It was harder work than it should have been, chances were squandered, and the team switched off for large parts of the game but a 1-o home win can never be a bad thing. Curuxo were another of the great unknowns, hailing from a town of just 5,000 people not much was expected of them and maybe CD Tenerife took them lightly. Tall forward Zurbano was the visitors biggest threat in the first half but became the biggest idiot with a suicidal sending off just into the second half to give Tenerife a man advantage that they struggled to exploit.

There’s no room to relax for CDT players under coach Calderon, he surprised everyone again by not returning fit again Perona to the starting attack, preferring to keep faith with Ruben Rosquete and he certainly madethe most of it. Nico got a start at the expense of Abel or Kitoko in midfield and Tenerife dominated the early play. Zurbano’s height was proving a problem for the home defence but Kiko and Rosquete had some good openings from moves down the flanks by Nico and Tacon (below). Alberto in the away goal looked pretty sound and contributed to stifling Tenerife’s goal ambitions.

Zurbano started to create more problems, Cristobal did well to head clear after the forward was through but just before half time Zurbano pushed his luck with a blatant hand ball that he tried to blame on a Tenerife player. A little melee near the benches saw three yellow cards dished out in the break including the big Coruxo forward, we were hoping he might get sent off and he obliged us a daft second yellow within two minutes of the restart – now surely it would be easy? Rosquete got his reward after 55 minutes with a well taken goal, quite a moment for the local player given a second chance at the club. A few minutes later he went off to loud applaude from the 10,229 crowd to be replaced by Perona.

Kiko was not having one of his best games and he couldn’t get the shots he needed on target, Josmar came on for Nico but was played wide on the left, a waste of his attacking talents. Perona put a weak shot straight into the goalies hands and then he and Kiko got in a muddle in front of goal and watched the ball trickle wide. Josmar had a cheeky attempt trying to chip the out of position keeper but he managed to claw it to safety. Coruxo had nothing to lose and with Tenerife sitting back they pushed forward. Sergio made a couple of strong saves, one shot flashed by the goal post, and Yeray, the La Palma born sub skied a clear chance with the goal gaping before him. It was a win, not comfortable in the end but they all count and Tenerife are back on top for at least a few hours.

It’s all about the squad for CD Tenerife this season as they fight for a quick return to the Segunda Division. Winning 2-1 at Albacete was pleasing on so many levels, the quality of opposition, a club we are familiar with from recent seasons, and most of all making not so obvious changes and being rewarded for them.

Going into the game Perona was missing through injury, last week at home his early departure saw German fill the void but it didn’t really work. Many of us expected Nico to come in from the start in a supporting role behind Kiko but coach Calderon went for Ruben Rosquete and he had a fine game. Also last week it seemed that Marcos and Kitoko were trying to play the same midfield role, another surprise change with Abel drafted in for Kitoko, the local lad also impressed as he did in the first game of the season.

Bright new talents are making their mark at Tenerife this season but the old reliables are giving them plenty of confidence, Sergio was again outstanding in goal, particularly with a great save just before Kiko grabbed the lead after 24 minutes. Victor Bravo (above) adds his own special qualities to the mix and he made it 2-0 after 30 minutes with a direct free kick, Tenerife were cruising. The second half saw the coach use all three subs, Kitoko for Bravo after 60 minutes, Nico for Rosquete 8 minutes later, and new boy Chechu Flores for Abel after 77 minutes.

Albacete pulled one back after 73 minutes through Calle after a slip up by Meji (above) but Tenerife stood firm and had chances to increase the score, Ferran Tacon moved into a more central attacking role to support Kiko. It was a momentous win in front of a paltry 4,000 crowd, even if it was the early morning after the areas big fiesta. It leaves Tenerife top and clear by one point ahead of La Roda and Lugo who look strong with a game in hand and their own 2-1 away win at Oviedo. On Sunday Coruxo are the visitors to Santa Cruz for another noon kick off, the attendance should easily bust through the 10,000 mark, the fans like what they are seeing.

This week has been a reality check for CD Tenerife, crashing out of the Copa del Rey 2-0 at lowly Cerceda on Wednesday was followed by a 1-1 home draw with UB Conquense. It’s already clear that CDT have some skillfull players and want to play a good attacking style of play but that may not be enough on its own, poor refereeing and teams with spoiler tactics will lay in wait at the most awkward moments. It’s gonna be quite a scrap to get promoted from Segunda B.

It was an early start for the first noon kick off and the Santa Cruz weather was in a playful mood mixing hot sunshine with clouds and heavy showers. The Tenerife defence has a good solid look to it these days, Tarantino and Medina make a good central pairing, Cristobal is cool on the ball at right back and Meji is an aggressive ball winner on the left. Conquense are not one of the fancied teams in this division and showed little in the early play but they created chances as the first half went on. Kiko was leading the line well for Tenerife but loosing the injured Perona after 25 minutes was a blow, German replaced him but lacks his team mates experience and eye for a half chance.

The visitors had already shown a glimpse of their cynical style in the first half and that got worse in the second half, the poor quality ref did little to discourage their diving and play acting. Kiko made it a good re-start with a chip shot in the area just 4 minutes in to make it 1-0, the 9,539 crowd hoped this would drive the clouds away but Conquense were stubborn and kept coming. Selva pulled them level pouncing on a free header after Sergio could only get a hand to a shot to deflect it off the post. Tenerife looked for a way back, a free kick bounced off the post, German had a decent opening but was squeezed out by two defenders, and Nico, on for Kitoko, was bundled down in the area with no penalty given.

The referee infuriated the crowd by missing several obvious fouls, even in the final minute Kiko was held down by an arm when through on goal. At the other end Conquense had their chances to grab the game but Sergio was on top of his game with some great saves especially from Cristian. A draw was not quite what we were looking for but it keeps Tenerife in top spot, with a tough away game at Albacete next Sunday.

The smiles were back at the Heliodoro, as a statement of intent this 3-0 home win over Vecindario was the perfect way to reward the 8,206 crowd at the start of a new era in the unknown waters of Segunda B. Pre season was a little disjointed with so many new players to bed in but it all came together with an all round solid team display brimming with individual creative flair and slick football.

There was a late scare when Kitoko’s clearance didn’t come through to resume last seasons loan so the midfielder was replaced by a home debut for local product Abel and he slotted in well looking very comfortable on the ball. The ink has only just dried on Luna’s new lower pay contract but it looks like he could be on the way out to a Segunda team, a niggling injury kept him out for the derby but Medina made an impressive replacement alongside Tarantino in the heart of the defence and Vecindario got little joy on their few first half attacks.

Up front Kiko (top pic) led the line with power and passion, a second minute header just missed the target, his presence and ability to hold the ball up was a gilt edged invite for Bravo and Ferran Tacon to carve out strong attacks. Marcos Rodriguez was a calm creative head in the centre of midfield and the whole team had a quiet confidence that inspired hope for the second half. Just two minutes after the restart Victor Bravo showed his class scoring a cool goal that was well deserved. Five minutes later another Bravo was there again this time laying off a perfect pass to Perona to make it 2-0. The players must have been sweltering in the 31 degree heat but they didn’t show it, Bravo made way for Nico and he was soon showing his attacking flair on the left wing. Sergio had a fairly quiet afternoon in the home goal but was alert to deny Ruyman after 65 minutes.

Holding and building on a lead has so often been a problem for Tenerife but there was a hunger in the team, the third goal was a beauty with the ball being stroked around from the back and taken on an agressive run by Nico (above) who finished with precision. There is a lot of versatility about the new squad, Nico and Tacon swapped flanks and looked equally at home, German came off the bech and was unlucky not to add a fourth goal and Perona nearly had the final work but the Vecindario keeper got a foot to his goal bound shot. It was hard to see any bad points about this game, even the silly bookings were missing. Fans are starting to get to know and appreciate the new players, Nico could well be the big crowd pleaser, he ran to the fans to milk the applause for his goal and was first to salute the supporters at the final whistle. Bring on the next game, it can’t come soon enough.

As religious pilgrims headed up the TF 1 motorway to Candelaria for the big holiday celebration a coach load of Armada Sur headed to Santa Cruz for the CD Tenerife presentation game against Las Palmas. I was longing to be back on the terracing at the Heliodoro but others were less keen, the wide open spaces reflected a poor crowd, reported in various outlets as 3,000 and 6,000 (don’t be so silly) it showed that the fans have to be won over again. A 1-0 defeat was an improvement on the 3-0 drubbing in Fridays away leg but it’s going to take some time for the new squad to settle.

The new home kit looked good as the squad posed for pre match photos, when the names were announced the last 3 contract rebels Bellvis, Hidalgo and Berenger were roundly booed and the Pios were met with silence as only a small handful of their fans travelled for this unwanted friendly. Tenerife played well in the first half, Kiko is a good target man but needs a younger faster striker to play off him, the big forward was a little blunt when through on goal and the Pio keeper as able to snatch the ball ooff him. Cristobal supported well from full back and Marcos Rodriguez showed plenty of industry at the heart of the team.

Tacon has impressed in the friendlies with his runs on the right and he teased Kiko with a great cross but the big man couldn’t provide the finish. Luna and Tarantino had a few shaky moments in the centre of the home defence but a score less half time was about right. Just after the break Suarez gave Las Palmas the lead with a free kick that brushed the post. Kiko had another good chance but hit it straight at the keeper. The substitutions came thick and fast and disturbed Tenerife’s rythmn. Nico was the pick of the replacements and Tarantino headed his effort over the bar when he could have levelled. Jorge Perona (above 11) showed some nice touches but when Kiko hit the post it seemed to confirm that the home goal wasn’t coming, those goals will need to flow in the league. It all gets serious next Sunday with the visit of Vecindario but there may be a few more signings before then.

The dust has not yet settled on CD Tenerife’s frantic summer but with this 5th pre season friendly we were expecting a glimpse of the favoured starting line up. Real Madrid Castilla (B team) were not the big draw of previous seasons and that was reflected in the less busy streets of La Orotava as we made our way to the game. The Teide Trophy was up for grabs but ending goal less it was down to penalties, no extra time, to settle it 4-1 in favour of our Segunda B rivals.

The watery sun peeping out from the low cloud was probably the best weather I have seen for a game here, the southern blow torch heat was muffled by swathes of dark cloud as we reached the north airport and rain seemed briefly to be a possibility. A few beers and unexpected free tickets into the stadium put us in a good mood, Tenerife started with Sergio in goal, Cristobal and Meji at full back and Luna and Tarantino sharing the central defence. Many fans were hoping to spot future Madrid stars but they were a poor ill disciplined side with Alvaro Morata the only one showing any pedigree.

Tacon made some good runs on the right for Tenerife, Kiko was his usual handful as the main attacker and Perona looked a useful partner for him. Perona should have given CDT the lead but the goalie prodded a foot out to stop his shot after 20 minutes. The referee was card happy from the off and Madrids loose tackles didn’t help them, Vazquez got a straight red after 23 minutes but Tenerife couldn’t make the advantage pay and it was cancelled out when Meji went off for a second yellow just before half time.

The second half saw a few changes with latest addition Sergio Rodriguez making his debut replacing Perona. The rest of the Tenerife squad warmed up in the far corner near the large clutch of our fans and Julio Alvarez got a roasting, with Natalio taking a deal to get out of town Alvarez is getting the full glare for last seasons poor overpaid displays. Latest addition Sergio Rodriguez made his debut and another new boy Alvaro Zazo (above) nearly unlocked madrid after 68 minutes. Omar took to the field and showed some skill and urgency but after only 20 minutes he was holding his sides and looking like he had just run a marathon. Bravo and Raton combined well for another Tenerife chance but the game drifted towards spot kicks.

Cristobal skied his penalty over the bar, Bravo was on target but with Luna hitting a soft shot at the keeper Madrid kept cool and won 4-1. At the final whistle the usual friendly pitch invasion was allowed and players of both sides happily posed for photos and signed autographs. Not a lot learned from this game except that another forward would be handy and we are desperate for a strong leader to pull the players together as a unit.

In the great barbecue of football this first friendly game was the burnt neglected sauasge rather than prime steak but it’s very early days and so good to have CD Tenerife back in action. Granadilla looked the marginally better of the teams and ran out 2-1 winners, they had the advantage of having familiar team mates from a side that just missed out on promotion in the Tercera division play offs. Tenerife’s new siginings and B team youngsters made for a strange line up and with no team sheet and last years shirts we were struggling to work out who was who.

Meeting up pre match with the Frente at the barbecue area on the edge of town we were able to lubricate our voices and enjoy a master class from The General and Andy in fire lighting, I don’t think either were in the scouts although Andy claims to have had experience with the girl guides. It was a cloudy evening and quite cool compared with the south but nice to see old friends again so with some lightly warmed food in our stomachs we headed up to the ground. The CDT President worked a reduction for a large gang of us and we got in for 4 euros rather than 10, well that’s the least he owes us after the past 2 seasons.

Granadilla is a nice compact ground with an artificial pitch, some of our group headed for the bar but some of us had smuggled beer in and took our place on the far corner of the terracing.A few flares burst into life spreading a red haze across the stadium before the players ran out, it was spot the known face for us. Dani Mederos (above) from the B team was in goal, Luna was captain and in the heart of defence but apart from that it was guess work. Granadilla started strongly and caught the CDT defence cold, Peraza gave the home side the lead after 10 minutes and some failed clearances from our rear guard. A joke goal 5 minutes later made it 2-0, Carlitos scored when clearly way offside, the General raced around the pitch to impart some constructive criticism to the linesman but was told he was Croatian and understood little Spanish.

The second half saw wholesale changes, returning forward Kiko Raton gave Granadilla problems with his size and will be a great target man this season, Josmar came on and did some of his trickery but his passing let him down. The floodlights were poor and some areas of the pitch were like no go areas, another flare failed to dispel the gloom. Tenerife played better and started to put some moves together, Juan Ramos was fouled in the box and new boy Victor Bravo (without his friends Charlie Tango and Pappa Lima) converted the penalty. At times the game got so dull that we were distracted by the parking display going on behind the bank of terracing. the granadilla bar ran out of beer, a common theme at our friendlies, and a few resorted to wine, well they had also run out of meths. Difficult to read anything into this first run out at least the new coach will have got a few ideas of how to gell the squad into a winning unit.

It doesn’t make it any easier to take but it’s not just CD Tenerife that are drowning in a sea of debt, the financial crisis is putting the squeeze on sport on the seven islands and further afield in mainland Spain. Of course it doesn’t help if you have an incompetant President like Concepcion at CDT, I dread opening the papers each morning for fear of the latest self inlicted wound.

The last few weeks have been a real tirade of body blows to long suffering blanquiazul fans, we knew relegation to Segunda B would turn the screw on us but the club seem determined to make it as painful as possible. After a tearful farewell at the final home game Nino has signed for Osasuna in La Primera, one of several teams chasing him, but despite having three years on his contract no transfer fee has been mentioned. The 14 other players with time to run on their deals had to go to clear the sky high wage bill, some pay deals must have been made over a late night drinking session. Then the club sacked Arico born coach Amaral after just 10 games and with a years contract (80,000 euros) ahead of him, and it was revealed that the squad hadn’t been paid for the final few months of the season – oh shit.

Let me put this in some context, the LFP, players union announced that 300 players in the top two divisions of Spanish football had reported their clubs for outstanding wages. Further down the foundations were also rotting away, last week the league relegated 12 teams from Segunda B (Spains 3rd tier) to the Tercera due to outstanding debt, Palencia have since been reprieved but the other 11 have until noon on Monday 4 July to pay 400,000 to regain their Segunda B status. CD Tenerife could well be joining the big drop for their second relegation in a few months and third in two seasons, despite some deals being cut at least five players and coach Amaral want their full outstanding money now, some estimates put the immediate total at 4 million euros.

Looking at our neighbours, Fuerteventura went broke a couple of seasons ago, Lanzarote and Las Palmas B have turned down a chance to fill two of the Segunda B gaps as this late promotion comes with a 400,000 euros price tag. The senior Pios (Las Palmas) may have laughed at Tenerife’s drop but now they have lost their long term sponsor La Caja as the bank has been swallowed up by parent group Bankia, suddenly they are digging down the back of the sofa for money. The added problem with Canary Islands sports team is our location, playing in national Spanish leagues means expensive away games every two weeks.

Around 8 years ago the second biggest team in Tenerife was Tenerife Marichal, the ladies volleyball team, they dominated the Spanish league, always went to the finals of the Europen League, and played to regular crowds of 3,000 plus in Santa Cruz. Now unsponsored and just plain old CV Tenerife, they are about to fold due to lack of money and dwindling support. CV Tenerife Sur mens voleyball team in Los Cristianos have also suffered a similar fate. It’s gonna be a tough next few years, CD Tenerife will play to much smaller crowds in Segunda B or the Tercera next season, assuming we survive but the loyal hard core will stay, whether that will be enough for long term survival is another matter.

Four more debuts for players from the B team, and a squad with 10 Canarian born players, that must be the green shoots of hope for the future of CD Tenerife. Sadly our head gardener and President is already threatening to stamp all over next seasons chances of growth. Derby day at Las Palmas closed the season and although a 1-0 defeat to a penalty gave the Pios a chance to gloat even they must realise it was a hollow victory.

Some of the soon to depart were left out of the squad, in came Jesus at left back, Bruno at right back and Abel in the midfield, all did well and later Juan Ramon got a couple of minutes as the game drew to a close. For all their promise these young players will need a few old wise heads to guide them on the pitch, step forward two great role models, Mikel Alonso (above) and Sergio Aragoneses, both had outstanding games. President Concepcion has got the club in such a financial tangle that it threatens to strangle the life out of it and despite the midfielder and goalie wanting to stay on at reduced terms, the club is pushing them out of the door.

Meanwhile back in Pio land Sicila and Omar picked up knocks in the first 20 minutes and limped off putting more pressure on the mainly inexperienced side. The referee dealt a cruel blow after 26 minutes awarding a penalty even though the foul by Ricardo looked just outside the area. Suarez made it 1-0 but Tenerife were giving a , good account of themselves with just the final touch letting them down. With Nino now a fond memory German had a lot to do, sub Juanlu (below) put in a great free kick cross just before the break but no one could get a head on it and the ball went out of play thanks to a push on from the home keeper. The corner served up another chance but German shot wide.

Mikel was full of fire and ideas in the first half and Sergio looked his usual confident self in goal but was even better in the second opening with a fine tip over the bar from a Pio shot. I couldn’t help chuckling when Luna got booked and the caption said he would miss his next game – a nice welcome present to his next club. Suarez was always dangerous for Las Palmas and slipped the Tenerife defence only to find Sergio ready for him with a one handed save. Quero tried his luck but the unsighted Sergio got his fingers to that shot as well, the best was to follow as he pulled off two quick reflex saves in succession, one from an overhead kick – sheer class.

The Pios had another penalty awarded, this one more obvious as Prieto fouled in the box, Josico stepped up and found out for himself that Sergio was on top form. Juanlu slung in another tempting cross, Mikel got to it but his shot hit the home keeper in the wedding tackle. It could have been a shared result but Juanlu couldn’t put any power into his last minute shot. It’s going to be a long summer as the club juggles to pay off the players wages and possibly coach Amarals contract while trying to inspire some confidence for the start of Segunda B.

Was it goodbye or good riddance, in most cases the latter as CD Tenerife faced Ponferradina in the last home game of the relegation season. Another spectacular balls up on the management side meant a 5pm kick off on Champions League final night, all other teams were playing on Sunday, CDT didn’t object and a paltry 5,960 saw a poor 1-1 draw.

The game was secondary to Nino’s final home appearance before moving to another team, the little striker is a legend at the club partly for his goals but also for his work rate and commitment to the cause. A presentation before the game and banners thanking him for all his efforts set the scene, could he make it complete by scoring? It took just 15 minutes to answer that question, Mikel Alonso won the ball and set Nino away, he went wide and slipped a perfect shot past the visiting goalie and was greeted by a wave of heartfelt chants from the crowd.

Kitoko started in the centre of defence and did a good job of mopping up the Ponferradina attacks especially after 20 minutes when Sergio Aragoneses blocked a shot and Kitoko headed clear. The Tenerife goalie was also singled out for praise from the crowd, it remains to be seen if the club can hold onto him. Omar and Sicilia had chances on the same attack but couldn’t finish and Nino had another close call with a header on half time.

The second half saw a rise in volume to sing the praises of Nino, some of the seasons villains were also identified as a banner appeared accusing Ricardo and Bertran “they say the rats were first to abandon the ship” referring to the swiftness shown by both players to find a new club after both having woeful seasons for CDT. For 20 minutes Tenerife had a man advantage after Prieto was sent off with a second yellow card after a clash with Bellvis. It didn’t really work in Tenerife’s favour and was wiped out after 65 minutes when Bellvis (below) picked up a second yellow and also went off.

One of the best moves of a generally poor game came from German who put in a superb cross field pass to Omar but he was unable to convert it into a goal and was subbed just after to give Josmar a run out. The young Venezuelan again showed his promise and skill with a mazy dribble that took out 3 markers before a shot on goal. Acoran beat an impulsive clearance attempt by Sergio with a few minutes left to level the scores but the biggest cheers of the night came when Nino was taken off so he could receive the applause that he richly deserved, 17 goals again this season and maybe more to come in the Las Palmas derby away next week. It’s the end of an era, we hope that next season will bring new heroes and new triumphs but whatever happens Nino’s place in our hearts is secure.