Was that a clue to our fate? The back page advert on the Atletico Madrid programme was for sufferers of erectile disfunction, after the poor defensive show in the 3-1 away defeat, a win for Valladolid and a draw for Malaga, it’s looking like a stiff challenge to stay up.

Diving in a taxi and heading for the Atletico ground we had one eye on being cautious in enemy territory but getting out at a bar  just down from the stadium we let rip with a chorus of “Chicharrero de Corazon” which was warmly greeted by the friendly home fans. Into the stadium and up into the top tier, it was clear that this was going to be a near 50,000 full house. Some sky divers parachuted onto the pitch before the teams came out as the 500 CD Tenerife fans turned up the volume.

Atletico had Diego Forlan on the bench and gave a full debut to 19 year old Salvio and he really grabbed his chance. It took just 10 minutes for Aguero to sting Sergio in the Tenerife goal and Salvio pounced to crack the ball into the net for a 1-0 lead. Atletico looked strong, former Arsenal player Reyes was tormenting Hector and the CDT defence looked shaky. There was worse to come on the half hour as Varela burst forward on the right and delivered a great pass for Salvio to make it 2-0. Aragonoses was kep busy and made some strong saves as Atletico kept up the pressure.

Tenerife came out more determined in the second half, Dinei came on for Juanlu and added some punch to the attack. The sub set up Roman who continued his hot form by calmly firing the ball past the home keeper. It was enough to make Atletico worry and they brought on Forlan and Simao who were benched with the Europa Cup second leg with Liverpool in mind. Â Forlan was instumental in the third Madrid goal but it was Aguero who easily beat Sicilia and then placed the ball past Sergio. That killed off any Tenerife comeback hopes, the travelling fans did their best to lift the team but there was no way back.

Streaming out of the stadium we all got a bit seperated, my group started heading out of town before cutting back onto one of the main streets back up to the city centre. Needing a taxi we stopped at a bar for much needed beer and chatted to some local fans, all the ones we met were very welcoming and friendly even if the waiter was a miserable git and wouldn’t phone a taxi for us. We found that standing out in the busy road eventually worked and we sped back to our Irish bar for more beer and and chat with many of the other CDT fans. Sadly all good trips must come to an end and with 4am taxis ordered for the morning we headed back to the hotel.

It’s going to be tough to claw our way to safety in the last 4 games but there is always hope. As for Madrid, it was a cracking weekend and we will be back for more fun and games, whatever division we are in.

Smelling of fish, fire and sweat I was surprised that anyone would want to give me a hug but as Nino completed his hat trick in CD Tenerife’s 3-2 home win over Getafe, everyone was leaping on each other and dancing with joy. Malaga only drew 0-0 at home to Valladolid so the gap to safety is now just one point.

Lured up to Santa Cruz early by the pre match street party outside the stadium, I got the 111 Titsa bus and switched to the tram at Santa Cruz bus station. La Paz is the perfect stop for the stadium, a quick coffee and a stroll over the Barranco Santos bridge and I was in Calle Mutine below the Tribuna stand for noon. The giant paella was simmering nicely and the Dorada was going down well, a couple of nice young ladies were handing out flags and a decent crowd was building. The carnaval band didn’t appear but once the paella was served the queue swelled dramatically. By the time the CD Tenerife team coach arived at 2.15 there were nearly 1,000 fans in full voice with banners and drums in full support.

The match started with Getafe hungry to nail a European spot, they looked good with speedy wingers and Leon had already gone close by the time he hit their opener after 10 minutes. Tenerife got their bearings and started to take over the game, it was another scorching sunny day, a stark contrast to the freezing terraces when we went over to Getafe. The line up that won in Sporting was showing confidence and on the half hour, Nino levelled with a well met header from a telling Roman cross. It was all Tenerife now and Alfaro missed a couple of decent chances to snatch the lead.

Into the second half and Tenerife piled on the pressure, Roman saw his shot blocked by Torres and goalie Codina chased Nino wide of the goal and was grateful to team mate Mane for clearing the ball. The goal had to come and Bertran supplied the pass that let Nino in for a deserved lead. With the other scores going our way there was a bouyant mood in the crowd but Getafe were determined and equalised with a Casquero header. Now it was about character as well as ability, and CDT had plenty of both, Alfaro timed his pass perfectly to beat the offside trap and Nino was sharp to slip the ball past the keeper to round off a great hat trick.

Now all thoughts are on Atletico Madrid away next Sunday, many of us have booked flights and at the moment Madrid airport is open. If the planes are grounded we have a contingency plan that involves borrowing the Kon Tiki raft from the Pyramids of Guimar and finishing our journey on Space Hoppers.

Birds are singing in the trees, Spanish drivers are being courteous, politicians are telling the truth, and the taxman is handing out refunds – oh yes the world is looking wonderful this morning. What a difference a few days can make, last night CD Tenerife got their first away win of the season with a 2-0 victory at Sporting Gijon, and they were worthy winners.

Coach Oltra shuffled his pack, dropping below par Ricardo and bringing in Mikel Alonso and Roman Martinez in midfield, and giving a recall to Hector at left back to allow Sicilia to replace Manolo at the heart of defence. Sporting had the first chance of the game as Barral let rip after 4 minutes but Sergio Aragonoses made a confident save. Nino (below) looked more lively up front and went close racing through only to be denied by former CDT keeper Juan Pablo. Nino went agonisingly close late on in the half, his crisp shot shaving the Gijon post as Tenerife edged the play.

The second half started with Sergio again called into action, this time taking well from Cuevas. Tenerife looked more comfortable than on Saturday and put some good attacking moves together. Roman got in a strong header but the home keeper made a great save to keep the shot out. Nino was causing Sporting plenty of problems and shot wide again after 63 minutes but it had to be a win to give CDT any hope of avoiding the drop. The breakthrough came in the 70th minute, Sicilia put in a fine cross and Roman was on hand to fire the ball low past the keeper for a 1-0 lead.

We had been here before, so often the result has been snatched away late on, it was worrying to see Oltra bring on defensive subs, we can’t sit back on a lead. Thanks to a stroke of long overdue luck the second goal made the game safe, Arnolin made a half hearted clearance and Alfaro pounced to kill off the game and revive CD Tenerife’s survival hopes. That puts us 2 points behind Malaga in that safe 4th from bottom place but them and Racing play tonight, Valladolid won 2-1 over Sevilla to keep snapping at our heels.

Sunday is Getafe at home and the weekend after several hundred CDT fans will travel to Athletico Madrid with genuine hope of a win, the Armada Sur will be there in force.

Ring Ring….ah hello is that Injury Lawyers For You? Can I make a group claim against CD Tenerife on behalf of their fans, for breaking their hearts. I went to the crunch home game v Valladolid believing that this was the most important game in the survival battle but the team put in a gutless sloppy performance to draw 0-0.

Every time it gets tougher the fans dip a bit deeper into their bottomless well of passion, turning up early to greet CDT as they arrive at the stadium, more banners and tifo, rallying calls for action from all the peñas (fan clubs) and non stop chanting and singing on the terraces. Drawing or losing isn’t a sin as long as the players put their hearts into it, from the start against Valladolid, CD Tenerife showed no drive, no urgency and made unforced error after error.

The free fall visitors hadn’t scored in 3 games and had replaced their manager with Javier Clemente, a former CDT coach, with CDT 6 points adrift from safety and Valladolid just a point behind it was there for the taking. There was an early scare as Nauzet got clear but his soft shot hardly troubled Sergio in the home goal, Nino went wide soon after but the chances were few and far between in a dire first half that showed why both teams are deep in the relegation pooh. Early in to the game the scoreboard flashed up struggling Malaga’s home defeat to Sevilla, another incentive to go and grab the game but Tenerife didn’t respond.

Richi put the ball in the visitors net at the half hour mark but it was well offside and just a brief ray of hope. Tenerife couldn’t hold on to the ball, didn’t know what to do when they had it and there were no ideas coming from midfield. Ricardo was having his worst game in CDT colours, Nino looked lost up front, Alfaro had no spark and no one seemed to want to lead the team. The second half was just as bad, Sergio provided a lighter moment, racing out of his goal to clear an incoming ball with a flying header, but it was pretty grim.

Dinei came on for Juanlu to add some height but missed nearly all the headers he went for and Valladolid started to get a few chances, one a near gift as a looping back pass saw a mad scramble in front of goal. Alfaro headed over a decent chance before departing to make way for Mikel Alonso, our best holding midfielder, out of favour in recent weeks. So into the final furlong and Tenerife still looked pretty clueless, there were no Grand National winners here, just a load of tired old nags heading for the glue factory.

Many of the 15,800 crowd started to leave in the final ten minutes disheartened and let down by their heroes. You would need to be mad to want to watch this shower again, but we will be glued to the TV for the away game at Sporting on Tuesday night, back in the Heliodoro next Sunday for Getafe’s visit, and hundreds of us are booked up for the remaining away games. Yes we are mad, madly loyal and committed but it hurts when the management and players don’t seem to share that same burning desire.

Now where were we, oh yes I had a trip out to Pangbourne, very nice place and great pubs. The rain kept off for most of the time so me and my friend Dawn were able to explore and take some olde english pics. One of the old pubs straddles the border of Oxfordshire and West Berkshire and apparently old regulars used to swap from one bar to the other to get the extended opening hours.

On to Saturday and a chance to see my beloved Oxford City at Marston. When I paid to go in they told me to hang on to my ticket as it might get rained off and I could get a refund – does that include my flights? Anyway it didn’t look that bad although the pitch had more sand than Los Cristianos beach. The first half was good, City soared into a 2-o lead but half time brought torrential rain and the Hoops didn’t fancy it. Halesowen pulled a goal back and it was inevitable that they would get at least a draw. The referee who looked about 12 years old, added on loads of extra time as I stood getting soaked and of course Halesowen levelled about 10 minutes into the added on time.

Home to my parents, a quick change, food and Doctor Who and I was back out to meet my mate Alan for a few cheeky beers on the Cowley Road. My earlier rekkie had worked out and I found a pub I had never been in before, The Black Horse Hotel,who very obliginly put on Sky Sports for the Tenerife away game at Sevilla. As others got excited about the Haye fight on the big screen I sunk into despair as CDT lost 3-o. Not a great day but with a belly full of ale I retired for the night with the snore factory well and truly open for business. And still it continues…….

It’s strange what fires us up, I nearly hit the bar ceiling when CD Tenerife made it 1-1 at Malaga, it turned out to be a great point but more than that, it silenced the “sing when your winning” Malaga fans.

Points like this could be vital come the day of reckoning, Malaga were no great shakes but they came back from a 2-0 deficit in Santa Cruz so we had to be wary. Tenerife started well Juanlu sent a ball through for Nino but his little legs just left him a bit short to let off a shot. Malaga, like their fans seemd to lack passion and a half hearted Duda shot gave Sergio little trouble. Nino was again looking hungry, forcing Manua into a good save, Alfaro shot over from a free kick and Sicilia hit the bar, all good stuff. Ayoze forced a corner 5 minutes before the break and Alfaro set up Nino but he fired too high.

Culebras was again looking cool and assured in defence so it was a surprise to see him go off at half time for Luna, maybe an injury? Caidedo let rip a long shot that hit the Tenerife post and that seemed to wake his Malaga team up. The opening goal came from the right, a cross in to the CDT area was nodded down and Apono dived low to head it in the net. Not a true reflection of the game but to hear the Malaga fans discover their voices you would think they were world beaters.

Ayoze pounced on a bad clearance and was unlucky to see his snap shot go over the bar. Nino pushed forward but was blocked out by the home defence, it didn’t deter him and after 84 minutes he was clattered down in the box for a penalty. Wisely Alfaro stepped up after a few misses by Nino, his shot sent the keeper the wrong way and gave Tenerife some just reward, it also seemed to flick the off switch for the Malaga support.

Tenerife could have grabbed all three points late on, Omar curled a shot wide and Nino saw the home keepr nervously fall on his attempt. There was a bizarre ending in injury time, Ayoze was awarded a free kick but as he shaped up to take it the ref blew for the end of the game. Slowly things are looking more hopeful, lets hope that our rivals slip up, and look for more points at Sevilla next Saturday -live on Sky Sports 4.

Painfully close to a home win over a classy Villareal side, CD Tenerife were unlucky to only draw 2-2 after a storming second half display. A defeat for Zaragoza and a draw for Valladolid means that Tenerife are now within 2 points of that fourth from bottom safety spot.

Villareal showed their quality in the first half, fast, well organised and sharp in attack, they were a real handfull. Nino had the forst chance of the game for CDT but Fuster soon tested Segio Aragonoses in the home goal. Nino seemed to be playing too deep at times and it kept Tenerife’s chances down to a minimum. Ibagaza had the clearest chance of the half, his crisp shot was well saved by Sergio, back to his usual top form after last Saturdays wobbles.

As half time approached a goalless stalemate would have been very welcome but Juanlu made a stupid foul and from Ibagaza’s free kick the Braxilian striker headed Villareal into the lead. Tenerife reacted positively and came out for the second hald with all guns blazing. Ayoze, having another productive game, charged down the left and swung a cross in for Nino to level the scores after 60 minutes. From the resulting kick off Villareal broke but were stopped by Sergio making a decisive clean take of the ball.

Nino got into a good position on the right of the box and shot wide as Ayoze came racing in on the other side with a clear sight on goal. Alfaro missed a couple of decent chances, especially when he was through on goal and shot straight at the visiting keeper. Capdevilla nearly scored an own goal but was rescued by keeper Lopez, he made himself even more unpopular when his poor clearance ended up at the feet of Culebras who whacked it in the goal for a Tenerife lead.

Tenerife were the better side in the second half and deserved the victory but Villreal’s Rossi grabbed his chance, picking up the ball some 30 yards out and running for goal, he gave Culebras the slip and curled a fine shot into the net to deny Tenerife as the final minutes ticked away. There was another blow as Ayoze was stretchered off late in the game, hopefully he will be back soon to continue his great form. Â A cruel end to a gutsy display from CD Tenerife but encouraging for the trip to Malaga on Saturday.

This was always going to be the game that mattered most and CD Tenerife blew it in a nightmare first half. They just weren’t hungry enough, despite last weeks spirit soaring home win over Espanyol and knowing what was at stake. Xerez are not rock bottom by bad luck, they are a poor side but they were more physical and didn’t let Tenerife settle to their game.

Ayoze fired wide in the opening minutes but Calvo was soon tormenting them on the left wing whipping in a tempting high cross that Sergio plucked out of the air. The keeper was at fault soon after due to poor positioning, Bermejo rose for a free header and Sergio caught it just over the goal line. The nippy Calvo had switched to the left and 10 minutes later crossed the ball for Aythami to head the ball in the net after it rebounded down off the crossbar, Sergio again seemed to be off balance.

Richi tried to set up Alfaro but his shot was well saved by Chema in the home goal . The bruising Xerez defenders gave Tenerife few chances but Nino should have done better with a penalty for a hand ball just before the break. Sergio came to the rescue rushing out of his goal to clear an Xerez attack as his defence went missing but it was a pretty miserable half for Tenerife.

At least CDT came back out with a bit more aggression, Ayoze was close after breaking clear and then a great move reduced the arrears. Alfaro charged forward and put in a perfect hanging cross that Nino rose well to head into the home net. Xerez hit straight back with a breakaway, thankfully Michel wasted his chance shooting over the bar. Orellana tried a speculative chip and wasn’t far off target while Juanlu shot wide at the other end.

Dinei came on for the quiet Richi and added some muscle to the attack but Xerez were not about to let a rare victory slip away. Sicilia made a crucial tackle to halt a threatening Xerez attack, Calvo forced Sergio to rush and cover for his defence again, and Viqueira saw his long shot sail over the Tenerife goal. Redondo was sent off for a blatant high hand ball,anything would do to keep the win at this stage, Ricardo had a late chance that he drove into the home keeper but the away curse remained intact.

Valladolid picked up a surprise 2-0 win at Deportivo to pile the pressure back on Tenerife, another huge effort is needed at home to Villareal on Wednesday night, but no team can expect to stay up if they can’t win away at least once in a season.

We hoped and prayed that CD Tenerife would win this vital game, but noone quite expected such a clear and convincing victory. Espanyol didn’t know what hit them and Tenerife could have scored twice as many goals. It was obvious from the start the CDT were fired up and Ayoze nearly opened the scoring barely ten minutes into the game, his rasping shot stung the hands of visiting keeper Kameni.

Chances came and went for the home side and it seemed the old problem of poor finishing might crop up again. Alfaro had a great chance but couldn’t beat the keeper, it was down to Richi to make the breakthrough after 20 minutes. The midfielder unmeashed his shot and it deflected off defender Hartado and deceived the goalie as it went in the net. Kameni was kept busy as Tenerife swept forward, Richi nearly doubled the score on the half hour but Espanyol could only manage one decent shot during the half.

We are always nervous with a slender lead so it was reassuring to make it 2-0 a few minutes after the break. Verdu made a loose pass and Nino nipped in and robbed the ball before beating the keeper. That was enough to crank the noise levels up even higher as the 18,680 crowd celebrated. Espanyol threatened briefly as Verdu pulled a goal back after 70 minutes, but thius was Tenerife’s day and they rammed home their advantage. Roman flicked the ball on to Alfaro and he slipped it in the net to restore the two goal lead. Nino was looking much sharper and pounced on another chance, beating the keeper in a one on one challenge he placed the ball and it trickled over the line to make it 4-1.

The Heliodoro was rocking, the Mexican wave swept around the terraces and the fans belted out Chicharrero with full force. The new red and white charity ball was cerainly to Tenerife’s liking. The T90 Ascente is part of the Nike and La Liga campaign Lace Up -Save Lives to raise money to fight malaria around the globe. It was a great day for the fans after the peñas had a midweek clear the air meeting with the club. The Armada Sur increased it’s international following with two seperate groups of Swedish fans, including this delightful trio of fitness instructors – Ding Dong. We even had three Oxford United fans, I of course am an Oxford City fan.

Next week it’s bottom placed Xerez away, a chance to break the away duck and get this season rolling towards safety. Vamos Tenerife.

And the Oscar for worst defensive performance goes to…..CD Tenerife. Ok with captain Bertran out injured for a month, and Luna suspended, it was a patched up back four, but letting a 1-0 away lead slip to a 3-1 defeat at Deportivo made it 12 goals conceeded in the last 3 games. The win moved the hosts to fifth in La Liga, but they looked very ordinary and Tenerife’s goalie had a quiet evening – apart from picking out the ball.

Culebras came into the centre of defence, Hector went to left back and Sicilia moved to the captains berth. Deportivo started off as luke warm as their lowly crowd and CDT took advantage with a well worked opening goal after 17 minutes. Sicilia put in a perfect pass for Juanlu, and he turned superbly and placed his shot in the net. As always Tenerife were playing some good football with Alfaro looking much livelier than lately. Sadly a rare Deportivo raid just after the half hour was panic cleared out to Guardado on the wide open left wing, he crossed and Rodriquez rose for a free header to equalise.

Tenerife had more chances before the break, Juanlu floated the ball in but home keeper Aranzubia, beat Alfaro to the loose ball. Nino had a great opportunity, he let off a shot as a defender closed in on him but the goalie made a strong save. The little striker blasted another over the bar just after the re-start before Deportivo took the lead. Valaron crossed to Guardado, and as three CDT players tried to clear, he calmly scored.

Deportivo still looked a beatable side, Juanlu set up Alfaro but his glancing header went just wide, and Richi went close with a looping shot. Tenerife had 5 players behind the ball as Colloto moved in but they backed off and the home player took his chance for a 3-1 lead. The inevitable late changes saw Angel for Ayoze and Omar for Alfaro but despite another wide shot from Richi, the scoreline stayed the same.