Pigeons pecking at the Heliodoro pitch didn’t even bother moving as play headed in their direction, they seemed to know that CD Tenerife v Numancia was destined for a 0-0 draw. Both teams had their moments but that extra bit of class was missing from these mid table sides and the bumper 10,796 crowd, boosted by special ticket deals, left a little frustrated.

Tenerife could have blazed into an early lead, Choco ran onto a through ball but hit his shot at the visiting keeper, Omar went close a few minutes later and hopes were high that the goals would arrive. Carlos Ruiz was playing his 100^th game in Tenerife colours and was cool at the heart of the defence. Just add a pony tail and new loan signing Saul could pass as a Raul Llorente play alike, just like our former left back he played the position in a very forward role, maybe that confused his team mates, they starved Omar of the ball on the left wing.

Suso got a harsh booking just after 15 minutes that rules him out of the away game at Nastic, thankfully Jorge and Vitolo didn’t add to their four bookings. We didn’t get the pleasure of abusing our former player Julio Alvarez who was out injured and when Numancia threatened they found Ruiz ready to rob them or a wasteful Valcarce. The need for an attacking midfielder for Tenerife is becoming glaringly obvious, Vitolo and Aitor Sanz looked jaded. Raul Camara had a shaky game, just before half time he was skinned down the flank and a cross ball was nearly prodded in, only an alert clearance from Dani ensured equality at the break.

The second half lacked purpose, Valcarce put a clear chance wide and Alberto threaded a clever ball through into space but his team mates couldn’t latch onto it to prise open Numancia. The home bench had a strange look about it, no Cristo Gonzalez, Nano replaced Aitor and almost brought instant success, Suso fed him from the right but the sub wasn’t quite sharp enough and ran the ball into the keeper. Omar went off and was replaced by Jairo, maybe his last chance to show why he shouldn’t be loaned out, he did nothing to strengthen his case, a late back pass from him had to be tidied up pretty smartish by Carlos to avoid any blushes. Pedro Martin was back on the bench but never made it over the white line.

Numancia were predictable in the last part of the game, theatrical injuries and general time wasting, how often do we see that now. The ref let Numancia get away with a lot but Raul Camara had cause to praise his name when he clashed with Valcarce. As the pair toppled to the ground and Raul knelt over him, Valcarce did the old cupping his face in his hands trick, red cards have been given for less but the man with the whistle saw it for the cynical ploy it was. Numancia had the last word in the third minute of injury time, scooping a shot over the bar when it seemed easier to score. On the plus side it’s now 315 minutes without conceding a goal, the 10,000 plus crowd triggered some more promised incentives for the next home game on Saturday 6 February. That’s at home to Huesca and it’s the Carnaval game, if the pigeons come back maybe Dastardly and Muttley (ask your Dad) would be good fancy dress choices.

There must have been a few bruises to nurse after CD Marino lost 1-2 to a hard, physical El Cotillo team from Fuerteventura. The home side matched their high flying rivals for skill and work rate but the younger players took quite a battering as their visitors reclaimed second spot in the division.

There was a scattering of former Marino players in the Cotillo line up, most notably Richard, and Sesma but the best early moves came from the blues. Alexis and Josito linked well to feed Kevin Castro but he was only able to put his shot wide. Cotillo have been full of goals this season and a break down the left followed by a defence splitting pass from Josito allowed Caliche to grab a 6^th minute lead. Marchena charged forward from the left back slot and put in a hanging cross for Marino, Julio in the Cotillo goal had to punch the ball aside for a corner.

Mendy rose well to test the keeper with a header before Alexis and Josito switched combined again with Josito shooting past the post. Cotillo started to get more of the ball and tested Marko Cicovic with a couple of well aimed shots that he covered well. Amaad and Marchena both went close for Marino before right back Bradley Mills overlapped and took the ball into the box where he was chopped down for a penalty. Marchena took the spot kick and put the ball just wide of the goalies outstretched glove to make it 1-1.

Cotillo moved Sesma from the left to the right flank where he found plenty of space and set Hector up with a clear chance that he wasted. The visitors ended the half on top, forcing successive corners but couldn’t edge back into the lead before the break. Julio nearly let Marino in within a few minutes of the restart, his long clearance was snapped up by Airam who made a charge on goal but a lone defender did just enough to prevent him from making a clean shot.

There was a scare when Cicovic couldn’t hold onto a Cotillo shot but a sharp defender mopped up the danger. Caliche had one of the clearest chances for the green and black side but somehow managed to miss the target. Ivan was the next one to spurn a chance but the decisive goal arrived after 65 minutes, Josito was again the supplier but this time for Isaac. Marino’s own Josito went down with a blow to the head and was soon replaced by Vitaka as Cotillo tightened their grip but they could have been pegged back again if a Mendy free kick had been a little closer. Marko frustrated Cotillo with some safe handling including a free kick stop and a low save at the post.

Both sides ended with good chances, Cotillo flashed a shot past the post, and Saavedra had the last touch of the game with a crisp shot that Julio tipped over the bar. The result leaves Marino third from bottom but they will be relieved to have got home ties with the top placed teams out of the way.

As one rookie managerial appointment grabbed the days headlines, CD Tenerife’s own novice Pep Marti got more proof that the dream job can so easily become a nightmare. Sloppy defending and a suicidal rush of blood from goalie Dani Hernandez left a Teide sized mountain to climb with a 0-2 half time deficit that was chipped back for a 1-2 loss to Alcorcon.

There’s a problem with the CD Tenerife engine room, it’s not firing properly, Vitolo and Aitor Sanz are both past their best, we could risk one each game but the pair together leave our strikers isolated. At the other end of the spectrum, the local kids are still learning and not mentally tough, Jorge and Cristo Gonzalez both looked dispirited at the end of the game. These are problems that Pep Marti has inherited and may be addressed in the transfer window but stamping out basic errors will be a stern test of the coach’s credentials.

Jorge is a player I rate but he had a mare in the centre of defence and was bailed out a few times in the first half by his team mates. Jon Aurtenetxe responded well to the signing of Saul and had a solid game, he chested the ball down to Dani after just 10 minutes to break up an Alcorcon raid. The keeper made a couple of decent stops as former Brighton player David Rodriguez showed why CDT tried to sign him a couple of seasons ago.

Up front though Cristo and Choco could have taken up knitting as they waited for some encouragement. A 0-0 half time score would have been welcome but after 41 minutes the centre of the park opened up with Jorge missing in action, Campana hit a speculative shot that hit Oscar Plano and deflected into the net. Three minutes later there was grazing room again in front of the Tenerife goal, Plano raced trough and couldn’t believe his luck when Dani panicked and lunged towards him. It was a gift, the Alcorcon player went down and Rodriguez buried the spot kick. Dani was lucky only to get a yellow card but it punctured the mood of the evening.

The second half was a bit better from Tenerife but they were chasing shadows, Suso was predictable and Omar departed to give Tommy Martinez 30 minutes. The River Plate loanee again showed that he is worth a starting place, he makes thing happen and is full of running. Nano came on for Suso and Cristian Garcia finally reappeared after his injury troubles, he is certainly a candidate for a prolonged midfield run. Aurtenetxe supplied a good feed for Choco after 78 minutes and his goal gave some hope but time was against us. Tommy gave Djene the jitters, the defender just about juggled his shot away and a later Tommy long shot wasn’t too far off target.

It wasn’t the start to 2016 that the 8,742 crowd was hoping for, home form has got to count for something if we are to avoid a relegation battle. January additions will play a big part in shaping our season, it’s tough though shopping in the bargain bucket, Pep Marti must be very envious of his richer rookie colleague.

Outplayed and outgunned, CD Marino were fortunate to limit second placed Atletico Las Palmas to a 0-3 victory as they opened 2016 at home. There were selection problems with midfielder Kilian missing and defender Bradley Mills out with a foot injury. Connor moved into midfield and Kevin Castro was also out of position as he had a torrid time in the right back slot.

Las Palmas B team were the most impressive visitors this season, former CD Tenerife B striker Jefte tortured Kevin Castro down the left wing and even when the Gran Canarian team lost Juanma, injured scoring the opening goal, his replacement, Martin, turned out to be another lethal striker. Marino made a bold start, Javi Marchena forced an early corner but it was wasted, new home forward Amad from Senegal showed some pace but fired too high after nearly 10 minutes.

Mendy had to be at his best to clear one of Las Palmas first attacks but they soon got into their stride and Juanma powered through the middle after 15 minutes to score but instead of celebrating he had to be helped off the pitch with a leg injury. Martin made an immediate impression and almost added a second goal but shot wide. Jefte was strong and confident and turned quickly to fire in a shot that Marko Cicovic did well to cover. It would have been a good day to turn on the style for a larger than usual holiday crowd but Las Palmas closed Marino down and restricted their build ups.

Mendy made a rare mistake on the half hour selling his keeper short with a back pass, Marko had to make a crunching tackle to stop a second goal from being poached. There was more work for the busy goalie to do a few minutes later, Jefte showed his power in the air as he headed down a cross that Marko covered well. The continued pressure paid off five minutes before the break, Borja cut in from the right and found plenty of space to make it 0-2. A late free kick held out some hope for Marino but they couldn’t turn it into a goal and went in with plenty to think about.

Marchena tried to carve out an opening down the left early after the restart but was squeezed out by two visiting defenders. Arsen replaced Josito but this time there was no first touch goal, though he did give the Las Palmas defence a few more problems as Amad dropped back a little deeper. Matias had an easy chance to increase the divide and surprisingly blasted thee ball wide, and Marko had to slide out to stop another away chance. Into the last 20 minutes and Martin put the result beyond question as he pounced to make it 0-3.

Kevin Castro gave in to his natural attacking instincts and tried to push up more, he headed close to the goal and forced another corner but heads were dropping a little. Sub Sandro wasn’t too far off with a wild long shot but Las Palmas still had plenty of their own ideas, their sub Pedro could have done better with two good chances. It was a tough lesson for Marino and they need to find their way back to picking up points. Amad looked like he could be useful once match fit and hopefully a couple more new signings will make a difference but it is going to be a tough 2016.

One of the best performances of the season by CD Marino was overshadowed by some questionable calls from the ref as Tenisca sneaked a late 0-1 winner. The La Palma side are on the edge of the leading pack in the division but for long periods of the game Marino outplayed and frustrated them but failing to turn that superiority into goals was to prove costly.

Confidence is a powerful force in football and after two straight victories the home side played with freedom and sprayed the ball around. A new look defence was particularly impressive, Bradley Mills looked at home in the centre alongside Mendy with Connor at right back and recent addition Christofer from Las Zocas on the left. Kevin Castro had an early chance bearing down on the Tenisca goalie who had to kick the ball clear. There was a home penalty shout when Javi was floored after a cross from Josito but the ref didn’t want to know.

Tenisca’s main weapon was a long punt up to the wings rather than playing the ball through the middle, they were well blocked by Connor and Cristofer when trying to take the ball wide and didn’t have any alternative plan. Josito created plenty of openings down the Marino right and with Airam constantly probing it seemed a matter of time until a goal arrived. Cristofer began to push forward from left back and Tenisca were lucky to survive from one of his prompts as the defence and goalie scrambled the ball clear.

When the visitors did find a way through they had the problem of beating keeper Marco Cicovic, he has grown into his gloves and looked solid. Sandro replaced Josito on the half hour and provided more problems for the La Palma team. The half time break was welcomed by Tenisca, Marino had them under pressure with a curling Javi free kick and a Connor cross. Just inside the second half Marino clipped the post with an Airam free kick, he repeated it soon after and a part clearance was fired back in, the goalie managed to grab it low down at the line. With barely 15 minutes left it seemed that a home goal just wouldn’t come, Tenisca must have sensed that they had weathered the storm and became more adventurous.

They tried a few more direct breaks, Chema raced through onto one as the Marino defence closed in, the away forward could have shaped up for a shot but went down a bit too easily and got a penalty that he converted. Suso was back in the blue shirt and off the bench and shared a neat interchange with Kevin Castro but it lacked a final danger pass. Sandro got in a good scoring position but was hauled back with a late call for a foul. Chema nearly made it 0-2 but was stopped by a timely Connor challenge. Marino were desperate to get at least a draw and pushed everyone, including goalie Marco, forward for a series of free kicks. The ball pinged around the penalty area, hit the post, and refused to go in, it was a harsh defeat to take but the overall performance will give Marino plenty of encouragement for the after Christmas campaign.

According to Take That, It Only Takes A Minute To Fall In Love, how reassuring to know that CD Tenerife only need that same snatch of time to flip a 0-1 deficit into a 2-1 win. Crisis club Mallorca looked on for a surprise win as CD Tenerife struggled to make any impact but young guns Cristo Gonzalez and Omar Perdomo turned the tide in a drab home performance.

There were surprises again in the starting line up, Abel and Ricardo were back in midfield with Alberto and Tommy Martin missing out. Mallorca made a lightning start with Swiss forward Moutinho scoring in the second minute from a Oriol cross on a breakaway. There was no spark in the home midfield, suspended Aitor Sanz was sorely missed and Abel wasn’t the answer. It could have been 0-2 soon after, Moutinho was looking to connect to a corner ball but Dani Hernandez raced out to punch it clear. Damia had a good chance for Mallorca but thankfully put his long shot well over the bar.

It was all a bit disjointed for Tenerife and Choco wasn’t seeing much of the ball up front. Ricardo tried to stir some action, he found Omar out wide and he cut inside but the Mallorca defence snuffed out the move. Suso made a half chance just before the break but it was a despondent half time break for the 8,005 crowd. Something had to change, Cristo Gonzalez replaced Abel and looked hungry in attack, ten minutes later Alberto was a straight swap for Ricardo. Then came that purple patch that changed the game, Choco passed the ball to Cristo and the youngster pulled it wide of a knot of defenders and tucked his shot perfectly past the keeper, a real class strike. The celebrations were still going on when Cristo turned provider and slipped the ball to Omar, the wide player had his back to a defender and the goalie but in a flowing move he turned and picked the ideal spot to grab the lead. Suddenly we were believing in Santa Claus again.

Mallorca were a spent force now, Tenerife should have taken advantage of their keepers constant straying outside of his area but the quick break never came. Jairo came on for Suso and took over the left wing with Omar switching to the right. Cristo had another pop at goal, this time his shot looped past the top corner. The referee started making some bizarre calls in favour of Mallorca and boosted Tenerife’s bookings to five on the night, leaving more players one card from a suspension. There could have been a third goal in injury time, Tenerife forced a couple of corners but wasted them with Vitolo and Omar getting nowhere with short corners. It’s now six games without defeat and even if this wasn’t a vintage performance it was another move up the table.

Goals have been the missing ingredient this season for CD Marino but hard work and perseverance paid off as they crushed Union Puerto 3-0 to smell the fresh air above the relegation zone. The visitors from Fuerteventura were just above Marino and looked a poor outfit but after some cruel defeats Marino took some time to find their confidence and cohesion.

A loose back pass and a speculative shot from Union gave home goalie Marco Cicovic a couple of easy saves before the blues started to make progress down their left flank. Marchena and Josito combined well to put pressure on the Union defence. Juanjo had a clear chance for Union after 17 minutes, he rose for a free header in front of goal but he went for power rather than direction and found Marco’s safe pair of hands. Kevin Castro was in a more central striking role, he got a chance to show his tricky ball control with just Omar to beat in the visitors net, he juggled the ball and fooled the keeper for a 1-0 lead.

Borja tried to hit back and found space out wide but Kilian came charging in to rob him with a firm tackle. Marino had their heads up and could sense the weakness in their opponents, a free kick floated in was only half blocked by Omar and he was lucky to get a second chance with Kilian ready to pounce. After the break Alexis replaced Coly and showed some nice touches. Airam was putting in a typical robust captain’s performance to inspire Marino as Union faded from the game. The captain came close from a free kick when he skewed a far post effort just a little high of the goal.

Too often Marino have let opponents off the hook but they were determined this time to snuff out any hope for Union. Airam  dealt the killer blow after 69 minutes from a Kevin Castro pass and Union were deflated. Pablo arrived for Marchena and swapped some telling passes with Alexis to add new purpose. Union were pinned down and struggling, a foul on Kilian in the box and Airam stepped up to beat the keeper from the spot and seal the points. It was a well deserved victory  and with two more home games before the festive break there’s a chance to climb the table.

The hard work starts now for CD Tenerife coach Pep Marti, the initial rush of enthusiasm from his appointment is giving way to the realism of a squad short of depth and lacking that killer instinct. After Alamo’s foul on Suso saw him off with a second booking it should have paved the way to turn the eventual 1-1draw into a win but sloppy passing and not enough ammunition for lively sub Choco sealed four points dropped in two home games.

Tommy Martinez was rewarded for his impressive run outs from the bench with a starting slot, Pedro Martin and Alberto returned and Omar kept his starting role with Aitor Sanz nowhere to be seen. Our River Plate loanee showed his pleasure with  a place in the starting 11 by slipping a lovely cross ball to Suso in the opening minute, his hot was saved but it was encouraging. Lejeune managed a flash over the bar but Tenerife had the best of the early play.

Raul Camara were getting in each others way as they tried to overlap down the right, maybe spreading it more often to Omar on the other wing might have given Girona more headaches. Sanchon was the best of a poor bunch from the visitors, he should have done better when dragging his shot wide just before the half hour. Tenerife’s have a very poor first half scoring record this season and it can encourage the visitors to test them out. A Girona break through Alamo on the right came to Pons at the far post, he headed the ball down and Sobrino had plenty of space to slip the ball in the home net. A quick reply was needed, thankfully it came with the break looming. Suso was fouled and the free kick swept into the box where Omar ran in to head the leveller.

It was cut and thrust at the start of the second half, Pedro did well to hold up a through ball but no one came to take advantage of his neat control, Girona managed a rare break which Dani snuffed out with a low save. I’m a big fan of our young defender Jorge but he had one of his weaker games, he lost the ball in a dangerous position in shocking style and was lucky it wasn’t punished by a goal. Jorge is very positive and looks to play the ball forward all the time when sometimes he might be better to lay it off or pass back, but that will come with experience.

The defining moment of the game should have been the sending off after 53 minutes, the man advantage fired Tenerife up briefly, Pedro had a shot ping off the post but it was offside. Choco came on for Pedro and didn’t look rusty after his injury, he always has an instinct for goal, twice he turned with his back to goal and fired in strong shots that tested the keeper. Jairo arrived for Tommy, the youngster has bags of enthusiasm but is another small player, we need a few imposing players who can get stuck in – something for the January transfer window? Pep Marti took the gamble of adding Nano in favour of left back Aurtenetxe but the spark was missing in midfield and the supply line wasn’t good enough. In the final minute Girona could have nicked it, Sanchon was clear through and it took a classy save from Dani to hold onto the point. Three games to go this year and the relegation zone is still snapping at our heels, this is where it all gets serious.

It seems that neither injuries, suspensions, or bang in form visitors can deflate the new confident spirit that coach Pep Marti has instilled in his first three games in charge. Cordoba were expected to be a stern test but showed little threat and were fortunate to lead after 60 minutes, CD Tenerife kept their faith and their determination and a Nano leveler after 84 minutes for a 1-1 draw was no more than the home team deserved.

The ever changing defence held up well with German and Jorge partnered in the centre as Carlos Ruiz sat out his suspension. Aitor nearly opened up Cordoba after 7 minutes when he found Omar who forced a save from former Santa Cruz favourite Razak. Jorge had a near miss a few minutes later as his header shaved the bar. Cordoba seemed content to sit back and wait for their chances but the Tenerife defence severely restricted them and it as one way traffic as rain showers swept over the pitch.

Jorge gets better every game, he looks a class player, reads the game well, and is assured on the ground and in the air. The visitors struggled to muster any chances, the best in the first 45 minutes was a late free kick that they casually wasted. Razak was almost caught out just after the break and had to scramble the ball aside to concede a corner. Cristo Gonzalez was a bit off the pace and was replaced by Tommy Martinez after 56 minutes, the Argentine player is now showing his worth whenever he comes on and links well with his teammates.

It was a classic sucker punch that gave Cordoba the lead after 61 minutes, Tenerife launched another attack but when they lost the ball they were a little slow to cover and Florin nipped in to grab the lead. Back came Tenerife, lifted by the 8,967 crowd, Tommy threatened only to see Razak react well to push the ball wide. Jairo came on for Omar and Nano relieved Ricardo, the changes freshened up the attack and another wave of pressure brought its reward. A Suso corner came out to Tommy and he fed the ball through to Nano who held himself just onside before slotting the ball in the net. Despite a last big push a winner never came but it was a good point against a fancied side and another boost to the growing confidence of the squad.

The players look to be enjoying their football again and the coach has been like a breath of fresh air in picking up 7 points from a possible 9. Let’s not forget he hasn’t yet had a full squad to pick from, our star striker Choco has yet to play for him and Pedro also sat out this latest game. The bubble, unlike our coach tyre, wasn’t ready to burst, even that had a silver lining for the Armada Sur on the way home as it bought us extra drinking time at a motorway café. I’ll drink to that!

How CD Marino didn’t win this game is mystery worthy of Agatha Christie. One goal ahead against a woefully poor San Fernando side who had a very uncertain goalkeeper, it just had to be a home win but in the end CD Marino were hanging on and in debt to Marco Cicovic for some terrific saves.

With a spate of injuries a reshuffle was needed, Josito took over at full back for Bradley Mills who broke his hand in the midweek Copa Heliodoro game. Vitaka replaced Javi Marchena and Kevin Castro was also missing. On the plus side Kiliam made his home debut in the heart of defence and looked a good solid signing. It was a good start for the blues, a well worked attack after four minutes found the Gran Canarian keeper fumbling the ball, it came out to Gaizka and he fired it in the net.

San Fernando relied heavily on a kick and rush style that wasn’t good to watch, Claudio put a free kick wide and with a terrific tackle from Mendy in the box and a sliding save from Marco Civovic the visitors threats came to nothing. Marino were missing the players that could take defenders on and slipped into playing a similar game to San Fernando. With the home initiative lost, the yellows fancied their chances and Javi looped a perfect shot inside the top corner of the Marino net to level five minutes before half time.

San Fernando continued to press at the start of the second half and Marco had to be at this best with two close range stops. Coly came close for Marino with a high header and Airam caught the keeper when he tried to head his team back in front. The Maspalomas bench made a double substitution with an eye to holding onto the point and when Kevin Sanchez replaced Vitaka he relayed instructions to try to spread the play wide. There was encouragement for the home crowd when the San Fernando goalie spilled a cross but it only brought a scrambled corner that was wasted. Suso came on for Gaizka, and would have given the width and speed that was needed but playing a more central role didn’t suit him.

Full back Josua became more of a playmaker for the visitors and he was getting more joy than their big kicks up field had produced. Marco came to the rescue again with a sharp low save and a clean take from the bulky sub Quintero. Coly laid the ball off to Suso and he got a tempting cross into the box but there was no player there to finish off the move. In the end Marino ran out of ideas and two vital points slipped away.