For 83 minutes a 0-0 stalemate seemed the inevitable outcome between Las Zocas and CD Marino but a late flurry caught the visitors with their guard down and the home side overturned a goal deficit for a 2-1 victory. It was my first visit to this tight little ground, they have an artificial pitch but real fans, plenty of vocal encouragement and a few drums.

Marino coach Espinel had to shuffle an injury ravaged pack but the first half play was pretty dour and from both sides with too many high balls and niggling fouls preventing either from establishing superiority. Lamine ran out of steam as he chased an early half chance and captain Airam was off target with his shot. Christofer broke down the right for Las Zocas but his wild attempt was high and wide. Kevin Castro was giving the home defence a hard time down the left flank, 13 goal Balduino was one of the missing players and it showed when the ball was put into the goal mouth.

Adan was a constant danger to Marino, he was unlucky when he took the ball wide and launched a slice shot that didn’t miss the goal by much. Sergio had to be at his best when Adan bore down on him just before the break, the keeper ran out and forced the ball away with a solid tackle. Las Zocas had a claim for handball in the penalty area denied and the first half ended with Castro running into the concrete terracing close to the pitch, thankfully he was just dazed and the break was very welcome for him.

Sergio had a busy start to the second half, first charging out to kick clear danger, followed by a smart save down at the left post. Cristian Barrios tested Aitor in the home goal, he responded well tipping aside a crisp shot. A scramble for the ball involving Barrios and defender Nacor left the ball loose, again Aitor mopped up. Las Zocas had the easiest of chances as a cross rolled slowly just in front of the Marino goal mouth, it was begging to be tapped in but a weak shot took it to Sergio.

Marino had the ball in the back of their hosts net after 68 minutes, Airam had provided the touch, the linesman was waving his flag for offside and it was not given. Home sub Kevin added some spice, he went close with a one on one followed up with a header that Sergio took with some ease. As the sun set most of the 300 crowd were resigned to a 0-0 but the game burst into life, first Airam tucked in a good cross to grab a Marino lead.

Celebrations had barely died down when Las Zocas hit back through Hector finishing off a break down the left wing. Maybe a lack of some more experienced heads cost Marino in the final minutes, the home team were fired up and hungry and charged at the blues. Deep into stoppage time a free kick from Christofer found Hector close in on goal and he converted his chance for a vital victory that will go a long way to staving off relegation for Las Zocas.

Three lessons may have been learnt by new CD Tenerife coach Raul Agne on his debut, a poor 0-1 home defeat to Girona. Aridane is a waste of space, Tenerife doesn’t always have perfect weather, and the fans want a lot more changes to restore their faith in the club. With little time to assess his new players Agne went for a safe line up and Aridane had a chance to impress in the opening minutes when he found himself through on goal but he wasn’t strong enough and the goalie snuffed out the threat.

Girona had plenty of class to offer and Sanchon ripped Tenerife open down their left flank with Moyano looking slow and unsure. The coach had the back four playing far up the field, a tactic that has worked well for Pochettino at Southampton and Spurs but it takes time to adapt to, the home players were finding it difficult to track back, the pouring rain can’t have helped. Sanchon broke again and set up Sandaza who fired wide. The warning wasn’t headed and the next wave brought the goal after a scrambled clearance led to a Sanchon corner, Carlos Ruiz was particularly slack allowing Lejeune plenty of space on the edge of the box to power a header past Dani Hernandez.

There was more pressure to soak up, Vitolo made some timely interventions and Dani made a couple of fine saves including one down at the post. Sandaza fluffed his chance to increase the lead with a weak shot on the half hour and Sanchon was thwarted by a crunching Camara tackle and a strong punch from Dani just before the break. Agne must have felt a little shell shocked during the interval but tried to change things by bringing on Juan Carlos Real for Cristo Martin. Albizua tested the visiting keeper with a header but he took it with ease. It was no surprise when the slow and ineffective Aridane was taken off, Victor replaced him to add some movement to the team and got in a good position only to sky the ball over the goal. Frustration was creeping in, Suso was hitting dead ends down the right, Cristo Gonzalez was a welcome final sub as Aitor Sanz departed, the 17 year old striker looked confident and eager to attack the ball. New striker Abdon Prats will have to wait aother day for his debut.

The crowd was down , this time just 6,489 had braved the awful weather and with the game slipping away the chants started again for President Concepcion to go. A large banner also demanded that Concepcion and Sporting Director Serrano follow coach Cervera out of the club. Into injury time and a clear handball by Cifuentes in the penalty area was spotted by everyone except the ref, that snub brought howls of protest and a couple of plastic bottles were thrown on the pitch just missing the linesman. It was not a pleasant end to a poor game, Agne has now seen the grisly picture at first hand – the training ground will not be a place for the faint hearted this week.

Gratitude for our rescue from Segunda B, and sympathy for working under weak  management kept Alvaro Cervera clinging to his job as CD Tenerife coach but a 0-1 home defeat to Ponferradina looks to have sealed his fate. It was another poor display devoid of direction and ideas, the boos have been growing louder by the week and something had to give, maybe the first 10 minute fan protest opened the exit door but the sound of a paltry 6,650 crowd baying for change at the end will surely pushed him through it.

The players will bemoan their bad luck against a terrible referee but they must take their share of blame for the nosedive in form. There is a solid platform for the new boss to build on, the defence was again strong apart from the left back spot where first Igor Arnaez and then Albizua failed to cover for suspended Raul Camara. Dani Hernandez again shone in goal and Jorge is the big find of the season at centre back.

Aridane got a recall up front, he had the best chance with a first half header that pinged off the inside of the post into the keepers hands but his lack of mobility and poor awareness were clear to see. Former CD Tenerife player Acoran skinned Arnaez down the right in the 16th minute and crossed for Sobrino to score at the far post. The rain poured down and Cervera must have been reviewing his CV, the fan protests were three pronged with President Concepcion and Director of Football Serrano getting equal blame but the team looked stale and the coach’s tactics looked tired and inflexible.

The ref threw a possible lifeline when he sent off Infante on the half hour but even a man advantage couldn’t swing the game Tenerife’s way. Diego Ifran was always willing to shoot but he was trying to do too much on his own as always. Numbers were even 10 minutes into the second half after Moyano went off for a late tackle that deserved a yellow at most. Ponferradina went down as often as they could to preserve their lead and even managed a three on one break that Tenerife bundled clear. Guarrotxena was brought on too late to make any difference and as large sections of the crowd headed for home the rest turned their frustration on the three men calling the shots.

This was the start of the second half of the campaign so time is on our side even if the transfer window has less than a week to run. A new chapter is about to begin and we are as ever , hopeful.

Games in hand have to be turned into points and that’s just what CD Marino did with a first half demolition of SD Tenisca in a 2-1 home win on Wednesday afternoon. The blues left the door ajar in the second half and the La Palma visitors made things uncomfortable for them but now two points clear in their Tercera group Marino have plenty to be pleased about.

Tenisca looked a strong, skilful team in the opening minutes, Eslava had to stand firm to stop an early break and Sergio saved well from Miguel after a neat back header by Riki. Marino stirred into life and Nestor tested the Tenisca goalie with a crisp shot that he turned aside. A dipping strike from Chema kept Sergio busy as the action switched from end to end but with Kevin Castro in the starting line up Marino had plenty of their own skills to offer, the nippy young player burst down the right and put in a defence splitting cross that Balduino hammered into the net for a 1-0 lead with just 15 minutes gone.

Tenisca struggled to contain Kevin, for a slight player he showed lots of power and they resorted to hacking him down. Nestor had his eye on the goal as he carved his way through, Marcos made a clumsy tackle on him and he got up to convert a clear penalty. Marino were purring and should have buried Tenisca, Balduino spurned a couple of good positions, the second rising high over the bar. Nestor blasted wide, Kevin had the away defence in a panic and could have got his first senior goal, and a Nestor header missed the target.

A two goal lead at half time against genuine promotion rivals promised much for the second half but the visitors must have thought they had rode their luck and came back out determined to have their say. Spreading the ball wide on the right they found acres of room but the ball launched towards the Marino goal should have been cut out by Sergio, instead Marco was able to nip in and bulge the net to put the game back in the balance.
The more experienced Marchena came on for Kevin and tried his luck on the left flank with some success. Marino tightened up at the back but were still missing too many chances up front. Both sides had half hearted penalty appeals that didn’t trouble the ref.

Marino brought on another youth product, Jose Carlos and he showed a great appetite for the game and created havoc with his speed and skill, he fed a cracking pass across the goalmouth but Balduino at full stretch couldn’t quite get his boot to it. A trio of misses came in one late charge for Marino but it was a good three points and just reward for their earlier dominance.

Even multinational oil companies have to admit when their plans don’t bring any reward but CD Tenerife looked as blunt as a worn out drill when they bored their way to a 0-0 home draw with Numancia.

New loan goalkeeper Dani Hernandez made his debut and his sure handling was one of precious few bright spot in a dire game between two very poor teams. Jorge was back in the centre of defence for suspended Carlos Ruiz and he looks a class act, backed with a goalie they have confidence in the defence is not a worry but the lack of a credible second striker is really hurting the cause. It took half an hour for the first real shot, Suso roasted Juanma on the right and tried to set the ball up for Diego Ifran but Munir got down to smother at the post. Numancia had a go a few minutes later as Perez drew a good save out of Dani and Victor in his full home debut beat a defender on the left before seeing his soft shot easily saved.

Tenerife’s play was disjointed and lacking ideas, they resorted to slinging the ball across too often, Diego had to cover so much ground and pounced on a mistake by Munir just before the break but shot high. How bad were things? During the break the fans were talking about the need to bring Aridane on but it didn’t happen. Some games have 0-0 written all over them, this one had it engraved in gold with a cast iron guarantee. A blade of grass was seen to move on the hour and we were all transfixed to see if it would start growing, it didn’t and the stands paintwork was already dry so that was our entertainment all used up.

Inspiration was needed, Cervera brought on Ricardo for Cristo Martin with little effect and ten minutes later took off Victor for Guarrotxena but he got poor service and couldn’t take the strain off Diego. Perez tried a long shot that skipped past the home post and Diego had another half chance that Munir got a hand to. The 8,658 crowd started thinning out 10 minutes before the end and Cervera must have known what was coming, he is constantly booed pre game but the final whistle brought a stronger onslaught from all around the ground.

Full marks to coach Jose Espinel, CD Marino had looked a little stale in previous weeks so he shuffled the pack and his player and positional changes made the difference in a 3-1 home win over Estrella.

It took the first half to get used to the changes and by then Marino were behind to a soft goal but they grew in confidence with everyone playing a full part in this convincing win. Defender Mendy was moved to left back and able to overlap with Marchena on the wing, both have plenty of pace and they caused problems to the visitors. Mendy showed he still had his mind on his defensive duties when he shielded the ball back to Sergio in goal as Estrella threatened. Sesma moved to a more central attacking role and that gave more freedom to Balduino who had one of his best games of the season, he was unlucky to see his early header clear the bar.

Estrella relied on quick breaks but Eslava and Pablo in the heart of the home defence managed to snuff out several chances. Mendy won the ball in midfield and set up Balduino on the half hour but the keeper saved down at this post. There was a setback when Marchena limped off but his replacement Kevin Castro soon got stuck in and fought for every ball. With the break just five minutes away Marino were caught napping by a quick break, Ruyman had far too much space to stroll through and place his shot in the net.

Espinel gave Marino a rousing team talk on the pitch just prior to the second half kick off and they responded well. Castro charged at Estrella and hit a strong shot that deflected off a defender for a corner. More pressure and further corners followed and it was from one of these balls that Mendy rose high to head the equalizer with just 15 minutes gone. Estrella tightened up as Marino tried to break through and their persistence paid off as Balduino shrugged off a defenders bear hug to turn and fire in the second goal. Not killing off games has cost Marino points this season so they were determined to add to their tally, Castro was a little terrier tormenting his markers, he broke free after one typical squirming run but shot just high of the target.

Sergio needed a seat in the home goal as Marino kept the action up the other end, Balduino was a menace to Estrella and eventually they fouled him in the box and he stepped up to convert the penalty. The referee had been showing selective eyesight in favour of Estrella but he had little choice but to send off Aibal as the visitors lost their composure, he gave Espinel his marching orders late on as well but he must have got plenty of comfort from his good choices. It was a comfortable win by the final whistle and just what was needed to strengthen Marino’s position in the top four play off positions, they now sit in 2nd , four points behind Lanzarote and still have a game in hand on their rivals.

Hosting the second placed, unbeaten Sporting Gijon would have been met with dread a couple of months ago but this 2015 opener was relished by a confident CD Tenerife who deserved equal praise in a 1-1 draw.

Replacing suspended Carlos Ruiz in the heart of the defence could have been tricky but Jorge Saenz stepped up from the B team and repeated his glowing pre season friendly form. Aitor Sanz issued an early warning to Sporting when his shot just missed the post, Raul Camara tried to unlock the back door down the left but the keeper blocked well. It was easy to see why Sporting are flying high, they look strong in all departments and were always looking to break, Jony cut lose on the right but was wasteful with his effort. Diego Ifran is a lethal predator and a Lora foul was a gilt edged invite for his free kick which he curled over the wall and goalie to take the lead, that’s his sixth of the season and he looks capable of many more.

Ricardo won the ball in midfield and tested goalie Cuellar who was glad of a little help from his woodwork. There was even a little good fortune for Tenerife, Jony thought he had scored after 22 minutes but the ref called it as a foul on Carlos by Bernardo. Midfield was looking strong again with Vitolo showing his experience and class, Sporting were made to work hard for every ball and they were closed down when they looked for the breaks. It took a well worked goal to level, a long ball from Hernandez got a little help from the head of Guerrero before N’di chested it down and scored a peach.

It was finely poised now, Suso cursed his slow response when the ball pinged around the Sporting defence before breaking to him on the left. Back on his usual right wing Suso sent a long ball across to Diego but the keeper had it covered. Rivero took over from Ricardo and Iker Guarrotxena was given a warm welcome when he replaced Cristo. Sporting didn’t sit back, they wanted the win, Rivero came to the rescue to hook out a goal bound shot just in front of the posts.

Ifran is always sniffing for goals but at least one new forward would be very welcome in the January transfer window. As Ifran went off after 85 minute his replacement Aridane was met with whistles and boos, his days in Santa Cruz look numbered. Neither side could grab a winner but the 9,594 crowd were left with plenty of encouragement for the rest of the season.

On a day when the wind was so strong it blew the subs benches over, both teams played far too many high balls but it was CD Marino left regretting a 1-1 home draw with Union Sur Yaiza. The Lanzarote visitors are in the promotion pack and Marino should have killed them off after going ahead.

It could have been a dream start, Richard saw his shot shave the post in the 2nd minute but Marino kept up the early pressure, an Aridani cross was forced out for a corner but it came to nothing. Airam made a strong run between two Yaiza defenders, he got a shot in only to see the keeper claim the ball with ease. The greens started to settle and push forward, Lamine back after a long absence had to make a telling tackle to stop one of their raids.

Airam’s determination saw him win the ball in midfield before driving forward but this time the move was broken by the Yaiza defence. It was hard for either team to play flowing football, the wind was gusting strongly and the pitch bore the scars of the three day under 12’s tournament. Sesma burst through down the right and put in a good shot, again keeper Ruyman was alert to the danger. Marino were by far the better side and got their reward on the half hour, an Airam cross found Balduino on the edge of the box and he rifled the ball into the net.

That should have been the platform for a convincing victory but Marino eased off a little, at the start of the second half Aragoneses tipped the ball aside at full stretch to prevent an equalizer. A few minutes later the home goalie was called on again, this time to deal with a dipping shot low down. Coach Sosa Espinel tried to freshen things up with Pablo and Javi Jerez coming off the bench but they made little impact. Going into the last 15 minutes Yaiza drew level, Juanjo sent over an inswinging ball and Aridane popped up at the far post with a perfect header.

Nestor had a chance to restore the lead but hit the post. The game ended on a sporting note when Balduino and goalie Ruyman clashed near the goal, after the keeper received treatment the ref did a drop ball that Balduino tapped back to the goalie to pick up. Now in third spot with a game still in hand, Marino are still firmly in the promotion picture but can’t afford to keep dropping home points.

There was a lot of hugging at the 19th International Under 12’s tournament in Playa de Las Americas. Each game of the three day football feast ended with warm handshakes and embraces between the young rivals. What there wasn’t a lot of was back chatting the officials, questioning every call, and theatrical rolling in agony. Full of hope and excitement the 14 teams delivered sublime skills and thrilling action at CD Marino’s stadium in Playa de Las Americas.

There was a major upgrade this year to La Liga Promises de Arona, the new name under the guidance of the LFP (Spain’s FA) and they widened their scope. As well as the top clubs in Spain sending players, the Aspire Academy of Qatar, and Kashiwa Reysol of Japan added an unknown element. There were also some returning guests like Juventus, Paris St Germain, Borrusia Dortmund, and Chelsea. The stage was more commercial, the shortened pitch had the digital advertising surround boards, and at one end a giant screen carried game details, and between the action some of the best video shots of the delights that Arona holidays have to offer – great promotion for Tenerife.

But it was still the football that attracted ever increasing crowds to see the short sharp games, the group stages were 12 minutes each way. The new boys of Qatar and Japan were by no means overawed, Japan in particular impressed with their one touch fast tactics. Juventus were again a little negative for my liking and Chelsea went out early with two losses. Barcelona didn’t make much impact and Real Madrid, with Theo Zidane (tournament top scorer) following in the old mans boot steps, had to fight back from a shaky couple of opening games.

Atletico were winners and runners up in the last two tournaments I saw and looked strong again with lots of skill up front and a couple of little battlers winning the ball off much bigger opponents. There were some striking differences in size, a year is a long time for fast growing lads so those at the earliest qualifying end of the age limit were noticeable. Last year Spain coach Vicente del Bosque (above middle with Arona mayor and sports councillor) came to present the trophies at the final, he was so impressed that he was back to watch all three days from pitch side and was clearly lapping up the action. There wasn’t five minutes passed without the coach being asked to pose for a photo, he never failed to agree and was a real gent, even when the entire Japan squad lined up one by one for pics.

By semi final time the competition was getting tough, many of the young lads wont have been used to 30 degrees of Tenerife sun, the pressure of expectancy, and the large television audience watching via several channels. The coaches were probably a bit uncomfortable at being wired up for sound and having cameras constantly in their faces but everyone performed with grace and good manners rarely seen in the big leagues. Atletico Madrid had a tense semi with Juventus and were grateful to their tiny goalie Miguel to keep it goal less so they could score a late winner. The other tie was even tighter with penalties needed to separate Real Madrid and Valencia, it came down to a Real spot kick pinging away off the post before Valencia grabbed the winner.

Onto the evening final with well over 6,000 fans packing in, all the games were free to watch, most people expected Atletico to build on their hot form against a patchy Valencia but you can never predict football. Valencia had done their homework and soaked up early pressure before Ferran grabbed an opener on the break. Mario equalized with a typically cheeky goal but Ferhat sent Valencia into the break 1-2 ahead by scoring after a superb save from Miguel. Atletico again pinned down Valencia at the start of the second half but they caught them with a strong break and another goal from Turkish player Ferhat. There was no way back from 1-3 down and the final whistle brought a joyous explosion of celebration from Valencia but they were quick to go and console their opposition before lifting the trophy.

It was another wonderful tournament, hopefully these players wont get too distracted by the trappings of fame as they move towards senior football. The new more glossy format worked well and I know a lot of local people watched it on the various channels as well as those who packed the stadium. More of the same please next year but it would be nice to have a side representing Tenerife in the competition.

As entertainment it was on a par with being dragged out for Christmas shopping but a 1-0 home win for CD Tenerife over Sabadell ensured a relieved festive break. You can only work with what you’ve got and the players have done well to pull away from the drop zone with a rugged, defensive, and very cautious mind set.

Sabadell were poor, and that’s being generous to them, but despite the boost of forward Diego Ifran returning from suspension Tenerife played deep and made sure they were difficult to beat. The back four are playing with composure and a good understanding between them, Raul Camara and Hugo Alvarez were the pick of the bunch this week but none of them put a foot wrong and Carlos in goal is such a calming influence. Aitor Sanz was missed in midfield and Suso had one of his quieter games, his best move was to run into the female lineswoman, if only he had some mistletoe on him.

Aridane thought he had scored in the third minute but the ref ruled it out as he was clearly offside, Collantes could have made the breakthrough for Sabadell on the half hour but Carlos took the sting out of his shot before gathering the ball. Ifran came close with a curling shot from the left that drifted wide of the goal but he was to get his reward a few minutes later. A scuffed shot from Cristo caught the keeper by surprise, he thought he had covered it but with thee ball squirming under him he pulled it back with his foot and the ref gave a free kick – harsh but let’s call it our Christmas present. Ifran blasted the ball in the top right corner from six yards as the entire defense and keeper tried to block.

The second half was more ragged, the win was so important the players were reluctant to take chances. Yeray fired wide for the visitors when he should have tied the game. Aridane was replaced by Uli Davila after 60 minutes, The Mexican had a chance to book a longer stay in Santa Cruz but his scooped shot wide may be the last we see of him in our colours. Creating chances wasn’t high on the Tenerife agenda as the minutes ticked down, Eguaras gave Tenerife another let off before Victor Garcia made his home debut with just four minutes left. The midfielder only joined the B team in the summer and has made rapid progress, another plus point from the game.

The 7,057 crowd were ready to start the Christmas celebrations but the dying moments saw another clear opening for Sabadell that they spurned. That’s just one goal conceded in five games, January should bring a new striker or two, then maybe the play will become a bit more adventurous. For now though the players can reward themselves with a extra beer and helping of pudding.