It wasn’t sexy, it wasn’t flashy, and it wasn’t thrilling, but this 2-0 home win over Alaves was just what CD Tenerife needed and new coach Pep Marti has a hard working, solid platform to build on. The home players had to grind the result out but when you are at the bottom end of the table that is often what makes the difference.

With just a couple of training sessions and a collection of video nasties, the former captain was playing catch up after he replaced the sacked Raul Agne. German was axed after his disastrous game last week and in his place Jorge put in an immense performance in the centre of defence. The Spain under 19 prospect was majestic and commanding, Alaves must have been cursing him on the long trek home. The pick of the crop was 17 year old striker Cristo Gonzalez, his work rate was incredible and he showed mature awareness to go with his undoubted talent.

Alaves are one of the fancied sides for promotion but they looked very average, Toquero carried their main threat and despite some tricky little runs Jorge had him in his pocket. It took nearly 30 minutes before the visitors tickled Dani Hernandez gloves, his response was quick and decisive. Pedro Martin was trying hard to climb out of his dip in form and came close with a wide effort, a free kick went the same way but at least Tenerife were making chances. Alaves had their best spell just before the break, Femenia tried his luck but Dani saw it off with his finger tips, and just before the whistle Toquero had a half chance that Jorge cleared with an outstretched leg.

It was a nervous half time break, the 7,907 crowd could sense that Alaves were there for the taking and Tenerife seemed of the same opinion, they came out fired up, Jorge going close with a header. The 59^th minute opener was a delight, Cristo laid on a top notch pass that  eased Pedro between two defenders before burying his shot in the net. That didn’t stop the new coach from replacing him a few minutes later with Omar and he also looked hungry for the victory. Alberto nearly increased the lead before Tomas Martinez came on for Suso and slotted into his right wing position. The Argentinian showed a liking for that wider role, hopefully he can now start to live up to his River Plate reputation.

Marti was doing a thorough stock take, he added Abel for Cristo in the final minutes and he only had a short wait to sample some celebrations. In injury time Aitor Sanz picked out Omar and he hit a stylish second goal pulling his shot just wide of the keeper. It meant a lot to everyone and fans spilled onto the pitch to embrace players who had leapt the hoardings, an arrest and a booking was a cruel response. On the day the win was more important than showboat football, it will take a while for Pep Marti to impose his own style. The bulging inbox on his desk and the niggling injuries on the training pitch will awaken him to the size of his task but the Heliodoro was a good place to be again after this win.

What an all action gut grabber of a game, all we ask as fans is for players with as much passion and heart as ourselves. We got that and much more as CD Tenerife put the brakes on Segunda Division leaders Osasuna for a 2-2 home draw. Goalie Dani Hernandez played on despite having a five staple repair job on his head, and the loss to hospital of concussed striker Nano galvanized the 9 players (oh yes just 9) to grab an injury time leveller.

Coach Raul Agne had some big decisions to make pre game, Choco passed a late fitness test on his leg but just how fit would he be, and Suso was suspended. Cristo Gonzalez got the nod over Nano and Omar started as the wing player, there was little time to settle before Torres flighted a long range free kick beyond Dani, it could have been a disaster but was merely a setback. Cristo headed narrowly over and back in defence German was having one of his best games with Alberto always willing to drop back, he did well to rob Pucko as he looked to shoot.

Nino was expected to be the big threat but Kodro was their danger man, our former hero still has a nose for goal though and could have headed a killer strike if Raul Camara hadn’t forced him wide. Dani is always bold and strong in the air, he rose high to deny Miguel with a clearing punch but the players collided and Dani came off worse with blood seeping from his head. The Venezuela keeper struggled on for the final 10 minutes of the half and despite needing Carlos Ruiz to take his goal kicks he still managed a stunning finger tip save. The pain must have been considerable but was made bearable in injury time when Cristo tucked the ball in the visitors net after good work from Omar.

Tenerife re-emerged with Dani’s wound clamped together and within minutes Raul Camara got booked, that takes his tally to an automatic one game ban. Worse followed as Alberto got a straight red for an elbow in the face of Merino, maybe it was payback for previous rough treatment but it wasn’t subtle, and not what we needed. Time for changes, Jairo replaced Cristo in time to see a corner converted by Oier and with a lead secured Osasuna resorted to spoiling tactics, the ref fell for the lot, their goalie Nauzet took every chance to sniff the grass and look in pain.

Choco arrived in place of Raul Camara and looked very sprightly, he was challenging for all the high balls and gave his team mates a big boost. Jairo nearly unlocked the door with a nifty little faint before a shot. Nano was the last throw of the dice but as he came down from a high head clash for a loose ball with Unai Garcia he had to be helped off before collapsing. The sight of the medics loading him on a stretcher and racing down the touchline to the exit had us all fearful. Four minutes of injury time were signaled and the ball fell to Nino with just Dani to beat, but he could only muster a scuffed shot. I’d like to think he didn’t have the heart to finish us off, or maybe our less than perfect pitch caught him out. What a reprieve, only seconds left, Tenerife charged, Choco got a touch in front of goal and German hooked it over the line for an emotional end to a thrilling game. That’s the spirit, that’s the buzz we live for, and that’s why we always dare to hope.

Like an out of body experience, it was a surreal feeling to be in the Heliodoro stadium with very few of my CD Tenerife friends around me, and red replacing blue and white as the dominant colour. International football had come to Tenerife, well the under 21 game between Spain and Sweden on the road to the Euro Championships in Poland 2017.

Three of us from the Armada Sur had parked up in the CC Meridiano car park and threaded our way through the back streets and a tide of Spain shirts and flags. Buying a ticket at the sales window (10 euros) was another novelty, the street stalls had loaded up with red scarves and replica shirts and it was pretty busy but I could only pick out a few familiar faces. I better explain at this point that there is a certain resistance to supporting Spain among my football friends, many are proud Canarians, new graffiti outside the stadium underlined that feeling. For me it was a rare chance to see a high profile game and future world stars.

The Heliodoro is owned by Santa Cruz Ayuntamiento (council) and FIFA had hired it for the night, that meant they had control of advertising, announcements etc but that still doesn’t excuse some of the glaring omissions and lack of any publicity for CD Tenerife. There was no programme, not even a team sheet, most of the stadium advertising hoardings had been covered over leaving just the FIFA approved sponsors to push their products. We were offered free plastic Spain flags at the turnstile but declined, inside our usual Popular Baja area was covered in red but I did spot a couple of Canarian independence flags and a few CDT shirts.

Onto the game, Spain dominated the opening exchanges and the Sweden goalie Cajtoft made some impressive saves. I took particular interest in Spain’s captain Deulofeu of Everton, and Bellerin (above) of Arsenal. The atmosphere was subdued, many of the 15,000 crowd were groups like school parties or youth football clubs, it reminded me of Home Internationals at Wembley years ago on school outings, the bits of singing and chanting that broke out were in quite high voices. Spain’s persistence paid off after 19 minutes when the classy Oliver Torres of Atletico Madrid scored from a Deulofeu pass. Both sides were struggling to cope with the poor state of the pitch, it hasn’t been good since rock band Maña performed on it a week before the season started. The ball wasn’t bouncing true, it bobbled when passes were made and little clumps were standing out, in fact the only ones liking the pitch were the flock of pigeons that kept landing and playing dare in front of the players.

The second half got off to a bad start for Spain, Saul got a second booking and was off, this derailed the reds and they never really recovered. Sweden seized the initiative and put the Spain goalie Kepa under siege. Despite the keepers valiant efforts Sweden broke through after 59 minutes with a goal from Engvall. From them on a draw seemed the likely outcome and it proved to be the case. As the players took their applause and left the pitch, Oliver Torres trotted down to our end of the ground and gave a Spain shirt to some female fans, well they were Atletico supporters as well, but a nice gesture. Sweden had done their PR bit the day before by inviting a large group of young Swedes from a local language school to their training session and they added a pocket of yellow high up in the far stand. It was nice to hear the PA blasting out Tenerife Adelante as we left the stadium, it all went off pretty well and there is more talk of a full international soon – best sort that pitch out though.

A shuffle of the young CD Marino pack brought an improved performance and plenty of spirit after the 7-0 defeat at Ibarra but they still ended on the wrong end of a 1-2 defeat at home to Lanzarote.

The visitors have built a strong, experienced squad over the last few seasons but were made to work all the way in an exciting game. There was an early warning as Javi pounced on a loose ball before shooting just wide of the post for Lanzarote. Sandro forced a free kick as he burst between two defenders down the left flank for Marino but Alberto missed the target. Coly started the game in midfield for the home side and what a terrier he looked with plenty of strength and determination in winning the ball and prompting some good Marino moves. Lanzarote were pinned down for much of the first half hour and were grateful to keeper Adrian for some timely saves.

The reds were full of danger and eager to shoot from distance but the home defence held firm and Cicovic cut out the hopeful high balls when they chanced their luck. The pace of full backs Bradley Mills and Connor allowed them to overlap and support the attack, Gaizka was struggling to shake off his markers and miss judged a tempting ball in from Sandro with the goal at his mercy. Sandro followed up with a stinging volley that the goalie did well to turn away one handed, at the other end it was Cicovic to the rescue as Vladimir cut in from the right but the home stopper was down to clear the shot away.

It needed something special to get the scoreboard moving, Coly had the perfect answer on the half hour, he used his strength to shrug off two defenders and create space for the opening goal. Marino fell for the sucker punch, straight from the kick off Lanzarote surged forward, switched the ball from right to left in front of goal and there was Javi to level. Both sides fancied their chances of taking a lead into the break, Kevin Castro unleashed a speculative shot that wasn’t far off the net and Lanzarote replied with their own long range effort that dipped just a little too late. It was a well balanced contest with plenty of promise for the second half.

Javi tested Cicovic within minutes of the restart, he snatched at his shot and the ball was met with a safe pair of hands. The blues keeper was at his best again a few minutes later with a two fisted punch clear when under pressure. Kevin Castro had recovered well from a knock to the head at the end of the first half and he blasted a shot just clear of the Lanzarote crossbar. It was still anyone’s game but Lanzarote were pushing forward, a ball into the box was partially cleared and fell to defender Miguel who smashed a long shot that flew over everyone’s heads and settled high in the net for a 1-2 lead.

Marino tried all their subs, Suso replaced Sandro and flew down the right wing before floating in a teasing cross that was just beyond the reach of Gaizka. The game was slipping away and Lanzarote sub Andrea missed two glorious chances, both hit across the face of the Marino goal. Marino had one last attempt in injury time when Cicovic became a roving goalie taking the ball up the field to Suso, his cross looked good but Mendy couldn’t keep his shot down and it cleared the bar as the referee blew the final whistle.

If Alberto’s injury time header had gone up, down, left, or right, instead of plumb at the Leganes keeper, CD Tenerife would have been celebrating a jammy 1-0 home win. But if doesn’t count for anything in football and a miserly 7,763 crowd were left to bemoan a dull 0-0 draw. Let’s not put it all on the young centre back, he had a good defensive game and there were plenty of other reasons why the revival spluttered this week.

Nano continued as the stand in striker for Choco who has continued his rich vein of form with Honduras in the Olympic qualifiers. Pedro could have set the tone for the game with an early goal but he dragged his shot wide of a gaping goal after a perfect feed from Suso but otherwise Tenerife’s game was littered with sloppy passes and a general lack of cohesion between the players. It was a blow losing Cristian Garcia with injury after 20 minutes, Ricardo replaced him, and had a dreadful game, I’ve seen broken subbuteo players spread the ball better .

Thankfully home keeper Dani was as bright as a button and was as good as an extra defender, he rushed out to clear danger with his feet and followed up with a solid low take. Raul Camara overlapped well on the right but fired wide of the target and Dani came to the rescue when Borja got in a clear shot only to see the goalie smother it. Time after time Tenerife moves broke down, Nano was struggling to make the most of pitiful service.

Pedro spurned a good chance after the break and Borja led the line for Leganes with two dangerous raids, both were dealt with by Alberto, the first shielded well for Dani to grab the ball and the second mopped up with a headed clearance. More attacking options were needed for CD Tenerife so it was an unwelcome surprise when coach Raul Agne swapped wide player Jairo for Nano after 60 minutes. The change earned some dissent from the crowd and failed to ignite the team. Suso came the closest to troubling the visiting keeper and with just 20 minutes left we hoped that Cristo Gonzalez or Tommy Martinez would be the swap for Aitor Sanz, instead we got another wide player Omar Perdomo. Highly rated Argentinian Tommy hasn’t had much chance to show his creative flair and must be picking splinters out of his rear after so much bench time.

Suddenly it was Omar overload as Leganes brought on former Tenerife youngster Omar Ramos, his recent rebuff of calls to return home and comments about returning later in his career when it suits him ensured he got plenty of unwanted advice from the crowd. Pedro thought he had redeemed for his earlier miss when he ran through to score but was called for a tight offside. Leganes had their chances to nick the game, Carlos Ruiz made a superb intervention to rob Ramos just outside the box and Borja launched himself at a free ball but directed it over the woodwork. That just left that last second Alberto header, Choco’s return can’t come soon enough but a bit more of last weeks spirit from the Almeria away draw would also be very useful.

Three nil up as Mirandes desperately tried to convert a corner into a goal, where was Choco the new CD Tenerife scoring sensation? The Honduras striker was back ready to help his defence but with an eye to break and complete his hat trick. It’s not just the four goals that have endeared the loan signing to the Santa Cruz faithful, it’s his work rate, enthusiasm, and sublime skills.

After heavy criticism, coach Raul Agne deserves a big slice of credit for turning the season around whilst under the shadow of the axe. The boss’s faith was repaid in this 3-0 home win as key players bounced back to form, Dani Hernandez turned the clock back to his solid displays of last season, his double save at the end of the first half, a push aside and a tip over, was immense. I wouldn’t have rushed to re-instate Aitor Sanz after his latest game out due to a daft sending off but Agne stood by him and the midfielder was a diamond, instrumental in most of CDT’s best moves and grabbing a goal along the way.

Cristian Garcia looks a different player in midfield, he even ventured forward and forced a save after 18 minutes. Choco is fast becoming the man to watch, he ran Olympic rings around his markers before a possible three game absence helping Honduras to qualify for Brazil 2016. Weaving his way through Mirandes Galan stopped him with a foul and the ref pulled him up with an offside call but he just kept coming. Pedro Martin is a perfect foil for Choco with his unpredictable runs, Suso came close to finishing off another of his probing raids.

Another strong intervention from Cristian Garcia won the ball and he fed Suso who slipped it through to the fast advancing Choco, the net bulged and he was down on his knees celebrating. The timing was good, those Dani saves ensured Tenerife went into the break with the 8.039 crowd confident of a second successive victory. There was another double stop from Dani Hernandez, making an athletic save from Velez before blocking the loose ball. Jairo came on for Pedro, the local youth still figure highly in Agne’s plans. Tenerife swept forward again and despite a touch from the Mirandes keeper, Aitor Sanz knocked the rebound into the net for the second goal.

Two goals are good, but three adds an extra shine to a win, Camara made a good run down the right and with a little help from Aitor Sanz the ball came over to Choco, he chested the ball under control and fired past the goalie. The final ten minutes was quite a luxury, no real worries about the result, just a blast of noise from the fans and smiles all round. Late substitutions brought Nano and Tommy Martinez on for a few minutes, one of them or Cristo Gonzalez will be needed to cover for Choco, a big challenge for them and the team. A second clean sheet in two games was very welcome, it’s too early to think all our problems have melted away but it was an inspiring performance.

Back on home turf and back to winning ways, that was CD Marino after notching a well deserved and comfortable 2-0 win over Las Zocas. The young squad is clearly maturing and with captain Mendy outstanding in the centre of defence they played with confidence and style. The only annoying aspect of this game was how the referee managed to send three players off (two from Marino) when it was a hard fought but never dirty game.

Kevin Castro cut in from the right wing to slice an early chance wide and Gaizka burst through a few minutes later but was unable to test the second choice goalie of Las Zocas. Castro reacted well to control a loose ball up front but when it fell to Alberto he shot over the bar. Cicovic in the home goal commanded his area and picked out high crosses with ease. Las Zocas managed a few good moments including a wasted header that missed the target. Manu was the main threat for the visitors, he flashed a shot across the home goal and the Marino defence had another half chance to mop up just before the break.

The second half opened with a low cross drilled in by Alberto, it was begging for a touch but Las Zocas were fortunate that there were no takers. Gaizka is still looking for his first Marino league goal but he was always a threat and a sturdy target man, Las Zocas had to squeeze him out as he shaped up for a clear shot just after the restart. The stalemate was broken after 53 minutes when a slick move down the left found Kevin Castro who nipped in to beat the keeper. Just seven minutes later a well taken corner was met by the head of Mendy who powered the ball into the net for a 2-0 lead.

Las Zocas tried to hit back with a shot that narrowly missed the post and a rising header but the game was in the bag for Marino. The ref grabbed the spotlight sending off Bradley Mills and Saavedra within four minutes of each other, both for second yellow cards. It could have been a body blow for the blues but they covered well in the final 15 minutes. There was a frantic finish as the ref brandished another red card, this one for Jesua of Las Zocas in time added on, the visitors managed a late charge to try to get a goal back but they found Cicovic in resolute form as he easily dealt with a high swirling ball.

My Monday morning hangover was more entertaining and slightly less painful than this latest CD Tenerife defeat. At half time I spotted a moored oil rig trying to paddle away from Santa Cruz to avoid catching a glimpse of this gloom fest. Even the scoreboard broke down in disgust, and yes it really was that bad, not just losing 0-2 to a very average Real Oviedo side, but looking devoid of ideas, tactics, and even basic skills.

Coach Raul Agne seems to have lost the plot, his plan to start with just Alberto, Jorge, and Raul Camara as the defensive line was lame. Cristian Garcia is a liability at right back but looked no better pushed further forward. Spain under 17 prospect Jorge was totally lost trying to cover to his right and the only saving grace in the rearguard was Alberto. Dani Hernandez again looked unsure in goal and with Pedro Martin out injured, Choco Lozano was frustrated up front with just the ineffective Tommy Martinez supposedly helping him.

We are always hopeful in the Heliodoro, despite the bad run of form, another 8,781 crowd showed up willing and hoping to see something better but that faith was shot down after 8 minutes. Susaeta sent a cross over from our wide open right side and Linares dispatched the ball past the bewildered Dani. The home keeper did better with a later one on one against Linares. There was no fight in The Tenerife side, Choco Lozano was willing up front but got poor service, Suso blasted a long shot at the visiting keeper but with Vitolo and Aitor Sanz as midfield passengers it looked like being a grim evening.

Omar replaced Tommy Martinez at half time, although the young winger made some progress it was still a voice in the wilderness. Oviedo wont rank among the best sides to visit Santa Cruz this season but they did the basics well and grabbed their chances. The second goal came from a deep pass that caught the CDT defence ball watching as Borja helped himself to a free header. Could anything else go wrong? Of course it could, Raul Camara went off injured just after the goal to be relieved by Aurtenetxe. Nano, just back from injury took over from Jairo, it made little difference, Aitor Sanz managed to drag our hopes down a few more notches when he pulled a second booking and made for the changing room.

Choco had a late half chance from a Nano pass saved by the goalie, the whistle blew, and a collective sigh of desperation washed over the stadium. Coach Raul Agne looked suitably uncomfortable as the players left the field, he has reportedly been told he has one more game to breathe life into the squad. I think we know how this is going to end.

Where was the reaction, the wounded pride, the statement of intent? The Heliodoro pitch may have rallied quickly after being stomped by a rock concert but CD Tenerife looked faded, tired, and short of ideas as they added a 1-2 home loss against Gimnastic to the 6-3 thumping at Numancia.

Coach Raul Agne brought in Cristian Garcia at right back for Jon Aurtenetxe but it didn’t work as Ferran of Nastic gave the 33 year old a torrid time. Dani Hernandez had to be sharp to snatch the ball from Ferran as Nastic exploited slack marking and when Vitolo threaded a neat pass through to Abel at the other end, the Tenerife midfielder put it wide of the post. Neither side looked particularly good but goal less at the break it seemed a hopeful sign that the speedy Omar arrived on the left wing as Abel departed.

Choco Lozano made his first start and looked lively, the Nastic defenders gave the Honduran a few bruises but he showed a resilient attitude and set up a Pedro Martin header just after the restart. It took a sharp eye and quick reflexes for Choco to grab the lead, Nastic defender Molina lost the ball and the striker nipped in to lob a crisp shot into the net. That should have lit the fuse but Tenerife didn’t seize the game, Choco made a good chance that Pedro headed, Nastic raided down the left again, Ferran pumped the ball across and Alex beat a cluster of defenders to head it on for Mari to bury past Dani.

When Cristo Gonzalez took over from Choco it seemed a strange move and made Tenerife’s task even more difficult. The 17 year old was reported to be a transfer window target for Valencia but didn’t enhance his reputation this time out. The referee was losing the plot and the frustration of the home players was growing, Vitolo snatched at a decent chance and the game was slipping away. Time for another change, a subdued Suso got pulled with Omar switching to the right as sub Jon Aurtenetxe tried to open a channel down the left.

Tenerife fell for the same routine again, Ferran flying down the left, crossing a deep ball to the far post where Camara should have been covering, Jean Luc had plenty of time to plant his header for the winning goal. It wasn’t the result or performance we expected, a bumper 9,174 crowd was clearly willing to write off the opening day debacle but this inept display will instill a few more doubts.

It’s going to be a season of harsh lessons for the young guns of CD Marino, putting the ball in the net is at the top of the list. Despite their dominance of the first half they clipped the woodwork three times and went into the break level at 0-0 in their relocated home game against Union Viera at Buzanada. The Gran Canarian visitors arrived just a few minutes before kick off, grew into the game in the second half, and ran out comfortable 0-3 winners.

A couple of early breaks tested Marino’s Serbian goalie Cicovic before the blues started to exploit the flanks, Facu Ramirez teased Viera down the left and Marchena overlapped to put in some tempting crosses, while Suso explored the right side with Bradley Mills from the Middlesborough FC academy ready to support when needed. Facu looped a shot over the visitors bar before Marchena set up Kevin Castro for an attempt that missed the target.

Gaizka, a free scoring old school centre forward looked strong in the air, he headed down a Marchena centre that Facu blasted high. Suso chased a through ball that unlocked the Viera defence but his shot was just wide of the target. Bradley Mills could have had a dream debut, he headed a shot over and saw his low pass to Facu veer away from the goal. Their was a let off for Marino late in the half when a Viera player bore down on the goal, Cicovic came out and was rounded by the attacking player who fired wide when it looked easier to score.

The second half opened with more of the same as the Viera keeper was at full stretch to deny Gaizka , and Bradley’s header was short of the power and direction to beat the keeper. Marino were still getting in behind the defence down the wings but swapping Josito for Marchena after 52 minutes let Viera off the hook. Sandro tried a speculative long shot for Marino but play switched ends quickly and Kilian caught Marino cold to open the scoring. A double substitution saw Alexis and Alberto replace Facu and Suso, leaving Gaizka stranded with his supply lines cut off.

A brief spell of pressure forced three corners in quick succession for Marino, the nearest effort brought a one handed push away from the Viera goalie. A Peraza free kick at the other end of the field met little resistance as the ball evaded Cicovic for a 2-0 scoreline. Marino appealed for a way back into the game via a handball but the ref signaled it hit the Viera defenders chest and waved play on. The third goal after 83 minutes was almosrt in slow motion as Peraza strolled the ball into the net. The Gran Canaria forward should have completed his hat trick late on but somehow managed to make a clearing defensive header when a clean nod was the easier option. Lots to work on but plenty of bright spots in the first half performance, only two players survived from the end of last season and with a top age of 23 they will hope to add confidence and experience as the season moves on.