Even more poignant on the 100th anniversary of the end of the first world war, there were millions of reasons to reflect and give thanks to those who gave their lives for a better world. Tenerife may be a far flung holiday fun spot but ex pats and tourists joined together on Sunday 11th November for the annual remembrance day services.

I ventured to Costa del Silencio for their outdoor service around the swimming pool of the Westhaven Bay complex. Medals shone in the bright sun but many of the faces echoed the dark memories of loss and suffering within their families. The comforting and financially supportive arm of the Royal British Legion embraces all outposts, and offers support and nurture to servicemen, servicewomen, and their families affected by all conflicts. Church services took place at six other venues across the south west of Tenerife but Costa del Silencio offers a unique setting, its view out to sea acting as a window to a wider and more turbulent world. Many people wore not just medals relating to their own service in recent conflicts, but also inherited medals from family no longer with us.

Wreaths were laid at the table and makeshift altar as several hundred people rose to sing the first of the hymns, lessons were read out by veterans, it was an emotional and testing time for them but there was no shortage of friends to encourage them along. It was noticeable that many younger people and a few children were in attendance, warnings unheeded and lessons learnt need to be shared with the next generation. I consider myself so lucky not to have been called upon to defend my privileged life, my grandad told me about a few of the horrors of WW1 but I wish I had asked him about more of his memories.

In keeping with the Tenerife setting, the British Vice Consul, Helen Diaz de Arcaya Keating, read the act of commitment in Spanish. More prayers and hymns, including Abide With Me, followed, and the act of remembrance reached down into many memories and many souls. “They shall not grow old, as we that are left grow old. Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun, and in the morning, we will remember them.”
This was followed by the last post, and an immaculate silence. One of the beauties of the setting is the closeness to the sea. A small pathway led down the cliff to a ledge where a wreath of poppies was cast onto the sea and joined by small wooden crosses thrown into the tide. It was a wonderful service to mark a special day, however the good work of the Royal British Legion goes on throughout the year. We have a lot to be grateful for.

Emerging up the dressing room steps of the Heliodoro stadium, Egatesa Granadilla Tenerife soaked up the adoration of 2,374 fans. CD Tenerife’s home ground in Santa Cruz may have been a bit bigger than their usual San Isidro setting but the ladies rose to the challenge with a confident and well deserved 2-1 league win over Sevilla.

Early exchanges were cautious but Maria Jose Perez showed her usual flair with a daring long range lob that beat former Granadilla goalie Noelia Ramos, and the bar. There was plenty of commitment from both sides, with 10 minutes gone Eva Llamas and Sevilla captain Ali clashed heads when leaping for a loose ball. Both needed treatment, and Ali returned to the pitch with her head swathed in bandages. Pinel of Sevilla made some speedy wide runs but the Granadilla defence coped well with her. Ivory Coast forward Ange Koko on the right for Granadilla posed plenty of problems for the visiting back line, and Martin-Prieto was unlucky to see her skewed shot rise over the bar.

The blue and whites were building the pressure on their mainland opponents. Martin-Prieto opened Sevilla up with a quick raid, Noelia couldn´t hold her shot, and Maria Jose buried it in the open net. The ref whistled for a harsh offside. Five minutes later their was a similar call when the same two players combined to bulge the net again. The lineswomans flag went up and despite captain Pisco pleading her case, the goal wasn´t given. Sevilla must have sensed a dip in the Granadilla morale, Amparito nipped past the Granadilla defence for a shot that Aline Reis couldn´t hold onto, leaving Pinel with an easy tap in lead. That brought an immediate response from the home side, a well measured ball from Joyce found Maria Jose in a good position but Lucia robbed the ball from her. Ange changed wings and found room on the left, Bores stopped her progress with an arm in the face, and a Pisco free kick just before the break came to nothing. They carried on their assault on goal in the second half, Joyce went close with an effort just the wrong side of the post. Within minutes Granadilla were level, a surge forward was partially repelled as far as Estella who stretched to poke the ball over the line. Sevilla were keen to restore their advantage, a hard shot was tipped over by the alert Aline Reis to keep them at bay. Martin-Prieto was close at the other end, beating Lara before putting her shot a little too high.

Ana Gonzalez and Sara Tui added new blood from the bench for Granadilla but it was Ange who made Noelia work hard to snuff out another opportunity. Estella thought she had got a second home goal, it was destined for the back of the net before Noelia produced a classy full stretch save. Jackie Simpson pushed up to add her power in the air to the Granadilla cause but going for the same high ball as Sevilla´s Lucia meant both players needed attention.Twice Paloma unleashed long shots to try to break the stale mate, neither brought their reward. Sevilla started to show more urgency, Morilla tried a delicate lob to let her fellow sub Olga through, the final shot missed the target.

With time running out, Noelia parried a shot from Ange and saved at the second attempt. Four minutes of injury time were signalled, Ange took off for another mazy run and picked out Paloma who’s finish was lethal to make it 2-1.The action switched to the other end where Olga floated in a hanging cross. Before a team mate could get to it, Brazilian Aline Reis plucked the ball down safely. That was the last chance, Granadilla just had enough seconds to take off Maria Jose, giving sub Natalia Ramos a brief moment to share the pitch with her sister Noelia. The final whistle brought joy to the crowd, the players, and recently appointed coach Pier Cherubino, on the ground he graced as a CD Tenerife player. Most important of all were the three league points that put Granadilla in fourth place, in Spain´s premier league.

From their promotion wave to their top of the table start to life in the Tercera Division, UD Tamaraceite have caused quite a stir as they swept long established teams before them. In the first half at CD Marino it was easy to see they had height, power, strength, and bags of confidence to fire them into a 0-2 lead. The home side had more youth team blues in their line up, and they learnt quickly to forge their raw talent into a formidable force, and ultimately were unlucky not to go one better than an impressive 2-2 draw.

A mix of injuries, suspensions, and absentees left gaps to be filled and positional changes to be made. Coach Zeben Hernandez had confidence in his young guns who have come up through the youth ranks together. Connor moved into central defence and inspired those around him, especially Niki at right back. Jony Cabrera again flew down the right wing, and Antonio Samuel still made his lightning breaks of the previous game but this time was overlapping from the left back role. Jonathan Sesma enjoyed more freedom as the lead striker with Gaizka tucked in just behind him.

In some ways, Tamaraceite´s hot form instilled some wariness in the home side. Zizu tested David in the opening minutes, but the keeper was equal to the shot. It took just 7 minutes for Eros to find the back of the home net from a Jose Maria pass. Big left back Jordan of the Gran Canarian side pushed forward and imposed himself at first on Niki but it didn´t last long. Making his own pitch long run, Niki got a great cross in that the goalie, Jonay, had to cut out. Gaizka won a midfield ball and passed on to Jony who found Antonio galloping in, his shot was a little wild but it showed that the visitors were vulnerable to pace.

Tamaraceite made their breaks in numbers with plenty of width and support from their defence, it paid off again after 25 minutes when Jordan picked out Borja for a clear shot to make it 0-2. They should have added a third a minute later, Jordan beat Jony and Niki before setting up Borja who made a mess of his shot. Niki showed his defensive coolness when he tidied up a dangerous loose ball back to David whilst under pressure. Jony made room for Ahmed to run at the away goalie, he scrambled the ball to safety. A third goal conceded before half time would have buried the game, Tamaraceite put more pressure on but the Marino defence stood firm despite Lopez Silva going down in search of a penalty.

Marino were more adventurous in the second half, after Niki had headed clear a Tamaraceite chance, Ahmed´s chipped into the box just eluding Sesma, both in the opening minutes. Jony felt hard done by after being hacked down in the penalty area, the ref didn’t want to know. Pace always worries defenders, Marino had already shown that they were full of running, bringing on another youth player, Djavan for Gaizka just added to the attacking threat. Quickness of reaction was also serving Marino well in defence, Alvarez and Borja combined well for the visitors but Niki nipped in and cut out the danger.

Sesma was enjoying being back in the initial eleven and cut in from the right only to see his shot go out of play after clipping the post. Marino deserved a goal for a slick move involving Niki and Jony that ended with Juanmi heading wide. Tamaraceite were pinned down, goalie Jonay rescued them by snatching the ball off Jony as he bore down on goal. A home goal was overdue, Antonio powered down the left and crossed the ball, Juanmi used his strength to drive the ball into the visitors net with 15 minutes left. Djavan got in on the act, turning Jordan easily and aiming at goal, a defender managed to get the loose ball back to his goalie but it was just a temporary reprieve.

Ahmed picked up a loose ball and picked his way through the Tamaraceite defence before burying the ball in the back of the net to level the scores. There was a frantic end to the game as Marino queued up to try to find a winner. Djavan had another chance that was stopped when the keeper rushed out to claim the ball. Prince easily beat Borja but he went over a little easily and got the free kick call. The final chance came in injury time, a Sesma cross was destined for the head of Djavan but he couldn’t get the direction he needed and it passed outside the post. The point kept Tamaraceite top of the pile, and Marino in 13^th place, a gallant draw and another boost for the future growing confidence of the home squad.

Even the sandy beaches of Los Cristianos have a rival when it comes to attracting competitive swimmers to the Tenerife municipality of Arona. There’s hardly a week goes by when an international swimming club doesn’t immerse itself in the eight lane, 50 metre Olympic sized pool at the Complejo Deportivo Jesus Dominguez Grillo in Avenida Chayofita. I caught up with some old friends from the Aards, and Banbridge Swimming Clubs from Northern Ireland, and found many newer, and older converts to the outdoor sports centre.

Team managers Michael Angus, and Fiona Cleland were two of the four coaches with a party of 30 male and female swimmers aged between 13 and 18 years old. “It’s half term so a good chance to get them together for some intensive warm weather training” explained Michael, a long term holiday visitor to Los Cristianos as well as an annual coaching swallow. “We have 230 swimmers just at Aards club, we have long term links with Banbridge and many of the swimmers know each other so there´s a good competitive but friendly edge to training.”

Fiona outlined the schedule for the week long visit. “We have two pool sessions a day, one early morning after a light breakfast, and one late afternoon. Fitness and technique are worked on but we like to have a different focus each session. Paradise Park hotel is our base, a short walk up and down the hill each work out, which helps to limber everyone up. It´s a comfortable base for us and they look after us well.” It isn´t just work, the swimmers had a few beach fun excercise sessions, and visited Siam Park water kingdom to enjoy some adventure rides. There are always targets to aim for as Michael outlined. “Next up are the Ulster short course, and Irish short course championships, the girls have the Ladies Junior championships ahead, and there around four or five swimmers who have realistic hopes of making the 2020 Tokyo Olympic squads.” It might seem a logistical nightmare to bring a large party of youngsters to Tenerife but Michael isn´t phased. “We fly in and out of Belfast International airport, we have a block of seats together, and everyone looks after their own kit.” Pointing to the distinctive orange, and lime green kit bags Michael chuckles. “The colour scheme makes it easier to pick out everyone as we spread through the airports.”

On the training camps, there are often other groups using some of the other lanes so they soon make new friends. Fiona pointed out a Swedish mother and her daughter who was over to sharpen up her own competitive skills. “We got chatting and invited her to join in our routines, its all good practice for mixing in international events.” There was a strong Northern Ireland influence as a separate Ulster Schools party (in blue) were also over with a break that overlapped the Aards and Banbridge schedule. They had an even longer history of Tenerife swimming as teacher Heather Henderson explained. “Ulster Schools used to pop over to train in Puerto de la Cruz 22 years ago, before moving down south a little later. We are slightly different to the other party, we have 25 swimmers, they have to qualify for the trip through school galas. During the week here we will put in 13 sessions of two hours each as we prepare for the All Ulster championships which include three areas in the south of Ireland as well. Our long term base has always ben the Bitacora Hotel on the edge of Playa de Las Americas, they always make us welcome and it’s a short walk from the pool.”

I have visited several other UK swimming clubs in Los Cristianos over the years, such as Southport, Camden, and Swansea, they all impressed with their dedication, good humour, and devotion to their chosen sport. Arona makes a big commitment to youth sport in the municipality, through football, athletics, and swimming and welcomes overseas parties to hire the facilities and enjoy the delightful weather. Commercial use of facilities at off peak times helps to balance the books, and it´s a pretty impressive way to show off the charms of Tenerife. A major refurb is on the way for the swimming complex but in the meantime it is of course open to the public, check out their Facebook page. You might not become a future medal winner but if it makes you as healthy and happy as the dedicated overseas visitors, that´s a golden reward in itself.

Despair, utter despair, that was the feeling in the Heliodoro stadium after four minutes, as CD Tenerife went 0-2 behind to Alcorcon. Redemption looked like an impossible dream against a team that had only conceded three goals in their first 10 league games but Tenerife slowly steadied the ship before unleashing a second half fight back to win the game 3-2.

Seats had hardly been filled when Alcorcon grabbed the quickest ever goal in the stadium after just 18 seconds. It was a comedy of errors as Alberto mistimed a sliding tackle on Sangall, and Dani Hernandez spilled the ball twice to present the visiting striker with a gift goal. The second goal also owed a lot to poor defending, Alberto made a hash of a tackle and the ball broke to Juan Munoz who tucked it just wide of diving Dani. Many fans feared a cricket score, to their credit Tenerife kept their composure with Suso taking the game to Alcorcon with a couple of lightning breaks.

Former home player Casadesus was back in town, this time in an opposition shirt, he was the pivotal link between their defence and attack, his pass to Nono was met with a wayward shot and a let off. The best home move of the first half came when Luis Perez robbed Nono, and fed the ball on to Suso via Jorge. The end product was lacking but it showed the home flame was still flickering. Casadesus was stretchered off five minutes from half time after he and Camille clashed going for the ball. That loss unsettled Alcorcon, and Tenerife nearly capitalised with an Alberto header that came back off the bar before the players took their break. Jose Luis Oltra must have had the paint peeling with his half time talk to the home players, they came out with a positive attitude that saw Milla go close with a clever corner.

The turning point was the introduction of forward Felip Malbasic for Tenerife. Even his odd glimpses of talent had deserted him this season but there was no faulting him from the second he ran onto the pitch. It was a gamble using him to replace Acosta but the Serbian played to his strengths, power, determination, and sheer persistence. Nano enjoyed having the big man make valuable space for him, the two combined perfectly after 57 minutes, Nano made the pass, and Malbasic crashed home his goal past a well beaten goalie. The chase was on. Tyronne (Tayron) made his comeback from seven months injured, replacing Luis Perez, a clear sign that Tenerife were going all out to catch Alcorcon. Camille was adding his sprints down the left, the Alcorcon goalie had to made a decisive take from a cross to Nano.

The home players were playing more as a unit and looking for each other. Malbasic held up the ball and played it ahead for Joao to chase but it ran on a bit too fast. Suso thought he had beaten the away defence, the goalie raced out to the rescue, the 9,016 crowd was buzzing with hope and anticipation. Even the ultra defensive midfielder Undabarrena managed to fire in a long, low shot to test the goalie. With 84 minutes gone, Luis Milla lined up to launch a free kick well outside the keepers area, he struck it with power and accuracy and it dipped over the defence and between the keepers outstretched hand and the post, a perfect equaliser. Nano was coaxing the crowd to turn the volume even higher and two minutes later they had good reason to celebrate.

Naranjo had done little since coming on for Joao, Malbasic burst through to the right of the away goal and sent in a looping shot just as Naranjo drifted in from the left to apply the touch it needed to steer the falling ball into the net. There was still work to do to keep their noses in front, Dani showed why the fans were still singing his name even after two below par games. A goal line save in the final minute of regular time, and a diving stop during an agonising five minutes of injury time sealed the win and lifted the spirits of fans and players alike. That moves Tenerife up to 16^th, the crowd added some late cries for the removal of President Concepcion, a recognition that long term internal problems linger at the club, but at least there is now something to build on and hope of climbing up the Segunda division table.

As if poor form and low confidence weren’t bad enough, CD Tenerife nearly sunk themselves with a couple of moments of individual stupidity at Real Zaragoza. A generous referee and a late face saver from Bryan Acosta saved a 1-1 draw but left the team in 19^th and trapped in the relegation zone. Coach Jose Luis Oltra tried another format for his 400^th match as a manager in the Second Division, and it did offer some hope. Nano survived a training ground ankle injury scare to pair up with Suso as central strikers, the five man defence had Luis Perez and Hector Hernandez ( in for sore throat sufferer Camille) to provide the width. Hector made early ground down the left past two defenders but his cross found empty space. Perez pumped a ball in from the right, an easy take for the home keeper. The home crowd had come to bury their under fire coach, Imanol Idiakez, rather than praise him, a wild shot from forward Pombo and a Delmas back pass from the half way line brought plenty of stick for the coach and players.

Suso was adjusting to his more central role, Acosta sent him a well weighted cross , he slipped the ball though the goalies legs and along the line but a defender spared his blushes and cleared the danger. That was about as good as it got for Tenerife in the first half, not enough players were creating space for decent shots. Zaragoza showed some urgency at the start of the second half, Pombo turned well to set up Lasure for a shot off the bar. The big forward set himself up for another attempt but Hector robbed him with an effective sliding tackle. There had been some niggling exchanges between the two sets of players in the first half but pushing and shoving as Zaragoza pressed Tenerife back brought a booking for Jorge’s agression that included a half hearted punch. The ref could have easily sent Jorge off but didn’t get a clear view of what went on. A crunching Munoz foul on Nano a few minutes later really lit the fuse. The home player had done his homework and clearly knew about Nano´s injury. After trying to hobble, Nano had to make way for sub Naranjo, while Munoz got a yellow card.

Suso was never going to be intimidated, he just played harder and better, he turned Lasure inside out before shooting wide. Joao came on later for Suso to try to exploit the left wing, his success was only limited. Munoz rode his luck again with a flying boot to stop a Naranjo run. The home crowd were stirred by their sides physical tactics and the players responded to the increased vocal backing. Pombo brought a smart save out of Dani Hernandez. Zaragoza sub Medina was lively, but should have connected with a shot fired across the Tenerife goal mouth.

With five minutes remaining It was shaping up for a goal less draw when Dani, under no real pressure, made a two handed push to the chest of Medina. It was sheer lunacy and a clear penalty that Delmas despatched swiftly. Tenerife brought on Malbasic for Hector to add a bit of late muscle up front but it was James who went close for Zaragoza. Six minutes into injury time, Joao was fouled, Luis Milla teed up the ball from the free kick, and Acosta leapt to head it into the goal. A great escape for Tenerife but the Zaragoza coach wasn’t as fortunate, he was sacked after the game.

Contented smiles radiated from CD Marino´s dressing room after a comfortable 4-0 home win over CD Union Puerto Rosario. It was a complete team performance but the emergence of players from the Tenerife clubs youth system is gathering pace. Jonathan Cabrera was the latest to make his mark with a debut senior goal.

The Fuerteventura visitors had two good breaks in the opening five minutes but were severely restricted after that. Antonio Samuel tested the visiting goalie, Paquito, from a corner, he was continuing his education on the left wing, and with Cabrera taking up the right flank, Marino had plenty of pace. Samuel was quick to react to a Marino free kick, his downward header was pounced on by Paquito. Union Puerto favoured the big boot up field, which left their forwards plenty to do, Cristian found himself if front of the Marino goal but struck out a foot and actually cleared the danger.

Connor was using his speed on the right to support the home attack, and wasn’t shy to have a pop at goal, the safe hands of Paquito covered his best effort. Marino were taking control of the game, Gaizka miscued one shot, and was robbed by central defender Teto as the goal beckoned. Chata was the most potent threat for the visitors, from a corner he struck the ball well but David turned it aside with ease. The home pressure was constant, when Union were struggling to cope with Samuel, Marino switched the play to the right and up popped Cabrera with a crisp goal past Paquito on the half hour.

Union Puerto tried to respond, a speedy break could have been the answer but Favarel was having none of it and his interception was well judged and effective. Union Puerto had to hang on for the remainder of the half as a rampant Marino lay siege to their goal. Samuel put a free kick over the bar, and Ammed fired wide when he could have laid the ball off to a team mate. The white shirted visitors were mightily pleased to hear the half time whistle. There was plenty more to come from Marino, Teto had to divert an Ammed shot for a corner that Samuel skied from the edge of the box. The only real threat to the home goal was when unmarked sub Lautaro aimed true but was thwarted by the outstretched hand of David.

The task got tougher for Union Puerto just after the hour when Chata picked up a second booking for a foul and was off. Prince had arrived from the subs bench and added his tricky runs to the Marino assault, Paquito did well to divert his early goal bound effort. The keeper was equally impressive when denying a rasping shot from Ammed a few minutes later. Brayan could have doubled the score, he jumped well before heading over under pressure from a challenge that looked like a foul. In the past, Marino have regretted not cashing in on their superiority, it wasn’t going to happen this time.

Prince carried on where he left off last home game, another mazy dribble unlocked the visitors defence and his finish gave the keeper no chance. The striker celebrated with the same enthusiasm he shows in his play, shirt off and sprinting out to the running track, his team mates had to catch him to mob him. The ref booked him for the shirt removal but at least looked apologetic for the compulsory punishment. Into the final 10 minutes and Ammed got his reward for another star display, his powerful drive left Paquito grasping at air. Jonathan Sesma had joined the party from the bench, Prince served him a tempting ball and Sesma placed it perfectly in the bottom corner of the net.

It was a very satisfying all round display from Marino that lifted them to 10^th place in group 12 of the Tercera Division. If they can pick up a few away points they should be able to push for a top four promotion play off place. There’s a nice mix to the squad and confidence is growing fast.

After three weeks of Virgen del Encarnacion celebrations, Adeje had one last flourish on the final Sunday as the romeria slowly edged its way up the Calle Grande. Tenerife has no shortage of fiestas but each regional variation is bursting with pride at their own particular slice of history and culture. Large carts trundled up the main avenue decked out with flowers, baskets and home produce, and pulled by powerful and majestic bullocks.

Arriving a little late due to football, I could have been forgiven for thinking I had missed the show. Council cleaners were already brushing the lower street and cleaning away all the debris but it was just an example of the efficient organisation, and they would not catch up to the moving tail of the procession until much later. Bars and restaurants in the street were spilling out onto pavement tables and chairs, and had been busy since mid morning. Local produce was getting plenty of attention today, wines, cheeses, breads, and meats cooked on small barbecues along the route.

It´s very much a family affair, children are encouraged to take an interest and to learn the traditional ways, they will be running future fiestas. Music and dancing were in full flow between the carts, and a huge stage awaited on the Plaza de España at the top of the street. Miss Sur had been duly elected the previous night and a succession of concerts had ensured late nights and tired feet. Calle Grande is a fine backdrop for the events of Adeje, the tight, steep street encourages mingling and friendship, the town hall is proud and imposing, and the church is rich with history. Adeje´s school of folklore ensures that there is a next generation of knowledgeable revellers, and they have all the moves.

The large statue of the Virgen held court in the doorway of the Iglesia de Santa Ursula church, and a smaller version stood just outside. Both were gathering points for family groups to pose after offering their homage. The main stage just below the church gets bigger every year and with the Barranco del Infierno gauging a deep path through the mountains behind it, the setting always inspires. Adeje is no museum piece, it has changed with the times and continues to do so. On my way down the hill on the more modern side of town, I could see the two new large underground parking areas taking shape, thousands of people flock to Adeje to bask in its charms, and the administrative hub of the municipality is there too.

The future was on the back burner for the revellers at the romeria, there was plenty to celebrate and the afternoon was a glorious, sunny one. Ancient and modern were destined to rub shoulders long into the night. If you want to take a peep at what goes on and what to explore in Adeje, keep an eye on their official website.

Visitors Lugo were in the pink after grinding out a 0-0 draw but CD Tenerife produced another shocking performance with chances squandered by their wayward strikers. The 10,074 crowds frustrations were rising faster than the shots that flew over the Lugo bar, and there were widespread chants for President Concepcion, and Director of Football, Serrano, to go after assembling a squad that has sleep walked into a relegation battle.

Coach Oltra is frantically trying to juggle his pack of players for a winning hand. Nano was back to lead the attack, his expensive strike partner Naranjo was consigned to the bench, and young Tanzanian striker Chilunda didn’t even make the squad after his 10 minute debut as sub the previous week. Paco Montañes got the nod for the starting eleven and was bright and breezy, straying inside from the left. Making space, Montañes laid the ball off to Luis Milla whose long shot was too high. Nano stumbled and could only manage a week strike after good work from Luis Perez.

When your down things don´t go for you, Tenerife should have been awarded a penalty after 14 minutes. Iriome rose through the youth ranks at Tenerife but was back with Lugo and cut down Camille when the home defender had made a good run into the penalty area. It looked a certain spot kick to everyone except the ref. Home heads started to drop and Lugo´s Dongou cut loose up front with a powerful header that Dani Hernandez took well. Tenerife suffered another cruel blow when the busy Montañes fell awkwardly after going for a header, and had to go off with an injury to a right leg muscle. Exactly a year ago Montañes had suffered an injury that kept him out for most of last season, this latest setback will side line him for up to four weeks.

On came Malbasic to fill the void, he flickers now and then but for a big built player, he doesn´t impose himself on the game and is frequently let down by his ball control and half hearted shots. The big Serbian couldn´t fault Suso for his hard won crosses from the right but his slow responses gave Juan Carlos an easy ride in goal. Sergio Gil came more into the game for Lugo, and combining with Dongou they forced Dani to tidy up at the post just prior to the break, and had Carlos Ruiz coming to the rescue for Tenerife just after the restart. Suso must have been getting pretty frustrated, everyone called for the ball when he flew down the wing, he found Malbasic who kicked it straight at a defender, it rebounded out and Camille popped it over the bar. At the other end it took a combination of Camille and Dani to keep Iriome at bay.

Tenerife were too slow and predictable, bringing on Joao Rodiguez for Carlos Ruiz on the hour helped, at least his pace on the left troubled the Lugo back four. The Colombian’s skills gave Malbasic two more golden opportunities which he couldn’t convert. It’s hard to believe that Tenerife have ever had such a collection of duds in front of goal, thankfully Lugo were not much sharper, Dongou and Gil showed they didn’t have their radar working. Acosta, just a couple of days back from Honduras duty, was the last home change as the negative Undabarrena went off. Naranjo is so poor he can’t even get on from the bench now.

Joao put a good ball in from a corner, it came to Nano who turned well in a tight spot and wasn’t far off the target. Luis Milla sent another free kick up and over goalie and post but even with the noon kick off, Tenerife wouldn’t have scored by midnight. The cries of “Concepcion Dimision” continued raining down from all around the stadium as the game fizzled out. The bad luck continued into the week with Nano straining an ankle at Wednesdays training session, making him doubtful for Sundays away game at Real Zaragoza. It’s hard to see how Tenerife can turn the season around, maybe B team hotshot Giovanni will get the call this weekend, otherwise the tea lady will be digging out her boots.

Strangled by the five man defensive system of coach Joe Luis Oltra, CD Tenerife were humbled 4-1 at Mallorca. The score flattered Mallorca a little as Tenerife matched their hosts for some of the second half but football is about scoring and defending, there were glaring errors in both departments for the visitors.

Any coach would struggle to squeeze some quality out of this poor Tenerife squad. Colombian winger Joao was still out injured, why do recoveries take so long for the blanquiazul? And striker Nano was ruled out of the trip after a family bereavement. From the kick off Gamez teased Hector, and after just four minutes Mallorca took a lead, exposing the Tenerife defence with a square ball that found Aridai unmarked to score. The only real Tenerife chance of the first half came from Naranjo who rose well to head on target before the goalie made a fine turn aside.

Abdon Prats was a waste of space during his spell with Tenerife but he was fired up to put one over his former team, Aridai set him up for a pop at goal, Jorge and Alberto managed to stop and clear it between them. The half hour was approaching when Gamez got the ball through to Lago Junior who doubled the lead with a header into the top corner of the Tenerife net. No strong holding midfielder and acres of space in midfield encouraged Mallorca to keep launching raids, just before the break, Aveldaño headed clear after Prats burst through. Oltra must have told a few home truths in the break, Tenerife came back out with a spring in their step. Hector made a good run and tested the goalie, Acosta managed a side shot at goal, and Suso forced a rescue dive from the keeper. Malbasic awoke and went close twice before the pressure paid off.

Luis Milla launched a corner into the box, home defender Salva Ruiz tried to clear but could only head into his own net. Technically that makes him Tenerife´s joint top goal scorer. It was a short lived moment of relief, Rodriguez roasted Hector and fed the ball via Aridai to Prats who gratefully popped it past Dani Hernandez. Montañes replaced Aveldaño and was soon in action playing a nice interchange with Malbasic before stumbling and only making a half contact with a shot. Tenerife had a bit more balance now, Milla linked with Acosta to set up Naranjo for a long range effort that the goalie stopped low at the post. With 16 minutes left and a faint hope of a comeback, forward Chilunda made his debut in place of Naranjo. The Tanzanian international couldn´t react quickly enough to exploit a Suso pass but hopefully a few games will sharpen him up.

The crushing blow came a few minutes later, Alberto made a half hearted tackle on Lopez who was able to score in the top corner past a static Dani. Luis Perez for Raul Camara was a pointless late change for Tenerife. It could have looked even bleaker as Mallorca´s Lopez skied an easy chance in injury time. The defeat dropped Tenerife back into 19th place, a relegation slot, and leaves a mountain of questions to be answered by club President Concepcion and player recruiting Sports Director, Serrano.