It took 178 minutes and a questionable penalty

It took 178 minutes and a questionable penalty for UDLP to move into the lead. Not something I wpuld particularly want to shout about if I was a Las Palmas fan.
There were a selection of yellow cards on both sides culminating in David Medina being send off after the goal was scored by Las Palmas.
Tomorrow is the Trofeo Teide in La Orotava which will be interesting to see as Marino are at out level.


Foto ACAN/CD Tenerife

It's not great to be whistled at.

It is not unusual for me to blog two days in a row but I was interested in comments made by the players in the newspaper El Dia and wanted to translate them. 

In interviews after the game all three players interviewed commented that it was not great to be whistled at especially at home. 

The comments included:

Chechu - "We are pleased about the win, which is the most important thing but it isn't everything. When we reached the 2-0 unconsciously we moved back to hold the result and this is something we need to correct". He continued, " We need more control over the ball and if we manage this we will be able to make the most of our results and enjoy the games". He then commented that they need to keep working so they can, "play the whole 90 minutes as we did the first 45". When he was asked about the whistling in the stadium he answered; "The whistling makes me cross but that is how the fans show their unhappiness". He followed up by saying, "What we all want is to play well, and we go out to try to do this every week. The club has a lot of fans and the pressure is high but that pressure is also our advantage".  

Ferran Tacon - The author of the first goal talked about how the team needed to be more "stable". He then commented on how in the game against Rayo B they " always put  the same amount of effort but perhaps that was the only game where we played the same throughout". He then stated that, "It may well be nerves, we want to maintain the score. We played well in the first half and it was good to go ahead early and follow up with the second goal". 

David Medina - The central defender saw the difference in the first and second halves as "two games -  In the first half we were good, we managed to reach the goal area and score two goals, then there was the second half where we lost the ball and suffered". He finished, "We know what we are doing right and what is not so good and we hope to improve. There is still lots of league to play and with 28 points now we have room to manoeuvre".  

First away win

A second Monday in a row with my team at the top of the table.What more can any fan ask for. Game by game the team plan to work hard and achieve all our hopes. In a ground that CD Tenerife haven't lost a game, for 8 years, the players went out with the intention to fight hard and win.

And so it was, Richi Kitoko with his first game this season for the blue and whites scored after 8 minutes from an excelent pass by Ferran Tacon. Ferran had to wait until the second half to score himself. Add to the mix a goal from Perona with a shot at the far post and CD tenerife were leaders. this is too early in the season to matter but just for a moment they were there. Only in the closing minutes of the gane when the Canarians were tired did Sporting B look better. They fought back with a goal from Guerrero to bring the final score to 1-3.

Game notes

Sporting de Gijón B: Raúl; Pedro, Gálvez, Alain, Álex Menéndez; Landeira (Carlinos, min. 65), Barrera; Guerrero, Mera (Jara, min. 57), Muñiz; & Álex Serrano (Cruz, min. 65).

CD Tenerife: Aragoneses; Cristóbal, David Medina, Tarantino, Jonay (Jesús, min. 46); Ferrán Tacón, Marcos Rodríguez, Kitoko (Álvaro Zazo, min. 74), Víctor Bravo (Nico, min. 65); Perona & Kiko Ratón.

Referee: Javier González Arévalo, from Galicia, with assistants Alberto Zas Varela & Francisco Javier Rodríguez Campos. Yellow card for Sporting B player Gálvez (min. 36).

Goals: 0-1: (min 8): Kitoko. 0-2: (min 47) Perona. 0-3 (min 53) Ferrán Tacón. 1-3: (min 90) Guerrero.

Incidents: Played in the Estadio El Molinón. Grounds in good condition on a warm afternoon with about 500 spectators.



All the players interviewed were happy but still cautious. Cristobal talked about how winning gave you the energy to go on to the next game. Perona said, "it was easier than we expected, we can score and we played well". David Medina stated, "We need to be careful. We are on the right path but still we should play from game to game". Jesus was not only pleased to have started for the team but also, "sure the more important thing was to win". Marcos Rodriguez, who seems to have the mid-field under control talked about the cup game on Wednesday pointing out, "The Cup is as important as the league".

Coach Calderon was also interviewed after the game. The trainer from Andalucia comented on the fact it hadn't been an easy game, "We worked hard and the players finished very tired. They are hungry to win but this is a long race and we need to remain calm.It helped us that we played in El Molinon but it helped Sporting B as well. Today we are going to celebrate this victory but tomorrow we need to concentrate on the cup".

The cup game is against Cerceda on Wednesday in Galicia at 19.30 Tenerife time.

Calderon wants to work with the players who are here now to achieve an away win.

I have that feeling in my Tummy that I get when the team play well. The one I haven't felt for a very long time. The one where you wake up on a Monday morning and the world has an extra shine and work is even inviting. Now it is Friday and we are gearing up for the game on Sunday away in Gijon. The time has been reset to Sunday afternoon 5pm BST as the squad are not returning Sunday night. The first round of the cup is on Wednesday and the team CD Tenerife are playing Cerceda are in Galicia so the plan is to stay the three days, train away and return to the islands after the cup match.
20 players are on the list for coach Calderon. Razak, Sergio Aragoneses, Sergio Rodríguez, Cristóbal, Ayoze, David Medina, Tarantino, Jesús, Jonay, Ferrán Tacón, Nico, Kitoko, Abel, Zazo, Marcos Rodríguez, Víctor Bravo, Germán, Rubén Rosquete, Kiko Ratón & Perona. Kitoko's papers have finally arrived so he is ready to play if the mister decides he is ready. They fly out tomorrow morning from the south direct to Asturias and will train Saturday afternoon at 5pm BST in La Marera where they were due to have played the game on Sunday. Finally they will play in El Molinon, Sporting's main grounds.
Players interviewed today included David Medina who said, “we are very ambitious and really want these three points. The win last Sunday gave us a boost. We need to keep wining as the league is still very much in play”. He continued, “ If we want to to make this count we need to play well, at home and away. The Molinon stadium is impressive. I have had the chance to play there and it is always good to play in bigger grounds. We know it will be difficult but the plan is to go out and every way we can play well and achieve a positive result”.

Coach Calderon in his weekly press interview commented about new players, “up to the 31st of August we can sign someone. Right now we need to concentrate on the game this Sunday. We are going to meet a rival whose players are strong. They are big lads and have played together for a long time. We also need to remember what can happen with a corner or a free kick” said the Andalusian.
“We will try to play the same CD Tenerife that as on the pitch last Sunday. We want to see a committed, organised team. We have respect for our rival but we are going out to win. Kitoko's papers are here so he is another option. I have been thinking hard about the game and as I said we need to focus on the players who are here right now. The need to pull us through”.

Pedro Cordero at the presentation of David Medina

Pedro Cordero was there today for the presentation of new player David Medina who joined the team last week. After the medical he rushed to La Palma to take part in the team concentration there. He was presented in the Heliodoro press room today.
David talked about his decision to play for CD Tenerife and how although he had offers for other teams in the higher division and abroad finally he decided to come to Tenerife saying: “I am excited to be here and await the start of the season. It wasn't an easy decision as I had other offers but finally the interest CD Tenerife showed was what made me come here. It is also a big club with a great history and I am happy to play here”.
After the presentation Pedro Cordero was asked some questions and when asked about David Medina said “ he is an experienced player at this level and is convinced by the project we are preparing”. He continued, “it was not easy to persuade him to come as he had other offers but I am sure he will contribute balance and experience to the team”.
The sports director from Murcia then covered the most recent CD Tenerife news saying that,”Some of the players who are in the ERE might end up playing for us. The squad is not complete but we are now all rowing in the same direction so we can solve this problem”.
Cordero, also made reference to local Omar Ramos saying that “he is a player who is important for CD Tenerife and he may well be important on our path out of 2B”.
 
CD Tenerife, since they have returned from Barlovento, are not complete as a squad for 11/12 Cordero himself said, “some other players may arrive to reinforce the mid-field but we also have chances with the youth teams. Ayoze & Abel are playing well and we are all pleased with them”.
 
When asked about Zazo the most recent signing, who has still to pass his medical. Pedro Cordero said, “Zazo can play high balls very well and his is good in midfield”.
Finally he commented that the management were happy with the work realised till now and “we will try from the beginning to be at the top of the table in the league”

Don't forget that the next friendly game is in the south against CD Marino in the Los Cristianos stadium at 8.30pm on Wednesday.

David Medina says he is pleased to be here and wants to help.

David Medina, the latest signing for CD Tenerife is just waiting for his medical to be presented as the latest player with the blue and whites. On his way to Tenerife he stated the following, “It is great to be coming and I am sure this will be a great year. I am in a hurry to start training with my new colleagues”.
The Catalan mid-fielder who can also play in defensive position, admitted that as well as the option to come to Tenerife there were other offers from 2A. “There were offers from Segunda A and from abroad, but CD Tenerife is a historical team with a great name and I hope as much as I can to help this year”.
To finish, Medina commented on how pleased he was that Tenerife had faith in him. “I knew the club was interested in me. This is an honour and something that makes me very pleased” he finished.