Massive, that’s how big this 2-3 win at Caudal was, it was needed and after Real Oviedo slipped up earlier in the day it was also timely and restored a five point lead at the head of the table. Big thumbs up to coach Alvaro Cervera for starting with such an attacking line up, Guillem Marti alongside Aridane instead of replacing him, and a lot of credit to our under fire striker who broke his drought with two determined and well taken goals.

Chechu and Medina were out injured so Fran Ochoa started and Loro returned from suspension while Suso was surprisingly dropped to the bench. Both sides had good chances early on and both keepers showed they were ready for a busy afternoon. Aridane saw the home keeper paw away his close up effort and Richard blasted a shot straight through the Tenerife defence. With 12 minutes gone a half clearance saw the ball break to Invernon who drilled it into the net past a nest of Tenerife defenders and the diving Sergio Aragoneses – the first goal conceded in 591 minutes.

Another gift for Aridane squandered, Prosi shot over the visitors bar and Sergio had a let off when he failed to collect a ball he came for on the edge of his area.Tarantino went off with a knock and Yeray came on to fill his central defensive role and the half ended with Aridane finding the keeper from a great Bruno long pass and Guillem slipping the ball wide from an acute angle.

Loro was having a quiet game but he more than made up for it when the home goalie made a mess of a save and he delicately hooked the loose ball into the net to level. Then it was Caudal’s turn to go close with a shot that hit the join of post and bar. Suso came on for Guillem and sliced his way down the right time and time again. The home keeper made a brilliant close reaction save from Ros but Suso charged again causing confusion in the home rear guard. Aridane was in there and when a defender blocked his kicked shot he pounced as the ball popped up and smashed it into the net with his head – I bet that felt so good after his recent dry spell.

Sergio played a big part in the game, his point blank save from Lopez in the 69^th minute was vital. Meanwhile Aridane was scampering around like a young gazelle – well certainly with more confidence than in recent weeks, he even managed a neat little back kick to Suso, the goalie blocked the shot and was well placed again when Suso crossed for an Aridane header. It wasn’t all smooth progress, a long ball in was handled by Suso and Prosi converted the penalty to tie it at 2-2. Injury time arrived and a draw seemed scant reward for Tenerife’s hard work but when the ball broke to Aridane he hit a crisply measured shot into the home net. Luckily the vicar had just gone from taking tea with me so he didn’t hear my loud and very crude cries of celebration. The game had one last drop of drama to offer as Prosi fired in a pin point free kick, Sergio arched his back and diverted the ball over the bar with his finger tips. What a game.

It wasn’t pretty to watch but CD Tenerife stretched the unbeaten run to six games and another clean sheet as they eventually saw off Ourense 1-0 in Santa Cruz. Ending the match with three recognized strikers was using a sledge hammer to crack a very frustrating and stubborn nut.

A year on from the loss of our friend Andy Glover we welcomed his family to the game, I think we all know some of the choice words that our old mate would have had to say about the first half performance. Ourense had a plan, they stifled Suso and Chechu with close marking and although Aridane was winning the ball when it came his way, he again showed poor finishing.

The visiting goalie Pato made a good save after 10 minutes from Bruno but an Aridane header soon after was an easy take. Ourense even made a few raids of their own and found our full backs Moyano and Alvaro in nervous form. Too often Tenerife players made silly unforced errors or backed off when they should have been closing down players. A long lob on the half hour had Sergio back peddling, thankfully the ball cleared the bar. Moyano was shy and let Ourense in again just before the break, the dangerous Ivan Glez was just a little high of his target.

We needed changes at half time but had to wait an extra two minutes for new midfield signing Fran Ochoa to replace Medina. Playing deeper than I expected, Fran soon got involved and showed a good eye for a pass. Suso was still running into dead ends and Chechu had bodies waiting for his cross but he wasted it by firing a wide shot. Suso gave way for Ayoze Perez, scoring freely for the B team and hungry to grab his chance. Any scouts watching will have noted his pace and a determination, he didn’t take long to unload a shot at goal that just missed the target.

The nerves were jangling in the crowd, more firepower was needed to force a break through so Guillem joined the big push as Chechu departed. It only took a few minutes for Guillem to work his magic and latch onto a long ball before beating the keeper on 80 minutes – cue mass relief all round.

Ochoa went close to increasing the lead and as injury time drained away Guillem was brought down on the edge of the penalty area, it looked a sure penalty but the ref opted for the final whistle instead. Another unconvincing win for the 8,035 crowd as the transfer window prepares to slam shut but maybe Guillem and Ayoze will focus coach Alvaro’s thoughts on the options he has in the current squad.

Was this a collective hallucination by CD Tenerife fans, the 0-0 draw at Rayo Vallecano B was certainly weird enough. Considering how much went wrong a point and another clean sheet was a good result but there are some searching questions to be asked at training.

New attacking midfield signing Fran Ochoa didn’t even get a place on the bench as the coach played the loyalty card, that meant that Jesus Alvaro continued to keep Llorente out of the left back slot. Chechu forced an early panic back pass from Rayo, Aridane could have given chase like a racehorse but lately he is more like a pack of supermarket burgers. Rayo chipped the ball wide of Sergio from a free kick and generally looked lively for a side that has nose dived into the lower reaches of the table.

Aridane had a weak header saved and Suso stole the ball off defender Owona and went through to score only to be pulled back by the ref for dangerous play. Inigo Ros was unlucky to get booked for hands after the ball was blasted at him – that takes him into a one game suspension. Chechu fired a shot at the Rayo goal but a defender got the Ros treatment for handling and Chechu stepped up to take the penalty. It was a poor shot that goalie Ismael got down to easily.

Aridane showed he does still have some skill with a nice interchange with Jesus before setting up Chechu who gave the keeper an easy save. Into the second half and Suso had a good chance blocked by a defender and a Tarantino free kick sailed over the bar. Loro came on for Suso but only lasted five minutes. A wild lunge with his foot at chest height brought an instant red card and probably a lengthy suspension. Marti Guillem replaced Aridane at last and put himself about, Alcaniz fouled him trying to pin him down and made his own early exit.

Nico replaced Cristo as the game faded, Nono was lucky to stay on after a forearm smash on Chechu’s neck and Medina put his free kick high and wide with the last real chance of the game. Changes will have to be made next week with Loro and Ros missing and it’s not before time.

It was another win, that’s what we have to hold onto after CD Tenerife made hard work of beating bottom placed CD Marino 1-0 with a 78th minute Guillem goal. The pace of the game was snail like and defending dominated although Marino hardly threatened. Even the scoreboard was having an off day blinking and spluttering – at one point we thought it was going to click onto the porn channel – but alas not.

Marino were given a warm welcome onto the pitch, despite their often bizarre management there is a lot of goodwill towards them and their plight. The complaints were directed at the continued dictates from the TV companies, oh for an afternoon match like the old days. Goalie Alberto was quickly into action smothering a shot from Aridane, Suso bundled a shot wide a few minutes later and that was the pattern for the day, plenty of chances but wasteful and hasty finishing. Suso was buzzing but had no sting, Aridane is so slow lately we may have to fit little wheels on him, and even the consistent Inigo Ros put a good chip well over the bar.

Marino didn’t trouble Sergio Aragoneses until the half hour mark when he made a full length dive to block a shot. Marino defended stoutly, leaking goals has been their big problem this season but with a few new players they stood firm. Aridane missed another sitter just before the break and Ros popped another over the woodwork just after the restart. Marino tried to make progress on the left through Javi Marcheno but Moyano was on top of his game, Visiting strikers Noah and Balduino weren’t getting anywhere but a goal less draw would have been a good point for them. Aridane should have been taken off to graze at half time but lumbered on, Loro was introduced to force the pace but it was the arrival of Marti Guillem that made the difference.

The under under used sub picked up a pass from Suso on the right and squeezed the ball into the net from an acute angle much to the crowds relief. Alberto prevented a bigger gap opening with a strong punch clear and gathered a loose ball at the second attempt. Considering Marino had their three Tenerife loan players missing they gave a good account of themselves, it was up to Tenerife to be more clinical and decisive but they were poor. A win and a fifth clean sheet can’t be bad, the Marino team traveled back south as they had arrived – in cars, let’s hope our players appreciate how fortunate they are to play for CD Tenerife.

Would the players all come back from the festive break fat enough to have their own postcodes, would they have forgotten their playing roles, and would playing on Kings Day (Spanish Christmas) left the Armada Sur abandoned in a near empty stadium? The answers were all a resounding NO as CD Tenerife brushed aside Salamanca with a comfortable 2-0 victory in front of a 6,655 crowd.

There was a surprise selection with Jesus Alvaro taking Raul Llorente’s left back spot and he had a fine game, steady in defence and adventurous but never reckless in attack. Salamanca looked a poor advert for fourth place and had little to offer. Igor de Souza was a spectacular flop during his short spell up front for Tenerife and he showed he has not improved. Chechu tested thee visitors in the first minutes but Tenerife had the best player on the park in Suso, he forced an early save from Moreno and rode a tackle before shooting narrowly wide.

Aridane looked a bit slow again and at times drifted wide leaving the much smaller Suso to play as a target man. The ref had a poor game and favoured Salamanca all the way, Tenerife had two strong penalty appeals in the first half but he turned a deaf ear to both, the second trip on Chechu looked particularly obvious. The second half was only minutes old when Alvaro set Suso away, he raced at the goal and lobbed the ball over the advancing keeper. A few minutes later he was in a similar position and tucked the ball low past the bewildered keeper.

Salamanca went to ground at every opportunity but it wasn’t going to make a difference as the home side were well on top. Loro returned from injury to replace Cristo Martin just after he had gone close with a crisp shot. Aridane scuffed a shot when presented with a clear chance and Suso departed to loud applause as Nico came on. It was nice to have a two goal buffer as the minutes ticked away, even our imported jinx Dave Seddon from Leicester looked comfortable as his 22 game win less run departed. What a good way to start the year, a home win, a clean sheet, and still top of the table.

It may be the season of goodwill but football games still have to be won, there are no gifts. That was the painful lesson for CD Tenerife in their 0-0 draw at RSD Alcala, and it was underlined for CD Marino as they lost 2-0 at home to Atletico Madrid B.

Wins have been hard to find for CD Marino, they desperately need some new players and new ideas, they were too predictable against Atletico with strikers Balduino and particularly Noah constantly getting caught offside. Noah set the tone in the opening minute miss judging his charge, Balduino put a good chance wide a few minutes later. Madrid were fortunate when a loose ball was pounced on by Noah but the visiting keeper came out and managed to grab the ball just in time.

Madrid looked patient and well organized and began to increase their influence on the game, home goalie Alberto did well to clear with a two fisted punch. At the other end Balduino blasted wide and Noah put a soft shot straight at the goalie. Javi Marchena put over a classy cross from the left but there was no one on hand to give it the finish it deserved.

Madrid took the lead on the break five minutes before the break through Ivan, a little cruel on the balance of play but it’s all down to finishing. After the break Adan came on for Sandro, his height gave Madrid some problems but he was playing a bit too deep. Peraza cursed himself after putting the ball into the side netting rather than equalize and Noah got up ready to launch a strong header but Gil punched the ball clear. Noah had a good shout for a penalty when he was bundled over but the ref ignored it and from the break away Madrid went the length of the pitch. Rayco brought down Manquillo, the ref wasn’t so hesitant this time and Cidoncha converted the penalty . The January transfer window can’t come soon enough for the bottom of the table side.

The previous evening CD Tenerife failed to break down second from bottom RSD Alcala despite starting with two strikers, Aridane and Guillem. The duo had poor games and failed to really test the home defence. Chechu fired wide, Aridane failed to connect when free in front of goal, and Llorente curled a long shot over the bar. Alcala had their moments, Biendi shot wide after beating Moyano, Nana unleashed a thunder bolt which brought a great save from Sergio, and a free kick late in the first half also needed Sergio to be at his best.

Into the second half and Suso tested the home keeper with a long shot and then laid the ball off to Guillem who barely tickled the ball. Cristo replaced Suso and livened things up but the moves kept breaking down in front of goal. There was always a danger of a sucker punch, Ros broke up a break away and Tarantino headed a clearance as danger threatened.

It was good to see 19 year old Ayoze Perez make his senior debut after 71 minutes in place of Guillem, he certainly wasn’t overwhelmed. Chechu went close in the final minutes but Sergio had to make a superb save to keep the ball out of his top corner, and Llorente showed his defensive quality to race back and clear from Carlos. A draw is better than a defeat but it felt like a satsuma and a walnut when we were hoping for a gleaming new Christmas toy. Aviles kindly drew the next day leaving CD Tenerife top of the pile – now that’s what I call a Merry Christmas.

Maybe the score did flatter CD Tenerife but after recent slip ups, a 3-0 home win and a clean sheet was just what was needed to steady the ship. SS Reyes were a poor side with few threats but they were comfortably dispatched in front of a 7,454 crowd, not bad with Santa Cruz open for Christmas shopping.

The defence had become a worry so coach Alvaro Cervera brought back Bruno into the centre and it made a big difference. Suso was straight out of the traps and shot wide in the opening seconds, part of an early blitz that should have been converted into an early goal. The visiting keeper Angel was busy rushing out to clear with his head, feet, and then a full length dive. Cristo Martin was showing flashes of his best form in midfield and Inigo Ros worked hard to link defence to attack.

It took 40 minutes for the break through to come, a swinging ball in from Chechu was crying out for a head and Bruno showed his class with a strong header into the net. There was a scare just before the break as Javi Vicente flashed a shot across the Tenerife goal mouth but there was no one on hand to finish it off. Aridane was through just after the restart, again the keeper was strong and decisive. Chechu had a strong claim for a penalty when Bidari brought him down in the area but it was ignored, Cristo had a less convincing appeal and Suso couldn’t make his header count.

Aridane has been a bit of a cart horse lately but was at the races to nip in and beat the Reyes keeper after 63 minutes to make it 2-0. Suso was still full of running but took his charge too wide. Yeray came on for Tarantino, allowing Medina to drop back into defence, and Nico replaced Cristo. Aridane could have took his seasons tally to 12 goals but the goalie claimed the ball from his feet, a few minutes later a loose ball bounced off his chest and back to the keeper before he had chance to react.

Guillem took over from Chechu who had enjoyed a productive game and it looked like that was the scoring over, however Guillem popped the ball through to Nico and he nipped in behind the defence and scored a cheeky injury time goal. How nice to be back to winning ways.

It was a double dip depression for me, a last gasp 1-1 draw for CD Marino was too little against close relegation rivals Zamora and the later TV game saw CD Tenerife continue their slide with a 2-0 defeat at Fuenlabrada.

New coach Jose Juan Almeida got little more than a polite ripple of a welcome in Las Americas from a depressingly small crowd of less than 150. Balduino had a weak early effort in a poor first half, Peraza and Javi on the wings tried to make an impact but Balduino and Noah were struggling up front. Natael slipped off his nose guard after the warm up and put his busted hooter in among some sturdy challenges but creativity was at a minimum for both sides.

Visiting keeper Miguel saw more action in the second half, a free kick from Maykel kept him alert and he had to frantically close the gap from a poor back pass as Noah raced in. Zamora relied heavily on the offside trap but Javi created a few good openings, Noah had a shout for a defenders hand ball but the ref wasn’t impressed. Marino were caught napping after 75 minutes, Zamora broke down the field and had time to square the ball unchallenged across the face of the goal for a simple tap in. Balduino fell heavily after a defender brushed him in the box and was aggrieved not to get anything, Pablo warming up on the touchline voiced his thoughts and got booked for his comments. An injury time free kick was the last chance, Almeida relayed instructions to the pitch and it did the trick as the kick beat the wall for Maykel to save a point.

Fast forward to a freezing compact Fuenlabrada ground just south of Madrid, CD Tenerife looked impressive in attack, a 6^th minute move from Chechu on the left via Cristo Martin to a Suso shot from the right didn’t get the goal it deserved. Medina held his centre back place with Yeray starting in midfield and Cristo back for the injured Loro. Llorente was on his away day excursions down the left, one led to Chechu hooking his shot up and over the bar. It was looking good until the home side had their first attack after 20 minutes and realized how poor the Tenerife defence was. Moyano had to mop up a couple of times after Pachon was free in front of goal and Lopez was having fun on the wing with Llorente not marking back. Lopez should have done better from a free kick on the half hour, Sergio pushed over another raid from Llorente’s vacant slot before the inevitable happened. A corner was floated into the box and hung in the air for Pachon to rise up and score with a free header.

It was more of the same after the break, Lopez again got room for a cross from Tenerife’s left, it missed the fallen Pachon but came to Reuben who swept it into the Tenerife net as the defence sat back. Coach Cervera brought on Guillem for Chechu but he and Aridane did nothing to threaten a revival. The full backs pushed up, Moyano cut in to feed Llorente but his shot was wild and high. A double substitution brought Nico and Jeremy on for Cristo and Medina, the French left winger showed some pace and ideas but Yeray was the only one making an effort to meet his creations. Suso blasted wide late on and supplied a header for Yeray but that also missed the target. These are testing times for the coach and his players, two strong results are needed or there wont be much ho ho ho in the Christmas break.

Was it some potent late night cheese or some dodgy mushrooms, this 1-1 home draw for CD Tenerife against Real Oviedo left me feeling dazed and confused. Another giveaway goal, bags full of missed chances, a torrential downpour, and even a mutant mascot – this game had the lot.

Coach Alvaro Cervera dropped centre back Bruno and brought Amado in from the wilderness and he had a very mixed half game. It was always going to be a tight encounter, Real Oviedo were cautious and reserved, Martinez made a couple of good openings but couldn’t turn them into goal threats even when Tarantino slipped up in front of him. Suso was his usual industrious self but Aridane looked ill at ease and couldn’t make his bulk count in the air.

The ball was in the visitors net after 40 minutes, Aridane finished off from a Chechu cross but it was just offside. Amado picked up a booking and that may have influenced the decision to replace him at half time with Yeray so that Medina could drop back into the defence. Loro was stretchered off with an ankle injury after Cerrajeria clattered into him off the ball and that heralded the arrival of Cristo Martin. Early fears were of a break but it looks like a bad sprain. The change seemed to fire up Tenerife, they lay siege to the Oviedo goal but bad misses like Suso into the side netting, and a weak Cristo shot at a nervy keeper failed to make the breakthrough.

Yeray was more creative but had the same finishing problems, Suso fired wide again Aridane missed an open goal but Suso was in the right place when a fortunate toe poke found him and he buried the ball for a 78 minute lead. The skies opened and drenched the stadium but it was a small price to pay for the victory that was surely in the bag.

Oviedo pushed for an equalizer with sub Busto giving them new purpose and when Llorente was easily out jumped and the ball fell within clearing distance of a static Medina, Cervero gratefully accepted the late gift. Maybe the mutant mascot was meant to console the 8,525 crowd but it had lousy timing as the game seeped away with two points dropped. On such a strange day we shouldn’t have been surprised to find that Real Aviles had drawn at home meaning no change at the top.

The unbeaten run had to end sometime but we weren’t expecting it at Sporting Gijon B, poor defending led to a 3-2 home win and some head scratching for coach Alvaro ahead of next weeks big home game with Real Oviedo.

Not surprisingly it was same again with the starting line up after the 4-0 home win last week, Suso had an early shot deflected over from a Chechu corner and at the over end Sporting had a half hearted penalty appeal after a push by Inigo Ros. There was a scare as Llorente lost the ball but it ended with a weak shop at Sergio Aragoneses, a few minutes later a home move down the left came to Moises who found room to score despite Tarantino (below) being close to him.

A quick reply was needed and it came thanks to Moyano going forward and crossing the ball into the box, it emerged from a crowd of players for Aridane to crack home an equalizer. Sporting relied on fast, quick breaks and Tenerife struggled to cope with them, Ros had to make two strong defensive interventions in one attack. Bustos put a clear chance wide after beating Bruno in the air and Querrero found space to fire on the turn but at the break it was still 1-1.

Tenerife’s best move was a cheeky back heel from Suso that Raul Llorente took inside before firing into the side netting. At the other end an incisive pass found Santi Jara free of markers and despite a Ros lunge he found the net. It could have got worse, Sergio got a foot to a goal bound shot and the rebound hit the bar and went over. Yeray had been warming up but after the goal Nico came on instead and his aggression won a corner but Loro couldn’t beat the keeper. Suso sliced through the home defence to find Aridane but the keeper was equal to his shot.

Moyano (above) offered hope netting from a mid air volley from the edge of the box after 68 minutes. Yeray replaced Chechu and Sergio had to pull off a couple of classy saves, the second a one handed dive from Jara. It seemed the danger had passed, Loro blasted wide from Nico and the last sub Jeremy made his full debut, the Frenchman got stuck in and showed some power and skill. Nico’s wide header looked a missed opportunity but the linesman had already signaled that Aridane was well offside. Oh well an away draw would still be a good return, it wasn’t to be though, with the last touch of the game Guerrero burst through with the defence missing, Bruno raced back but was too late to prevent him grabbing the winner.