How CD Marino didn’t win this game is mystery worthy of Agatha Christie. One goal ahead against a woefully poor San Fernando side who had a very uncertain goalkeeper, it just had to be a home win but in the end CD Marino were hanging on and in debt to Marco Cicovic for some terrific saves.

With a spate of injuries a reshuffle was needed, Josito took over at full back for Bradley Mills who broke his hand in the midweek Copa Heliodoro game. Vitaka replaced Javi Marchena and Kevin Castro was also missing. On the plus side Kiliam made his home debut in the heart of defence and looked a good solid signing. It was a good start for the blues, a well worked attack after four minutes found the Gran Canarian keeper fumbling the ball, it came out to Gaizka and he fired it in the net.

San Fernando relied heavily on a kick and rush style that wasn’t good to watch, Claudio put a free kick wide and with a terrific tackle from Mendy in the box and a sliding save from Marco Civovic the visitors threats came to nothing. Marino were missing the players that could take defenders on and slipped into playing a similar game to San Fernando. With the home initiative lost, the yellows fancied their chances and Javi looped a perfect shot inside the top corner of the Marino net to level five minutes before half time.

San Fernando continued to press at the start of the second half and Marco had to be at this best with two close range stops. Coly came close for Marino with a high header and Airam caught the keeper when he tried to head his team back in front. The Maspalomas bench made a double substitution with an eye to holding onto the point and when Kevin Sanchez replaced Vitaka he relayed instructions to try to spread the play wide. There was encouragement for the home crowd when the San Fernando goalie spilled a cross but it only brought a scrambled corner that was wasted. Suso came on for Gaizka, and would have given the width and speed that was needed but playing a more central role didn’t suit him.

Full back Josua became more of a playmaker for the visitors and he was getting more joy than their big kicks up field had produced. Marco came to the rescue again with a sharp low save and a clean take from the bulky sub Quintero. Coly laid the ball off to Suso and he got a tempting cross into the box but there was no player there to finish off the move. In the end Marino ran out of ideas and two vital points slipped away.

It wasn’t sexy, it wasn’t flashy, and it wasn’t thrilling, but this 2-0 home win over Alaves was just what CD Tenerife needed and new coach Pep Marti has a hard working, solid platform to build on. The home players had to grind the result out but when you are at the bottom end of the table that is often what makes the difference.

With just a couple of training sessions and a collection of video nasties, the former captain was playing catch up after he replaced the sacked Raul Agne. German was axed after his disastrous game last week and in his place Jorge put in an immense performance in the centre of defence. The Spain under 19 prospect was majestic and commanding, Alaves must have been cursing him on the long trek home. The pick of the crop was 17 year old striker Cristo Gonzalez, his work rate was incredible and he showed mature awareness to go with his undoubted talent.

Alaves are one of the fancied sides for promotion but they looked very average, Toquero carried their main threat and despite some tricky little runs Jorge had him in his pocket. It took nearly 30 minutes before the visitors tickled Dani Hernandez gloves, his response was quick and decisive. Pedro Martin was trying hard to climb out of his dip in form and came close with a wide effort, a free kick went the same way but at least Tenerife were making chances. Alaves had their best spell just before the break, Femenia tried his luck but Dani saw it off with his finger tips, and just before the whistle Toquero had a half chance that Jorge cleared with an outstretched leg.

It was a nervous half time break, the 7,907 crowd could sense that Alaves were there for the taking and Tenerife seemed of the same opinion, they came out fired up, Jorge going close with a header. The 59^th minute opener was a delight, Cristo laid on a top notch pass that  eased Pedro between two defenders before burying his shot in the net. That didn’t stop the new coach from replacing him a few minutes later with Omar and he also looked hungry for the victory. Alberto nearly increased the lead before Tomas Martinez came on for Suso and slotted into his right wing position. The Argentinian showed a liking for that wider role, hopefully he can now start to live up to his River Plate reputation.

Marti was doing a thorough stock take, he added Abel for Cristo in the final minutes and he only had a short wait to sample some celebrations. In injury time Aitor Sanz picked out Omar and he hit a stylish second goal pulling his shot just wide of the keeper. It meant a lot to everyone and fans spilled onto the pitch to embrace players who had leapt the hoardings, an arrest and a booking was a cruel response. On the day the win was more important than showboat football, it will take a while for Pep Marti to impose his own style. The bulging inbox on his desk and the niggling injuries on the training pitch will awaken him to the size of his task but the Heliodoro was a good place to be again after this win.

Sometimes you have to act on impulse, I had a plan for my latest visit to Santa Cruz but stepping out of the bus station the sheer sunny beauty of the day yanked at my arm to do something different. I’ve always intended to go up to the Mirador de Ifara to get some panoramic views of the Tenerife capital, and when better.

Subtle improvements were taking place at the Intercambiador, new bays were being created on the top floor and as I waited for the 912 Los Campitos bus opposite the tram terminus I noticed the indoor café had now spread beyond the glass with a few scattered tables complete with waiter service. My 20 minute frequency ride was a freebie on my bono ticket as I had recently got off another of their buses. After threading through the back streets the route rose steeply and a 30 minute ride overshot to the old, rural destination. I was looking for a formal mirador with a viewing platform but it’s much more casual than that. The driver dropped me on the main road back down and I found my own gaps in walls and fencing to admire the living map below me. There’s a lot of posh new housing in this area, the views and closeness to the big city must make it very expensive.

Taking the short walk down the winding road I was soon at Parque Garcia Sanabria, it had looked like a hemmed in square from up above but up close it charmed me as always with its mix of trees, flowers, and modern sculpture. Nearby was another long forgotten friend I needed to look up, Plaza de Los Patos has more ceramic tiles than your average DIY store, these are the type pieced together on walls for advertising but here they adorn 20 concrete benches and the central pond. It’s a pity the duck in the centre of the pond no longer squirts water and it’s hardly a puddle deep but the ornate frogs sit proud on the circular wall. I half expected a burst of Rupert and the Frog Chorus.

The port area always figures on my jaunts, there were no cruise ships in this time but a few heavy laden tankers lurked at the far end of the old loading area. Santa Cruz is still undergoing a big facelift, the Via Litoral coast road has been diverted through an underground tunnel and the bright modern design on the side wall caught my eye. Maybe it was a secret code or a mathematical formula, either way it cheers up what could be just dull concrete slabs. The marina was also getting a makeover, it’s startling how much difference some new tarmac paths and young palm trees can add a fresh feel.

The main purpose of my day out was to review the new touring exhibition from the Prado Museum in Madrid. More of that at a later date. The venue is the Caja Canarias bank HQ, they have held a series of high profile art shows, this one is free and on until 16 January 2016. While I was checking out the paintings I could hear music wafting through from their small theatre next door, it was an Afro Cuban Jazz Quartet, never let it be said that Tenerife lacks variety.

It was the opening day of the Exposaldo bargain sale at the Recinto Ferial hall so I had to pop in and see if anything tickled my wallet. With 180 stands the good people of Santa Cruz were keen to get in and entry was just one euro but what a crazy system. Visitors had to queue at the box office to pay their nugget and get a ticket before moving a few yards around the building to the entrance to have it checked on the way in. The queues at the box office were stretching back, I reckon quite a few people gave up. Once inside it was very busy laid out in blocks of rows with a large side section selling former hire cars. Goods included books, clothes, sports gear, toys, and even a sex boutique. The busiest of all seemed to be the Conforama home furnishings and electrical, the café area was doing a steady trade as well. If you read this in time the Exposaldo’s last day is Sunday 8 November and they are open 11 am to 9 pm.

That was about it for me, as always I still had more on my tick list but that’s just another excuse for a return visit. Even on my bus back to the south there were plenty of the distinctive orange and black bags from the Exposaldo. After a busy day I was looking forward to checking out the stock at The Victory and Zizzi’s Bar in Los Cristianos.

How dare the weather try to rob us of the return of waterski racing to Puerto Colon, thankfully the expertise and hunger of some of Europe’s top racers ensured half of the planned Tenerife Open International went ahead. Queues lined the pontoons of Puerto Colon marina as holiday makers waited to board pleasure boats, the sun sparkled off the sea, and the island of La Gomera was crystal clear. Sounds perfect but a yellow weather alert and strong waves rolling onto the beaches of Playa de Las Americas meant that Saturday’s action was postponed but it merely sharpened appetites for Sunday’s racing in improved conditions.

At least the cautious waiting on the opening day gave me a chance to catch up with competitors and families that I met at the World Championships at the same venue two years ago. This was a smaller field but 11 boats were assembled in the pits area with skiers, drivers, and in boat observers from Spain, Great Britain, Belgium, France, and Austria. The camaraderie of the enthusiasts overcame the need to ship boats in at great expense, some have a semi permanent home in the large boatyard, well Tenerife is growing as a centre for the sport. Skier Nadia Jay Mersey, driver Barry Clapson, and observer Simon Smith from Essex were pleased to get their hands on Kraken, their loaned boat.

It’s a sport for all ages, 15 year old Sarah Bennett, a GB skier from Norfolk couldn’t believe her luck when a pre planned Tenerife holiday coincided with the tournament. Part of her plan was to take part in Sunday’s twin skiers exhibition races but moving the main competition back a day stopped that. The pits were busy with fine tuning, not all of it high tech, washing up liquid was one of the most sought after commodities – good for easing the ski straps around the legs so I’m told. Safety always comes first for these daring participants so the news of Saturdays call off was accepted as a sensible move. A few of the boats did get to test the waters around a limited version of the long oval race course.

An early Sunday start found the waters in much more agreeable mood and they whizzed through the main competition before the big waves reared up again. Sarah Bennett got a third spot in the Euro Kids B category with Laura Fuentes winning. Euro Kids A went to Jorge Garcia, and Adrian Martin took the Junior crown with the Under 21 race going to Sergio Gutierez. Sabine Ortlieb of Austria took the ladies title before the mens final, trimmed from 45 to 35 minutes plus one lap. Belgium’s Robin Marien added the F2 title to his trophy win in last year’s Tenerife Open. The F3 champion was Marcos Llanos behind Crabzy. The weather may have conspired against them but waterski racing again proved that it can offer another exciting dimension to Tenerife’s sporting calendar. Even as they went through their paces news was breaking that Puerto Colon is in pole position to stage the 2016 European Championships.

If you like your sport fast, thrilling, and free you should head to Puerto Colon for the Tenerife Open International Waterski Racing Championships on Saturday 31st October and Sunday 1^st November. I love embracing different sports and two years ago I was hooked by the World Championships at the same venue, I was on the edge of my seat, well balancing on the rocks in front of the harbour wall.

The marina just below San Eugenio is best known to holiday makers as the starting point for whale and dolphin watching, scuba diving, sailing, and every type of water sport you could imagine. Two years ago that seven day event brought the cream of waterski racing from around the globe and thousands of new converts lapped up the action. Just a month ago the Spanish championships took place up the west coast in Playa San Juan, and previous events have been held in Los Gigantes. This year things are going to get even wetter and wilder as the weekend unfolds.

SAT 31^st OCT – OPEN RACE

2.30 to 3 pm Junior Under 21, Euro Kids A & B – 25 mins and one lap

3.40 to 4.15 pm Ladies F1 , F2 ,and Masters – 30 mins and one lap

4.55 to 5.45 pm Men F1, F2, F3 – 45 mins and one lap.

SUNDAY 1^st NOV – TWIN RACE

10.30 to 10.50 am Euro Kids, Juniors – 15 mins and one lap

11.00 to 11.55 am Ladies, Masters – 20 mins and one lap

12.40 to 1.05 pm   Men F1, F2, F3 – 25 mins and one lap

The championships will be decided on Saturday but there’s something very special on the Sunday, twin racing with two skiers behind each boat. This is a format usually seen in Australia but rarely in Europe, it’s an exhibition event and very spectacular. Both types of racing need a real team effort with different skills being displayed by the skier, the boat driver, and an all important observer facing out from the back of the boat, reading and relaying what’s going on in their wake to the driver.

This year competitors are converging from around Europe with skiing stars like Nico de Stoop, and Maikel de Block from Belgium, Sabine Ortieb from Austria (Ladies 4^th in 2013 Worlds) and many of the top Spanish enthusiasts. There’s British interest with Nadia Jay Mersey holding the rope behind driver Barry Clapson and observer Simon Smith, the Islington crew will be with the boat Novelero. With up to nine boats racing at a time the large oval circuit will be whipped up into a frenzy, and the spectators will feel similar sensations. It’s going to be an enthralling contest of speed, power, and skill, I hope to see loads of you down there at Puerto Colon.

What an all action gut grabber of a game, all we ask as fans is for players with as much passion and heart as ourselves. We got that and much more as CD Tenerife put the brakes on Segunda Division leaders Osasuna for a 2-2 home draw. Goalie Dani Hernandez played on despite having a five staple repair job on his head, and the loss to hospital of concussed striker Nano galvanized the 9 players (oh yes just 9) to grab an injury time leveller.

Coach Raul Agne had some big decisions to make pre game, Choco passed a late fitness test on his leg but just how fit would he be, and Suso was suspended. Cristo Gonzalez got the nod over Nano and Omar started as the wing player, there was little time to settle before Torres flighted a long range free kick beyond Dani, it could have been a disaster but was merely a setback. Cristo headed narrowly over and back in defence German was having one of his best games with Alberto always willing to drop back, he did well to rob Pucko as he looked to shoot.

Nino was expected to be the big threat but Kodro was their danger man, our former hero still has a nose for goal though and could have headed a killer strike if Raul Camara hadn’t forced him wide. Dani is always bold and strong in the air, he rose high to deny Miguel with a clearing punch but the players collided and Dani came off worse with blood seeping from his head. The Venezuela keeper struggled on for the final 10 minutes of the half and despite needing Carlos Ruiz to take his goal kicks he still managed a stunning finger tip save. The pain must have been considerable but was made bearable in injury time when Cristo tucked the ball in the visitors net after good work from Omar.

Tenerife re-emerged with Dani’s wound clamped together and within minutes Raul Camara got booked, that takes his tally to an automatic one game ban. Worse followed as Alberto got a straight red for an elbow in the face of Merino, maybe it was payback for previous rough treatment but it wasn’t subtle, and not what we needed. Time for changes, Jairo replaced Cristo in time to see a corner converted by Oier and with a lead secured Osasuna resorted to spoiling tactics, the ref fell for the lot, their goalie Nauzet took every chance to sniff the grass and look in pain.

Choco arrived in place of Raul Camara and looked very sprightly, he was challenging for all the high balls and gave his team mates a big boost. Jairo nearly unlocked the door with a nifty little faint before a shot. Nano was the last throw of the dice but as he came down from a high head clash for a loose ball with Unai Garcia he had to be helped off before collapsing. The sight of the medics loading him on a stretcher and racing down the touchline to the exit had us all fearful. Four minutes of injury time were signaled and the ball fell to Nino with just Dani to beat, but he could only muster a scuffed shot. I’d like to think he didn’t have the heart to finish us off, or maybe our less than perfect pitch caught him out. What a reprieve, only seconds left, Tenerife charged, Choco got a touch in front of goal and German hooked it over the line for an emotional end to a thrilling game. That’s the spirit, that’s the buzz we live for, and that’s why we always dare to hope.

Bringing art to the people of south Tenerife has been a mission that I have enjoyed following so I was keen to see Art Box, the latest international exhibition from Ten-Diez. Their latest presentation found a modern, stylish home at Baobab Suites, just above Fañabe in Adeje and is on until 14th November.

The exhibition space just beyond reception allowed plenty of room to browse and enjoy the 200 works on offer. Some of the 41 artists were familiar to me from previous shows but as the reputation of Ten-Diez has grown so have the queue of potential exhibitors. The works were mainly photographic this time but Max Mala was the first to catch my eye with a display of richly textured urban sculptures next to a quartet of high fashion photos with a distinct Mary Quant sixties feel. Scotsman Andy McLeod had exploited the infrared spectrum to spin out some atmospheric black and white landscape shots.

Art is a very subjective thing, you can’t please everyone but Ten-Diez make sure there are plenty of diverse styles to cater to individual tastes. A more traditional large portrait came from thee brush of Jesus Martin with his El Arbol, a magnificent study of a tree of considerable character standing out against a Tenerife pine forest.

The artists eye can always pick out the changing moods of nature, reflected in the case of Ana Cristina Perez, by the coast and mountains. Nitgard chose unusual angles and light to make his point, and Dayana Dominguez found art in unusual settings. All the works on display are for sale, you can stretch to 1,550 euros or bag a unique addition to your wall for as little as 35 euros. The haunting faces of Toto Morin drew me to them, he really brought out the character in his eight subjects. Another quite startling collection was the Ghost Images of Los Realejos photographer Ohiane de Felipe, by super imposing two views in one picture it made a real impact.

The artists come from many different backgrounds, fine art, technical, or in the case of Dublin born Phil Crean, commercial photography but he showed in his Fluid Horizons that he can appreciate and capture the soul of an image. Subjects don’t have to be spectacular to attract the lens, Javier Gea made a strong case for the mundane with his black and white close ups of a pencil sharpner, and Jorge Bonet found a rich source in graffiti and an open book. Conflicting emotions were summoned up by David Malledo with a faces parted by darkness, light and shade combined perfectly to offer a new perspective.

Entry to the exhibition is free and hopefully you will find it interesting, uplifting, and inspiring. Opening times are 9 am to 11 pm everyday until 14 November, go and have a look, you may find that perfect unusual gift ready to leap out at you from the Art Box.

Like an out of body experience, it was a surreal feeling to be in the Heliodoro stadium with very few of my CD Tenerife friends around me, and red replacing blue and white as the dominant colour. International football had come to Tenerife, well the under 21 game between Spain and Sweden on the road to the Euro Championships in Poland 2017.

Three of us from the Armada Sur had parked up in the CC Meridiano car park and threaded our way through the back streets and a tide of Spain shirts and flags. Buying a ticket at the sales window (10 euros) was another novelty, the street stalls had loaded up with red scarves and replica shirts and it was pretty busy but I could only pick out a few familiar faces. I better explain at this point that there is a certain resistance to supporting Spain among my football friends, many are proud Canarians, new graffiti outside the stadium underlined that feeling. For me it was a rare chance to see a high profile game and future world stars.

The Heliodoro is owned by Santa Cruz Ayuntamiento (council) and FIFA had hired it for the night, that meant they had control of advertising, announcements etc but that still doesn’t excuse some of the glaring omissions and lack of any publicity for CD Tenerife. There was no programme, not even a team sheet, most of the stadium advertising hoardings had been covered over leaving just the FIFA approved sponsors to push their products. We were offered free plastic Spain flags at the turnstile but declined, inside our usual Popular Baja area was covered in red but I did spot a couple of Canarian independence flags and a few CDT shirts.

Onto the game, Spain dominated the opening exchanges and the Sweden goalie Cajtoft made some impressive saves. I took particular interest in Spain’s captain Deulofeu of Everton, and Bellerin (above) of Arsenal. The atmosphere was subdued, many of the 15,000 crowd were groups like school parties or youth football clubs, it reminded me of Home Internationals at Wembley years ago on school outings, the bits of singing and chanting that broke out were in quite high voices. Spain’s persistence paid off after 19 minutes when the classy Oliver Torres of Atletico Madrid scored from a Deulofeu pass. Both sides were struggling to cope with the poor state of the pitch, it hasn’t been good since rock band Maña performed on it a week before the season started. The ball wasn’t bouncing true, it bobbled when passes were made and little clumps were standing out, in fact the only ones liking the pitch were the flock of pigeons that kept landing and playing dare in front of the players.

The second half got off to a bad start for Spain, Saul got a second booking and was off, this derailed the reds and they never really recovered. Sweden seized the initiative and put the Spain goalie Kepa under siege. Despite the keepers valiant efforts Sweden broke through after 59 minutes with a goal from Engvall. From them on a draw seemed the likely outcome and it proved to be the case. As the players took their applause and left the pitch, Oliver Torres trotted down to our end of the ground and gave a Spain shirt to some female fans, well they were Atletico supporters as well, but a nice gesture. Sweden had done their PR bit the day before by inviting a large group of young Swedes from a local language school to their training session and they added a pocket of yellow high up in the far stand. It was nice to hear the PA blasting out Tenerife Adelante as we left the stadium, it all went off pretty well and there is more talk of a full international soon – best sort that pitch out though.

A shuffle of the young CD Marino pack brought an improved performance and plenty of spirit after the 7-0 defeat at Ibarra but they still ended on the wrong end of a 1-2 defeat at home to Lanzarote.

The visitors have built a strong, experienced squad over the last few seasons but were made to work all the way in an exciting game. There was an early warning as Javi pounced on a loose ball before shooting just wide of the post for Lanzarote. Sandro forced a free kick as he burst between two defenders down the left flank for Marino but Alberto missed the target. Coly started the game in midfield for the home side and what a terrier he looked with plenty of strength and determination in winning the ball and prompting some good Marino moves. Lanzarote were pinned down for much of the first half hour and were grateful to keeper Adrian for some timely saves.

The reds were full of danger and eager to shoot from distance but the home defence held firm and Cicovic cut out the hopeful high balls when they chanced their luck. The pace of full backs Bradley Mills and Connor allowed them to overlap and support the attack, Gaizka was struggling to shake off his markers and miss judged a tempting ball in from Sandro with the goal at his mercy. Sandro followed up with a stinging volley that the goalie did well to turn away one handed, at the other end it was Cicovic to the rescue as Vladimir cut in from the right but the home stopper was down to clear the shot away.

It needed something special to get the scoreboard moving, Coly had the perfect answer on the half hour, he used his strength to shrug off two defenders and create space for the opening goal. Marino fell for the sucker punch, straight from the kick off Lanzarote surged forward, switched the ball from right to left in front of goal and there was Javi to level. Both sides fancied their chances of taking a lead into the break, Kevin Castro unleashed a speculative shot that wasn’t far off the net and Lanzarote replied with their own long range effort that dipped just a little too late. It was a well balanced contest with plenty of promise for the second half.

Javi tested Cicovic within minutes of the restart, he snatched at his shot and the ball was met with a safe pair of hands. The blues keeper was at his best again a few minutes later with a two fisted punch clear when under pressure. Kevin Castro had recovered well from a knock to the head at the end of the first half and he blasted a shot just clear of the Lanzarote crossbar. It was still anyone’s game but Lanzarote were pushing forward, a ball into the box was partially cleared and fell to defender Miguel who smashed a long shot that flew over everyone’s heads and settled high in the net for a 1-2 lead.

Marino tried all their subs, Suso replaced Sandro and flew down the right wing before floating in a teasing cross that was just beyond the reach of Gaizka. The game was slipping away and Lanzarote sub Andrea missed two glorious chances, both hit across the face of the Marino goal. Marino had one last attempt in injury time when Cicovic became a roving goalie taking the ball up the field to Suso, his cross looked good but Mendy couldn’t keep his shot down and it cleared the bar as the referee blew the final whistle.

If Alberto’s injury time header had gone up, down, left, or right, instead of plumb at the Leganes keeper, CD Tenerife would have been celebrating a jammy 1-0 home win. But if doesn’t count for anything in football and a miserly 7,763 crowd were left to bemoan a dull 0-0 draw. Let’s not put it all on the young centre back, he had a good defensive game and there were plenty of other reasons why the revival spluttered this week.

Nano continued as the stand in striker for Choco who has continued his rich vein of form with Honduras in the Olympic qualifiers. Pedro could have set the tone for the game with an early goal but he dragged his shot wide of a gaping goal after a perfect feed from Suso but otherwise Tenerife’s game was littered with sloppy passes and a general lack of cohesion between the players. It was a blow losing Cristian Garcia with injury after 20 minutes, Ricardo replaced him, and had a dreadful game, I’ve seen broken subbuteo players spread the ball better .

Thankfully home keeper Dani was as bright as a button and was as good as an extra defender, he rushed out to clear danger with his feet and followed up with a solid low take. Raul Camara overlapped well on the right but fired wide of the target and Dani came to the rescue when Borja got in a clear shot only to see the goalie smother it. Time after time Tenerife moves broke down, Nano was struggling to make the most of pitiful service.

Pedro spurned a good chance after the break and Borja led the line for Leganes with two dangerous raids, both were dealt with by Alberto, the first shielded well for Dani to grab the ball and the second mopped up with a headed clearance. More attacking options were needed for CD Tenerife so it was an unwelcome surprise when coach Raul Agne swapped wide player Jairo for Nano after 60 minutes. The change earned some dissent from the crowd and failed to ignite the team. Suso came the closest to troubling the visiting keeper and with just 20 minutes left we hoped that Cristo Gonzalez or Tommy Martinez would be the swap for Aitor Sanz, instead we got another wide player Omar Perdomo. Highly rated Argentinian Tommy hasn’t had much chance to show his creative flair and must be picking splinters out of his rear after so much bench time.

Suddenly it was Omar overload as Leganes brought on former Tenerife youngster Omar Ramos, his recent rebuff of calls to return home and comments about returning later in his career when it suits him ensured he got plenty of unwanted advice from the crowd. Pedro thought he had redeemed for his earlier miss when he ran through to score but was called for a tight offside. Leganes had their chances to nick the game, Carlos Ruiz made a superb intervention to rob Ramos just outside the box and Borja launched himself at a free ball but directed it over the woodwork. That just left that last second Alberto header, Choco’s return can’t come soon enough but a bit more of last weeks spirit from the Almeria away draw would also be very useful.