of games and Ramirez in goal had few threats to deal with. On the half hour, Fayez put a perfect ball to the feet of Yassine but his shot was poor. Javi Gonzalez was causing plenty of problems for Las Palmas, and tried his luck with a curling shot that flew wide. This was Marino’s best spell of the game, Israel under 19 player Fayez came close with a strong header, and followed up soon after with a strike that deflected away off Anthony. Marino should have turned their advantage into goals, Connor rounded Pipo to feed Ammed whose shot missed the target. Las Palmas were relieved to go in at the break on even terms.

Changes were needed, Marino restarted with Sesma arriving from the bench to patrol the right side, giving Ammed the chance to play a more central role. Javi nearly made the breakthrough with a speedy break that ended in a Sesma header wide. A low shot from Guti could have caught the Las Palmas goalie out but he was alert and claimed the ball. Marino will wonder how they let the visitors off the hook, Sesma turned his marker but shot the wrong side of the woodwork, and Stefane made a timely tackle on Yassine when he headed for goal. At the other end, Favarel hooked the ball clear of danger when the yellows put together a break down the middle, and Omar spurned a chance by heading wide.

The easiest chance for Marino came with a free kick inside the penalty area, there was much discussion among the Marino players grouped around the ball but the kick was straight at the defensive wall. Going into the last five minutes, Ammed and Juan clashed when jumping for a 50-50 high ball. The ref over reacted by giving Ammed a second booking and a sending off to leave Marino with ten men. Las Palmas couldn´t believe their luck and launched a late offensive, David made an outstanding double save, and Fuentes skewed his shot away from the goal. The last shot of the game fell to Sesma and was easily dealt with by the goalie. Neither side could complain about the draw as they had made enough openings to have taken the three points.

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.

Long suffering fans are all too familiar with sudden nose dives in form from CD Tenerife but a 0-0 home draw with relegation haunted Almeria really put the boot in. At least it wasn´t a fourth straight defeat, and the defence stopped leaking goals but it was a depressing, soul less performance that smacked of end of term come early.

Another poor quality ref didn´t help the cause but Tenerife showed little hunger for a win, and had Dani Hernandez to thank for a superb double save in the final minute to save a point. Casadesus headed over from a Luis Perez cross after 10 minutes but it was all down hill from there on. The side pretty much picks itself these days due to the long term injury problems, the forward line was paper thin, midfield was quiet and lacking in ideas, the only attacking flair came from adventurous runs from full backs Luis Perez and fit again Camille. Suso had a couple of early spurts that lacked sharp finishes and Alberto looked strangely tame in the tackle. Almeria goalie Rene had an easy afternoon, his defence exposed him with a poor clearance late in the first half and Carlos Ruiz crashed the ball into his net only to receive a borderline offside call. Luis Milla had a shot deflected wide, and there was a hopeful penalty claim for a sliding defensive tackle on Camille where the ball hit the tacklers hand. These were just brief islands in a sea of boredom, it surely had to get better – didn´t it?

Almeria desperately needed something from the game to stay just above the trap door, and they had a go at the start of the second half. Marreh had a slow shot covered by Dani and Fidel smashed his attempt high over the bar. Malbasic swapped with Alberto to try to stir Tenerife, he tried to squeeze in a shot along the ground but wasn´t quick enough. The big striker did better with his build up for another shot but was fouled by Trujillo, a much stronger case for a penalty but not enough to budge the ref.

The arrival of Paco Montañes for Alex Mula hardly caused any ripples, he went through the motions, well he wasn´t the only one. Big bruising forward Nano was Almeria´s best hope, he tested Dani a couple more times but the home keeper was on his best form. Juan Carlos got a run out for Suso with just over ten minutes left, he managed a weak shot before blending in with his team mates. Bryan Acosta had already picked up one booking when he made took the feet of Pozo and upgraded to a sending off. The 11,378 crowd were praying for the final whistle to end their suffering as Nano burst through and shot at Dani from close range. The keeper got a touch to it on one side of him and twisted back to stop the rebound on the other side.

Tenerife are now 11^th and 7 points from the promotion play off spots with four games to go, but hope has run screaming up the street and there´s a slight edge of desparation creeping in as the season grinds to a halt. On Saturday it´s away to Reus Deportivo at 7.30pm, with Acosta suspended.

This is my weekly report on CD Tenerife from Canarian Weekly, you can see my full sport round up weekly in the newspaper.

When Alex Mula asked his girlfriend to postpone their wedding for the slim hope of a promotion play off extension to his CD Tenerife season, he was probably in the dog house for a few days. Two quality goals in a 3-1 home win over Real Oviedo backed his confidence and smoothed the romantic path.

The 21 year player, on loan from Malaga, would normally get star billing for his display but it was another pleasing team effort that made it three straight victories. The play offs are still a tall order but regardless of the destination, the journey is enchanting the fans, 14,600 people turned up for the Friday night game. Let´s not forget the little matter of more absentees through injury, including Juan Villar who was on a hot scoring streak. Bryan Acosta took on the main supply role for top scorer Longo, with Suso, Luis Milla, and Alberto giving steady support.

It was the Tenerife defence that shone in the early exchanges, Camille´s return to the left back slot added stability, and Luis Perez was outstanding at right back. Former Tenerife player Aaron tried to deceive Dani Hernandez with a low free kick to the near post but the keeper was all over it. Mossa had his eyes on the home goal, twice Perez robbed him of the ball with ease. Just 18 minutes into the game a long ball from Carlos Ruiz was chested under control by a leaping Longo who turned to dispatch the ball into the net in one flowing movement.

Acosta was making his prescence felt, a quick break was cut out by Herrero in the Oviedo goal. A high tempo and work rate has lifted Tenerife´s performances to a new level. Turning defence into attack is a feature of the rejuvinated team, Carlos Ruiz, an inspiration at 34 years old, outjumped Oviedo players and prompted several good forward raids. The second goal was another cracker, Longo got bundled off a high ball that dropped loose, Alex Mula pounced on it and had the vision and skill to launch a long range rocket past the goalie.

The second half opened with Oviedo trying to up their game, they managed to hit the post before Tenerife took charge again. Acosta should have got the third goal but took the ball wide and blasted it into the side netting. Longo and Acosta were building a nice understanding, the Italian won the ball off Verdes and set up Honduran Acosta who shot wide again. Acosta turned provider with a gentle pass for Alberto, he got his boot too far undr the ball and blasted it over the bar. Oviedo are trying to hold onto a play off place and caught Tenerife out with a Saul breakaway that finished with a glancing header by Forlin into the home goal.

Tenerife responded positively with more attacking play, Aitor Sanz, a sub for Suso, played a more adventurous role than usual, and with Alex turning on the speed on the left, the chances kept coming. After 72 minutes another Acosta break tore Oviedo open, a square ball to Alex took out the defence, and the youngster buried the ball in the net. There was a brief danger as Oviedo found a way through but a strong kick away from Dani cleared the threat. It was good to see Juan Carlos Real get a five minute run out as Alex departed to loud applause. The sub hasn´t had a look in for a few weeks but had a half chance blocked after good work from Longo.

The win didn´t bring a big jump up the table, still 12th, but Tenerife reduced the points gap on the top six to just four points. The only negatives from the win were bookings for Ruiz and Alberto that mean they are suspended for Sundays game at Numancia. Tenerife hopes of getting extra dates in the play offs are alive and kicking, as for Alex Mula, he has a new special date of 2^nd July for his wedding.

This report was originally published in Canarian Weekly , you can read all my sports coverage in the free newspaper. I will try to add the reports to this blog from here on, they will be just over a week after the games, and a few days after the paper hits the streets. For more CDT info, check out www.armadasur.com

Footballers come in all shapes and sizes, so write off the short, skinny, or clumsy at your peril. The under 12 players in the La Liga Promises tournament in Playa de Las Americas showed that a passion for football mixed with dedication and belief can create the next generation of star players. Over three days the 15 teams served up a glorious showcase of international starlets at the Antonio Dominguez stadium.

A half size pitch surrounded by extra seating, television gantries, and giant video screen was beamed out to TV audiences as seven a side teams battled it out, begining with 12 minutes each way games in the group stages. Big clubs like Real Madrid, Juventus, Inter Milan, Borussia Dortmund, and Paris St German were expected to do well but there are always surprise teams and players. Jef Utd from Japan exploded onto the scene with their tiny captain hitting a goal of skill and control against Inter Milan. They couldn´t sustain that form and lost that match 2-1 and didn´t make the knock out stage but won lots of admirers. Roma player Cristian Totti, son of Italian legend Francisco, caught the eye, and Valencia twins Vicent (goalie) and Marc Abril (midfield) were looking to create their own family joy.

The quarter finals produced some tight games, Barcelona beat Juventus 1-0, Valencia beat Dortmund and Espanyol beat Real Madrid both by a solitary goal. The drama came after a 0-0 draw between Villarreal and Atletico Madrid, it took a penalty shoot out to send Atletico through. At the semi final stage games increased to 20 minutes each way, Valencia saw off Espanyol by 1-0 and a thrilling 2-2 draw was settled on penalties as high scoring Barcelona put out Atletico Madrid.

The stage was set for the decider and thousands packed the stadium, CD Tenerife were first up to play Inter Milan in the Consolation Final, a combination of the Bloko Del Valle drum troop, a large contingent of noisy CD Tenerife fans, and their mascot Elio Doro the elephant, created a real party mood. Two quick goals caught Tenerife cold but they fought hard to reduce the arrears to 2-1 before Milan netted a third before half time. The second half was shaded by Tenerife but they couldn´t finish off the many chances they made against their more physical opposition and they lost 3-1. As a CD Tenerife fan it gladdened my heart to see so the future of my club in such good hands.

Barcelona and Valencia had been full of goals during the tournament but it was a cagey, technical main final with plenty of neat passing but few clear chances. Andres squandered two first half openings for Valencia as he skied his shots high over the bar. That was to come back to haunt them at the start of the second half, Amadou broke on the left and crossed to Hernandez who claimed the goal for Barcelona. There was no way back for Valencia, Barcelona were stroking the ball around and Cristo was unlucky not to add to his five goals in previous games, he still got the top scorer and MVP awards for the tournament.

The Barcelona players almost skipped up the steps to collect their medals and the trophy, and then spilled back onto the pitch to celebrate with coach David Sanchez. Valencia´s Tony Lopez got the coach of the tournament award, it was little consolation but his staff and players were quick to  congratulate the winners.

Maybe the jugernaut seven game winning streak of Cadiz was stopped but CD Tenerife were drab and ordinary in their 1-1 home draw against Cadiz. Coach Pep Marti owes a big present to Camille, Casadesus, and Juan Villar for saving his job with a last minute leveller in Santa Cruz.

Ideas were thin on the ground and players looked like they would rather be anywhere other than on the Heliodoro pitch. Changes were again forced on the coach, suspended Acosta and injured Carlos Ruiz meant recalls for Vitolo in midfield and Alberto in the centre of defence. Cadiz oozed confidence, Barral was running free up front and Olivan threatened with a cross into the box that Alberto had to blast clear. Casadesus tested Cifuentes from the edge of the box with a dipping shot that the keeper turned aside.

Carlos Abad had held his place in goal but looked shakey as he missed two chances to cut out the visitors 9^th minute opening goal, Alberto dived ahead of him to head the ball partly clear but it fell to Garrido who lobbed it over the back peddaling Carlos. Salvi nearly doubled the lead after shrugging off Camille but he put his shot in the side netting. Cadiz were solid at the back, passed well, and had willing runners to spread the play. Tenerife were nervous and couldn´t string passes together, Suso, Aitor, and Vitolo were a midfield mess and Longo was left looking for service.

The second half opened with Tenerife still looking second best, Malbasic came on for Tayron and was slow and clumsy. Cadiz were happy to just pick off stray passes and pin down the home full backs Camille and Camara to cut out any wide creative play. Longo beat two markers and tried to squeeze a shot in at the post but the angle was too tight. Casadesus took the ball wide but ran out of pitch before popping a shot over the bar from a Malbasic pass. These were brief respites, home players were not moving or calling for each other and too often a back pass was prefered to a more adventurous forward invite.

Juan Carlos Real replaced Vitolo and Juan Villar was a welcome addition for Suso, the injury prone striker has a more direct approach and likes to take players on. Malbasic on the left was a waste of space, he beat two defenders and then tripped over his own feet, and with clear space he ran into defender Carpio. Carlos showed better form with a diving save from Cruz after Garcia had cut the ball back from the byline. It was frustrating to watch for the 10,864 crowd, unforced schoolboy errors littered the home play and inspiration was badly needed.

Camille was the unlikely spark, pushing forward he won the ball and picked out a great cross into the goal mouth, Csadesus flicked it on, and Juan Villar headed it in by the far post. With three minutes of added time there was suddenly some urgency but Cadiz held firm. Former Tenerife coach Alvaro Cervera was clearky annoyed to let the win slip away and Pep Marti looked like a freshly liberated turkey. 2018 begins with two away games, a transfer window, and hopefully a fully fit squad so anything is possible, but big changes are needed.