If Christopher Colombus could discover America after a stop off at the island of La Gomera, I felt I should at least do a little local exploring in the island’s capital city of San Sebastian. With the 28 crews of the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge heading for Antigua, something at least a little energetic was called for before taking the ferry back to Tenerife.

The Mirador de la Hila had already offered me rewarding views of the marina but after taking the steep stone steps up from behind the main plaza I was determined to press on up the corkscrew road. The views kept getting better, not just seawards but also inland to the folds of the hills. A tight corner brought me to the edge of an old parador, followed by an old water mill undergoing a facelift. I was on the cliff top road and the sign Camino del Faro showed me that I was on target to see the lighthouse I craned my neck to see on the ferry over.

There was a nice mix of old houses and new developments, tastefully kept to just two storeys and without any garish colour schemes. A couple of little shops and bars were shutting for an afternoon siesta, and the sun and gentle breeze wafted me along in a contented mood. The pink and white lighthouse stood proud but once I got closer I could see an older, squatter guardian nearer the cliff edge. The smaller version was built in 1903 and originally used combustable gas before being replaced at a later date by the more familiar style of lighthouse. It was very like the dual set up at Malpais de Rasca in the south of Tenerife. A tight, winding path carried on past the delightful buildings, and a craggy coastline threw sea spray up far below.

I slowly retraced my steps and noticed a small, leafy plaza, a few steps up from the road, two local old chaps were playing dominoes and enjoying a couple of cold beers. Back down at street level I had a wander down the main street from the plaza, looking up I could see a white cross on another hill, something to check out on my next visit. There were two churches on the quiet road, the large church of Assumption, and the tiny Ermita of Guadalupe.

La Gomera is very proud of its association with Christopher Columbus (Cristobal Colon) there was a small bust of the great explorer near the sea end of the street, best described as “different”. It looks like I feel some weekend mornings and was unveiled in 2006 by King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia of Spain. A much more noble tribute is the new full size statue near the plaza, unveiled in summer 2018. For such a small island, La Gomera packs in plenty of history. Through the archway cave on the far side of the ferry port, the Playa de la Cueva looked sedate and inviting, the view of Tenerife and Mount Teide differs from day to day depending on the weather. The old restaurant on this side has been closed and neglected for years, so it was a good sign to see workman repairing the surrounding courtyard. It meant that access to the rocky outcrop was closed, there is a metal bowl at its peak, it was lit up with a beacon from the Olympic torch for the 1968 Tokyo games, and the 50th anniversary was celebrated recently.

The rest of La Gomera is equally pleasing, I must revisit other points on the island, I checked out the bus station and Vallehermoso in the north is just a 75 minute ride away, and there are plenty of good walks to check out. My last trip around the island was shadowing a British Cycling team, those hill roads are real thrillers. San Sebastian in now firmly on the rowing map, another Atlantic Challenge takes place next year. The 45 minute crossing back to Tenerife was smooth and the ferry was quite full, La Gomera has won plenty more new admirers.

Bloated with food and drink, maybe snoring a little in front of HRH on the telly. Suddenly a jolt and a slap of salty water and they’re back in the real world, facing 40 foot waves, aching muscles, and curious creatures of the deep. That’s the festive scenario for the 28 crews in the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge, the rowing race that set out from La Gomera on 12th December, bound for Antigua, 3,000 miles away. I had the pleasure of meeting the crews in the marina in San Sebastian, a few days before they got into their cramped 8 metre long, 2 metre wide boats. What an incredible collection of people, here’s a quick look at some of their Christmas plans and their reasons for being so far away from the rustle of brightly coloured wrapping paper.

The festive season will still be jolly for the four female crew members of Astro To Atlantic from Devon. Helen Symons has a Boxing Day birthday to look forward to, and Louise Read her 50th birthday on New Years Eve. Sharing a passion to play hockey for Kingsbridge & Salcombe, the ladies are reaching high for the Devon Air Ambulance Trust after seeing the good work they do. Two on, two off rowing shifts will allow some sleeping time in the cabins as they set a cracking pace with the four mens record of 37 days as a guideline. Their special treats will be revealed from a stash of Santa snack bags, two of the crew admit to problems with sea sickness but hopefully that will be conquered in the early days.

Kelda Wood (above) from Shropshire has more room as a solo rower in Row To Raise but will have to be strong to cope with isolation and sleep deprivation. Catching sleep as the boat drifts is not a recipe for sweet dreams, and the sudden siren warning of near obstacles will lurk in the back of her tired mind. Kelda is a survivor, a love of horse riding turned sour when a heavy bundle of hay fell on her and nearly robbed her of one leg. That was in 2002, since then Kelda has recovered well and despite having a fused ankle she has hit life full on, including climbing the 6,900 metre Aconcagua mountain in Africa. Helping others to overcome physical and mental setbacks through her charity Climbing Out is her driving force, and her “crew mates” will help to make Christmas Day special. M.P the penguin is a gift from her niece, and Hardy will remind her of her own full size dogs. An inflatable Santa, and a boisterous sing song will confuse the seagulls but keep her mind positive.

Tim Crockett (above) moved from his native Hereford to Atlanta to get married 13 years ago but was lured home to train in his UK built boat, Tame The Kraken. The former marine and SBS veteran admits to having that sinking feeling when on a boating trip with the Hereford Rugby Colts as a youngster. Chopping the days at sea into six blocks of four hours, Tim will judge his sleep breaks according to the call of his body, and trust in a para anchor, a device that operates 20 feet below the sea´s surface to stop drifting. Combat Stress and Support Our Marines will benefit from his fund raising drive. Tim has a Christmas cake stashed away, but he will have to ration himself so it can deliver another lift for his New Years day birthday.

Not a crumb will be wasted from the rowing crews morale boosting morsels, and that´s music to the ears of the two woman crew of Whale Of A Time. Jemma Rix from Colchester works in the food industry and is passionate about cutting down food waste. “Most of our 500 dehydrated meals on board have come from what is often discarded as surplus, with good management and care so much food can have a longer use.” That expertise has given the ladies a real taste of yuletide tradition, they have dehydrated turkey to brighten their big day.
Lauren Woodwiss from Birmingham met Jemma at Reading University an had some running experience before the friends decided to enter the Challenge. They are going to try to mix rowing shifts to break the monotony and keep as fresh as possible. Their inspirational quote on the top of one cabin hatch, comes from the film Bridesmaids, but their charities are their biggest driving force. “We have chosen Cancer UK, and The Mintridge Foundation – they help children with mental and physical problems.”

Team Tyne Innovation are a mixed foursome of three men and one woman, and were late in completing their line up after a series of setbacks. Tyneside locals Phil Kite and Kate Hughes were joined in April 2018 by Steve Sidaway, and Allan Huntly from Stirling. Phil is confident that they have the right pieces in their jigsaw. “Fate has dealt us a good hand, we are going to enjoy the challenge and trust and understand our instincts along the way.” They have had help from sports psychologists and will have a crack at the mixed four record of 56 days.
They are using the trip to showcase a range of north east talent, the boats paintwork is from Gateshead, and the design is from Newcastle, it certainly catches the eye. Their charity is Daft As A Brush, offering practical support for cancer patients. Light relief from relentless rowing will come in the form of Secret Santa surprises including hats, false beards, and even a cigar or two.

Although the record finish for the Atlantic route stands at 29 days and 14 hours for a solo rower, it´s more of an endurance test than a race for most crews. The last finishers after a few are inevitably forced to cut the journey short, will take up to three months and have a lot of sleep deprivation, extreme weather, mental anguish, and disorientation to deal with. Even the build up of raising funds for boats and equipment before chasing donations to their charities, and training, are punishing but the journey will dish out new emotional highs and lows on a daily basis. The drama started early for Yorkshire team Men Of Oar, they found a small split on the join of the hull and had to return to the marina after just a few minutes, thankfully they repaired and regrouped and went out a day later.

You can track the race here, and donate to the above mentioned causes at the links on their boat names. They are all heroes.

Referee Ramos will find his mantle piece void of Christmas cards from CD Tenerife players and fans this festive season. More carrots with his turkey dinner are needed to improve his poor vision, he was the only person in the stadium who didn´t see Alex Barrera mug home sub Joao in the penalty area with 5 minutes left to play. As Joao did his best Victor Meldrew rant, the ref waved play on and the game ended 0-0 against Extremadura.
It was another poor home performance and with only two more games before the January transfer window, some players edged further towards the exit door. Defensively, CD Tenerife did well, Raul Camara put in a sprightly performance for the injured Luis Perez. Camille needed to lift his form after recent slack showings at left back, he looked much better, starting with a well timed kick out from an Extremadura header at the post. Camara made his mark with a robbing tackle on the Segunda Division top scorer, 14 goal Enric Gallego.

Suso was back in the starting line up, his threaded pass to Malbasic created the first home chance but the big Serbian striker shot at the keeper. Pardo wasted a clear opening by blasting the ball high and wide. Naranjo was looking his usual casual and ineffective self, a silly booking means he misses the derby game. Extremadura started the day just a couple of league places above Tenerife and needed a win, they were over reliant on Gallego and Alberto had him in his pocket for much of the game. Dani Hernandez also thwarted the hot shot by coming out to rob the ball off him. Suso and Naranjo both spurned decent late chances to leave the 9,313 crowd in low spirits at half time.

There was no lightning start to the second half so coach Oltra brought on Nano for the below par Montañes. The local born striker looked lively and could have scored within a minute after Malbasic powered through and slipped the ball across, Nano could only get a half touch to it. Some patient build up play from Tenerife hinted at better things but Undabarrena fired his shot skyward. Naranjo snapped out of his daydreams long enough to get behind the Extremadura defence and lay the ball off to Nano for a wayward header. The red and blues were uncomfortable with pace so Oltra added flying winger Joao in place of Suso. There was always a risk that chasing the game might let Extremadura in, Zarfino floated a cross in for Alabe to slide onto, Dani got his body behind the ball and blocked an attempt.

Joao looked odds on to at least test the goalie after weaving his way into the box, Barrera´s cynical charge was laughably obvious but the refs lack of action was far from funny. A late flurry could still have produced a winner. Gallego found some room and let the ball fly, Dani was down fast and covered the danger. Last Tenerife sub, Tyronne, got the ball to Malbasic on the left, he beat a defender before crossing into the centre, Nano´s shot was weak and easy meat for the keeper. It was a frustrating way to end the night, those goals just wont come, new strikers are needed, hopefully new sporting director, Victor Moreno, can conjure up a nugget in the transfer window.

Michael Bentine´s Potty Time sprung to mind as I towered over a Roman soldier keeping a watchful eye on a fish stall, and sheep crossing a bridge from a market. The delicate christmas music tinkling in the background was the clue that I was visiting the first of the belenes (nativity layouts) on my pre festive tour of Tenerife. This first port of call was the Casa de Los Capitanes just a short stroll from the tram terminus in La Laguna. This one is open Monday to Friday 10 to 2pm, and 4 to 8pm, only the morning hours on a Saturday.

Traditions are nice, and although I´m lacking in religious fervour, I enjoy checking out the good, the bad, and the tacky. Understated is often better, a waxy silver sprayed tree in the main shopping street caught my eye, but a giant blue and red present box left me underwhelmed. There was also a mixed response to the christmas market outside the glorious cathedral building. The food looked yummy but the garish coloured plastic tree seemed a bit out of place, and I couldn´t work out why they had sewing machines away in a manger. For a nice overview of the city, I paid a measley two euros to climb the five floors of the tower of Our Lady of the Concepcion. I could see as far as the north airport and also down the shopping streets, Gran Canaria (heaven forbid) lurked in the distance. I was a bit upset by the noticeable rise in graffiti in the main shopping streets, Santa Cruz issued 200 fines this year against roque scrawlers, maybe La Laguna should follow their lead.

The tram ride back down to Santa Cruz was smooth as always. A walk around the port added two new visiting ships to my collection, the slightly rusty Avontuur, a 1920 built cargo ship from Holland , and training ship, Alexander Von Humbolt 2 training ship also from Holland. The massive staging was also going up ready for The Jacksons upcoming concert, and the traditional Christmas Night free concert featuring the Tenerife Symphony Orchestra. By then it was time to say hello to a few more belenes, starting with the Cabildo (Tenerife government) building by the Plaza de España. This was very nice with lots of small scenes of everyday rural life packed in. Times are 9am to 9.30pm with an hour closed from 3 to 4pm. Only the first belen in La Laguna has a donation box, a shame as most people would gladly pop some loose change in a charity box.

Last of the Santa Cruz haul was the Fundacion Caja Canarias bank display in their big HQ building in Plaza de Patriotismo. This is always a favourite of mine as the light ebbs and flows to make the tall landscape pass from day to night in quick rotation. The little ponds have live fish in them, and the figures of workmen move and perform manual tasks. Aim for 10 to 1.30pm, and 5.30 to 8pm weekdays and Saturdays, with 10 to 1.30pm on Sundays.

That left me time for a wander around the shopping heart of the capital city. The festive lights burst into life prompt at 6pm and are a bit different this year, with giant baubles, and angels floating among the tree tops. How splendid and magical it all looked, unfortunately the magic was a little missing when I moved on to my main event, CD Tenerife v Extremadura, a painful 0-0 draw. Hopefully Santa will bring some new players for January and sprinkle some stardust on our season.

Skill alone is not enough to make a winning team. Hard work, good attitude, and working as a unit all play their part, CD Marino are now showing these qualities and the results are coming. This injury time 1-0 home win over Buzanada was richly deserved and the players are growing in stature each week. Even if Jonathan Sesma´s last gasp break through hadn´t arrived, it would have still been an impressive performance from both sides in a good old fashioned, hard fought local derby. Even the crowd showed an improvement,up to 400. Buzanada brought good support with them and there were also quite a few curious visitors keen to see latest signing, Mylan Carrasco, brother of Belgium star Yannick. Playing on the left wing he fitted in well and bought into the updated game plan of coach Zeben Hernandez.

The goalies were destined to make a big impact on the game, David responded well to his first minute test, and Edwing was equally decisive for the visitors to repel a Favarel shot from a Jony Cabrera right wing cross. Young right back Niki is playing like a seasoned veteran, quick to break, but always ready to clear danger, an early tap back to David snuffed out a Buzanada raid. Javi Gonzalez makes a powerful target man for Marino, Edwing had to be strong and quick in his duels with Javi for the high balls. Buzanada were looking for quick breaks to get at the home defence, Favarel dealt calmly with a twin assault as the white shirts surged forward.

Ahmed is another player who has made big strides, he gets involved all the time, is difficult to shake off the ball, and will take a shot at goal from anywhere. Juan and Benito were dangerous up front for Buzanada, they conjured up a low shot that David mopped up well with a decisive dive. Juan went close again as he squared up to David for a high ball, the home goalie stood tall and blocked the forwards aim. Just after 20 minutes, Buzanada were fuming after being denied a penalty. Arturo beat Saavedra and made to shoot, David stretched and cleared the ball from his feet. The attacker went down claiming David caught his foot, the ref thought otherwise, it looked a close call and the feeling of betrayal simmered for the rest of the game in the Buzanada players, and added more spice to an already hard fought contest.

Lionel set up a clear chance with a soaring free kick, Erwin rose to meet the ball but his header went wide to further frustrate the visitors. Guti had a similar experience for Marino, his floated corner found the head of Ahmed but his downward nod didn´t trouble the keeper. Mylan´s influence had been growing through the first half, winning balls in the air, and chesting them under control, he kept a good supply channel open. After the break, the new boy came close to adding to his previous weeks debut goal at Ibarra, this time Edwing blocked his attempt. David was having an exceptional game in the home goal, his anticipation was first class, and he commanded his area, dribbling the ball out and away for a throw in cleared another danger.

Buzanada had another, lesser shout for a spot kick, they were awarded a free kick on the edge of the Marino box but claimed the foul was inside. The claim hardly ruffled the home feathers, Antonio Samuel went flying up to the other end of the pitch and dropped in a lovely cross, Javi Gonzalez jumped for it but had to give second best to Edwing. Mylan will need a few games to get his full sharpness back, he was replaced by Jonathan Sesma after 67 minutes as the sides continued to struggle for top billing. Djavan came on for Javi Gonzalez a few minutes later, another of the youth prospects, Djavan was looking to add to a goal for the B team the day before. Borjita had his own ambitions to score for Buzanada, David was in place again to keep him at bay.

Sub Antonio spotted an opening for the visitors but was squeezed out by two Marino defenders, that brought another hopeful call for a penalty, the ref wasn’t even tempted and showed consistency a few minutes later when Diaz and Meñe closed out Djavan in an almost identical way. Sesma had been making Buzanada nervous with a series of dangerous corners, he went one better deep in injury time, by chasing across and squeezing the ball between goalie and post to ignite wild celebrations with his team mates. Buzanada didn´t have time to mount a serious late charge and trudged off with a few hard stares for the referee.

Senses were on high alert as the free Arona council bus dropped us in Valle San Lorenzo, just 20 minutes drive from Playa de Las Americas, and Los Cristianos. Tenerife loves to celebrate the traditions of Saint Andrew (San Andres) every 30th November, and the smokey smells combined with music, and the taste of chestnuts (castañas) drew thousands of revellers to the main street and Arona Farmers Market (Mercado del Agrucultor) of this popular town.

San Andres is the patron saint of wine and this is the time of year when the magic liquid reaches its peak in the barrels that are cracked open and bottles filled. At key points around Tenerife, such as Icod de Los Vinos, the wooden barrels are traditionally broken into makeshift karts to clatter down the steep streets during the celebrations. It was a bit more sedate in Valle San Lorenzo with wine served at the outdoor braziers where the chestnuts were cooked in cauldrons and pans. Wine and chestnuts were being snapped up in small one euro, or larger two euro plastic glasses, and paper bags, also with those same price and size choices. The queues stretched up the main street under the newly christened christmas lights threaded through the branches of the trees.

Just over a year ago, the Farmers Market was launched, the indoor hall provided a great central point to sample and buy local produce like vegetables, cheeses, bread, flowers and much more from 60 stalls. The Canarian folk group from Chasna provided a musical treat with traditional costumes and dancing, and children were distracted with art projects and even marzipan and chestnut modelling of animal figures. Every Saturday and Sunday the market is open to the public from 8 am to 2 pm with free parking next door and a free bus service from Playa de Las Americas through Los Cristianos and Chayofa from 10 am until the return run from 1 pm in Valle San Lorenzo.

A guide leaflet for the chestnut night listed six local bars and cafes offering a selection of chestnut influenced tapas snacks. I needed no encouragement to dip into such delights as chestnut mousse, croquettes, and chestnut ice cream. All that creative effort was much appreciated but my warmest glow came from the anticipation of queueing for a bag of chestnuts as the red hot favourites were scooped into an open paper bag to cup in my hands before picking the shells off and tasting the glorious flavour inside.

Elsewhere there was a large childrens play area where the youngsters were being shown how to make a snake of old cans to drag down the path. The clanking noise is another traditional way of celebrating the arrival of the years new batch of wine. One day may be the focus of the celebrations but outdoor chestnut stands sprout up for a few weeks from November and there are always great wines of many a vintage to enjoy in Tenerife. Long live tradition, I’ll drink to that…and eat to it!

Just a few days after the UK’s Brexit Treaty Of Withdrawal was presented by Theresa May, the British Ambassador to Spain, Simon Manley addressed some 200 Brits at the Hotel Villa Cortes in Arona. General reassurance of business as usual was well received but when questions were invited from the floor, it became clear that there are still some key areas of concern that need nailing down. The 587 page treaty has to be accepted by the British and European parliaments by March 2019 to become international law, but the ambassador stressed that nothing will change before the December 2020 transition date and the best way for Brits in Spain to protect their interests is still to register with the national police as residents, and on their local authority padron.

The mayor of Arona Jose Julian Mena opened the meeting by talking about the long history of British people living in Tenerife in general, and Arona in particular, over 7,000 are currently registered on the Arona padron. He spoke of the strong partnership between the communities and his hope that those ties would not be broken. Echoing that partnership, the ambassador reminded everyone that ongoing Brexit talks are also vital to ensure that Spanish living in the UK would also keep their current rights. Common ground will be a great help in pulling together some of the outstanding threads. Another key part of the ongoing talks is a determination to allow Brits to vote in local Spanish elections as well as in their own in the UK. This is not guaranteed at the moment in the new treaty.

Eager hands were soon up for open questions, many different circumstances exist among the ex pat population and this became clear in a question about how long part time residents can stay in Spain. This is another thing that is under discussion but cannot change until at least December 2020. Healthcare is always a sensitive issue, particularly who covers costs for treatment, Newcastle for many ex pat Brits. The questioner pointed out that Spanish claiming in the UK tend to be younger and less in need than those who have moved to Spain for a better climate in their later years. The Ambassador confirmed this and said that legislation going through the UK parliament now should allow for any imbalance in funds.

There are clearly a few more hoops to be jumped through but it was good to hear that many points raised were at least already on the minds of the Ambassador,and the British Consulate team which included Charmaine Arbouin (British Consul for Andalucia and the Canary Islands). Employment fitted in that bracket. An employer at a British School in Tenerife asked if there would be problems recruiting new British staff from the UK after Brexit had been fully installed. The Ambassador said he had been asked the same from a school in Madrid, one of 100 British schools in Spain. It was another key thing to be ironed out but again was equally important to the Spanish, there are 12,000 Spanish students in the UK, so plenty of common ground to pull an agreement together. Disinformation and rumours abound over Brexit, the Ambassador and the British Consulate staff were keen to remind people to use the official websites, and social media outlets that post all updates as new information is confirmed. Try Living In Spain  or this specialist Brexit site  Then there is the British Consulate site, or the Healthcare In Spain site.

Confident going forward but a bit naive in defence, CD Marino slipped into the bottom four with a 2-4 home defeat at the hands of high flying Santa Ursula. Even though the score flattered the visitors, it was a classic lesson in capitalising on scoring chances and shutting down opponents.

Sebas was to be the main tormentor for the north Tenerife visitors, he made his intentions known within a couple of minutes as he scooped a shot wide. Jony Cabrera was shaping up for a free shot at the visitors goal but keeper Juanje charged and stopped him, in the process he picked up a muscle strain that haunted the stopper all game. There was a different look to the Marino attack, with Javi Gonzalez taking over the central role and Juanmi adding strength and size alongside him that forced a Santa Ursula defender to intercept his early shot on behalf of his goalie. Yeray was instrumental in driving the visitors forward, his corner deserved a better finish from Joel. With just 20 minutes gone, Yeray found space out wide before crossing into the box for Sebas to snap up a goal as the Marino defence hesitated. Jonathan Sesma was sharp at the other end to send in a swinging shot that just missed the visitors goal. Javi Gonzalez turned Santa Ursula defender Mauro but was fouled before he could unleash a strike, the free kick from Saavedra was some way off target. Just as Marino were threatening to draw level, a speedy break from Pedro unlocked the Marino defence and he pushed on to make it 0-2.

A quick response was needed to stop Santa Ursula from killing the game, Niki provided it by sending across a deep ball from a corner for Javi Gonzalez to head past Juanje. Now it was the reds turn to drive forward and force a corner, Pedro played a long ball across but it had too much power and beat both teams players in front of goal. Yeray cut loose on the right and looked dangerous before Favarel robbed the ball off him. After the half time break, Marino replaced Niki with Ahmed, the pacey forward prompted more pressure on the visiting defence. Jony set up Javi for a decent effort but goalie Juanje cut out the danger. Santa Ursula were always willing to risk a shot, Yeray screwed a shot in from a long way out and it wasn´t far off the target. Joel thought he had an easy finish to extend the lead, David read his intent well and seized the ball at his feet.

Marino still had plenty to offer, a slick move saw Jony go close after some neat passing from Javi and Sesma. Antonio Samuel took to the pitch for Sesma and made a quick impression with a hard shot that Juanje took two attempts to gather safely. Another link up with Ahmed forced Juanje to be at his best again. Marino´s best moves weren´t quite enough to beat a strong, physical defence and a quality goalie, so they added another striker, Djavan in place of defender Connor. Juanje was in the front line again as Djavan challenged him for a high ball, both players fell to the ground, the keeper needing some attention to his niggling injury. The outfield players of Santa Ursula were constantly niggling at the Marino players with pushes and trips, they were determined to protect their advantage.
Another Marino attack saw the ball ricochet around the penalty area like a pinball, Juanmi had the vision to catch it at the right moment and force it into the reds net to tie the game with 10 minutes left.

The blues pushed up for a home win but it left them vulnerable at the rear. Ahmed stepped over a cross ball to let Samuel have a shot but it went wide. Santa Ursula spotted their chance and broke with Miguel riding a half challenge to regain the lead for his team as the final four minutes arrived. Marino kept on attacking but when they lost the ball deep into injury time, a long clearance found Sebas racing down the centre of the pitch to take on David, he slowed and took his time to pop the ball beyond the home keeper. All the youthful promise of recent weeks hasn´t stopped them sliding into the drop zone but reinforcements could put them back on track. Experienced goalie Brandon Hernandez has arrived, and Belgium forward Mylan Carrasco (brother of ex Monaco and Atletico Madrid player Yannick) has also signed.

Five mid week goals in a friendly at lowly La Orotava was supposed to sharpen up CD Tenerife but despite good build ups, they couldn´t find a way past Albacete and ended with a frustrating 0-0 home draw. A return to a traditional back four gave the side more stability, Malbasic hustled and bustled up front but goals were elusive, and they are the key to pulling away from the relegation zone.

At least a couple of wayward players returned to top form. Jorge was dominant in the centre of defence from the moment he saw off early danger from Febas. Eugeni had a pop for the visitors that produced a fine low save from Dani Hernandez to fend off the shadow of recent wobbly displays. Olivera gave Dani another chance to shine with a close effort that the keeper pounced on. That signalled a robust response from Tenerife, with Nano looking lively and forcing their goalie to smother his shot from the left. Luis Milla nearly caught them out with one of his curling shots, Zozulya had to look smart to clear the danger.

Albacete, nicknamed The Clockwork Cheese, arrived as one of the eye catching teams of the division, sitting in 5th place but only looked half wound up on the night. Febas wasted their clearest chance just before the break when he sent his free kick wide of the goal. With a little slice of luck, Tenerife could have been ahead but the breaks are hard to find when results have been poor. A foul on Malbasic gave Tenerife a free kick, four home players crowded around the ball before Luis Milla took a poor shot as Camille begged for the ball out wide. Alberto sprung up well to power in a header that the confident Nadal claimed well between the sticks.

Nano tried to set up Malbasic, his pass was a bit short for the charging Serbian, and another let off for the visitors. Suso was having a quiet game and gave way to Joao Rodriguez after 63 minutes, the Colombian still looked a little rusty after a recent lay off and needs to be stretched with a full 90 minutes. Jose Narranjo became the second sub, replacing Bryan Acosta who left with unfinished business. Acosta was a booking away from a one game suspension, and should have forced the extra card so the ban could be served when he was unavailable anyway on international duty for Honduras a few days later. Incredibly no one on the coaching staff reminded him of that little useful nugget, a worrying glimpse into the slack way the club is run.

There was still time to unlock Albacete, Luis Perez blasted a shot high, Naranjo struck hisi effort straight at a defender, and Camille’s aim was true but the goalie rode his luck, patting the shot down and grabbing the ball. There was a nasty clash of heads when Gentiletti and Naranjo went for the same ball, after lengthy treatment the Albacete player had to go off, Naranjo played on but felt the affects for a few days afterwards. Final home sub Tayron added some renewed urgency to Tenerife as he made some determined runs down the central channel. Malbasic bulldozed his way past the visiting defence and squared the ball across the face of the goal, Naranjo should have popped it in the net but ran over it without applying the needed touch.

The result could have gone either way in the closing minutes. Joao carved an opening but Jorge’s shot hit the post. At the other end Albacete had their own near thing when their attempt was thwarted by the woodwork. A draw was probably a fair result and leaves Tenerife hovering over the drop zone in 17th place. Coach Oltra has a long list of potential absentees for Saturdays trip to Osasuna, Jorge is on Spain under 21 duty, Acosta in Honduras, Alberto suspended, and injury niggles for Naranjo and Suso. January is six games away, Tenerife need to dip into the transfer market again, a goal scorer is an absolute must.

They love their golf and they love helping others. A keen field of 50 locally based golfers took on the challenging and visually pleasing Amarilla Golf Course for their annual Scottish Tenerife Open competition on 6th and 7th November. They doubled up on the previous year with a further 8,000 euros for FACT – Fighting Against Cancer Tenerife.

Starting each day just after 10 am with a shotgun start, they started at different holes to converge on the clubhouse for a well deserved cool off. After the score cards had all been tallied up, the winner was Alex McMullan, followed by Peter Hipkiss, with Mark Ross picking up third place, and Dean Adams clinching fourth position.
It wasn´t just down to the on green action. The money started rolling in with a Ladies Button competiton on the Monday at Bad Bobs Bar, netting 736 euros. On the Wednesday night, the presentations were made at The Crystal Palace on The Patch in Playa de Las Americas. Events on the night, and also at The Star Bar in San Eugenio swelled the funds to the new record return.

There were plenty of tales of shots just missed and luck deserting players on their crucial putts. There´s already a hunger to improve on personal performances next year, and a desire to push the fund raising total even higher. The cause is special to all the players and they can´t wait to take up the challenge again next year.