62
9 APRIL - 15 APRIL 2010
defeat for FC Torrevieja The final whistle Another PUZOL 3 FC TORREVIEJA 1 Figures that batter Blatter
With Andy Kay
ANOTHER AWAY match and another defeat for FC Torrevieja, and after managing to keep eleven men on the field for their home draw with Gandia, they returned to keeping their poor disciplinary record in style by having two men sent off. The only good thing for Torry was that this match was brought forward to a Wednesday night, allowing Easter Day not to be spoilt by ninety minutes of disappointment. Director of Football, Tommy Taylor said:-“We pulled ourselves back into the game after being a tad unlucky to concede two goals, and then we made life impossible for ourselves with the sendings-off”. Things could all have gone a different way when Cristian Green hit the bar early on, and Torrevieja dominated the early exchanges. Puchol then scored for the home side very much against the run of play, and when Valero made it twonil, thirteen minutes later , Torrevieja were left very much reeling and wondering what had happened. It could have been three-nil down shortly afterwards, but for some fine
work by Aurelio in goal, who was back in the side after his one match suspension. Torrevieja were in danger of falling apart, but they got back into it on the stroke of halftime with Bailen hitting a free kick into the back of net, though the visitors returned to their old disciplinary misdemeanours as Purito was given his marching orders for a second yellow card. The second half offered little promise, as Carlos Dura made it three-one for Puzol thirteen minutes after the re-start, and nine minutes later Torrevieja’s day was complete as a second yellow card for Arrazola meant that they were down to just nine men. Incidentally five other Torrevieja players were cautioned as well. Torry’s consolation once again came in looking at other results which showed most of the teams below them dropping points. They have another stern test in front of them this Sunday at the Vicente Garcia stadium as they take on promotion contenders JB Cristo with a 5.00pm kick-off.
Victor penalty secures three points UD LAS PALMAS - 0 FC CARTAGENA - 1 Sepp Blatter
IT’S A GOOD job that Fifa is one of the richest sporting bodies out there, bearing in mind how much it must cost to transport Sepp Blatter to his Swiss base from whatever planet he’s living on these days. Mr B has taken another pop at the Premier League this week, saying it has fundamental flaws and should be run more like La Liga. Blatter trotted out a bunch of facts and statistics which, as is often the case with the Fifa president, don’t stand up under scrutiny. He said that most clubs in Spain belong to the fans, or socios. It turns out, after research by The Guardian, that the actual number is four out of forty from the top two divisions; hardly most then. More disturbing are the figures on debt. The overall debt of clubs in the top three divisions is £5 billion, more than in England. Of that, Barcelona and Real Madrid between them are £1 billion in the red. Added to that, 85% of clubs are behind on the payment of players’ wages and there are fears of a players’ strike. Of course, fans of Portsmouth will probably testify that the system in England is far from perfect but putting up the La Liga as the preferred model in taking yet another pot shot at the EPL shows just how poorly informed Blatter is. PEP TALK There is however, one thing British clubs could learn from Spain - and that’s how to play like Barcelona. The Catalan giants were magnificent against Arsenal midweek, winning their Champions League quarter final 6 – 3 on aggregate. Lionel Messi took all the plaudits for his four goals on the night, but for me, the real hero is coach pep Guardiola. It’s not just about how good Barca are going forward, but more about the work they put in when the other side have the ball. Arsenal were harried, jostled and chased out of their stride for the entire 90 minutes: a master class in getting big name players to put in the hard yards. With Guardiola at the helm, Barcelona could well successfully defend the Champions League title they won so handsomely last season. THE HAYEMAKER So, as predicted in this column, David Haye was too good for John Ruiz, becoming only the second man to stop the American in 13 years. Surely, Haye must now aim for a showdown with the Klitschko brothers. In fact, I’d take him to beat both of them on the same night! But somehow, I think the German based Ukrainians will do everything they can to avoid the Englishman. All you need to know about the kind of opponents that they prefer to fight is that on 29th May, the WBC champion Vitali will defend his title against Albert Sosnowski. Who? Apparently he’s the European champion though most experts will tell you that he’s a Polish journeyman with a padded record. Until recently, he was due to meet Audley Harrison before being offered a world title shot. How good is he? Well, let’s put it this way: Harrison was odds-on favourite to beat him. Haye would be too quick, too conditioned, too powerful and too talented for either of the Klitschko brothers. And they know it.
By Steve Hibberd EX VALLADOLID striker Victor Fernandez, made it 10 league goals for the season, when he coolly converted a 2nd half penalty, ultimately earning his side a precious win in the Canary Islands. Having lost their last 2 league matches, it was important that Cartagena got their promotion drive back on track inside the Gran Canaria Stadium against mid table Las Palmas. This win maintained 3rd slot in div 2a, but with so many clubs breathing down their neck, a good run of victories is essential if La Liga is to become more than just a dream. Top scorer Toche thought he has added to his tally on 17 mins, but his close range effort was rightly disallowed for offside. Midway
through the half, superb defensive play prevented the home side taking the lead, when with Ruben off his line, Herrero was on hand to block a goal bound shot. On 41 mins, Ruben breathed a sigh of relief when a powerful 20 yard drive by Leon, just squeezed the wrong side of the post. An off the ball foul on Mariano, resulted in Victor sending the keeper the wrong way from the resultant penalty on 47 mins. Leon was proving to be a real handful for Cartagena, finely illustrated when his long range free kick once again just missed the target. Near the end of the match, Las Palmas should have levelled the scores, but faced with only Ruben to beat, substitute Marquez shot horribly wide of the target.
Super heroes The netball team By Jack Troughton THE MEN and women sporting the badge of a well known brand of superhero swept the board in the Costa Blanca’s fourth annual International Mixed Netball tournament. Hosted once again by Javea Netball Club, the Super Subs triumphed in the ‘warm up’ versatility tournament and the main competition. Javea and Alfaz del Pi were joined by two teams from Brussels and five London-based sides for the netball weekend – a mixture of competitive sport and for the visitors, a chance to enjoy some Spanish hospitality. In the versatility contest – every player must change position in each match to test skill and teamwork – the Super Subs narrowly beat the Shabbu Nabbies into second place. And in the central competition, where the teams are split into two groups with the best and runner up of each making up semi-finalists, the two sides met again in a tough battle in the ultimate round, Super Subs winning 15-10. “Once again, we were delighted to play host to this successful event,” said Javea Netball Club’s Anita Grayson. “It
is now a firm fixture in Javea’s sporting calendar. Many of the players were returning for the fourth year and it was great to see so many familiar faces.” The umpire’s award for sportsmanship went to Super Freaks’ Vinian Kao; goal of the tournament was won by Ralph Risk of Super Subs; the player showing the most improvement was Sarah Cousins of Javea; the most consistent player was awarded to Namalee Kodikara of Super Freaks; while Shaun McGavin won the prize for creative centre court play. Caroline Pearson, of Highbury Groovers Orange, won an award for her excellent defending in the goal circle and team mate Sophie Lily was presented with an award for her excellent positional play at Wing Defence. Javea next host a women’s competition in May and Anita said “more players and umpires are desperately needed” to join a friendly club ready to welcome players of all abilities. Javea plays at L’Ancora Tennis Club every Wednesday evening from 20.00 until 21.30. For more information, call Anita on 660 782 165 or 966 472 169, or email anitagrayson@hotmail.com
FC CARTAGENA LINE-UP Ruben, Txiki, Mariano, Herrero, Signorino, Lafuente (Clavero), Balboa, Falcon (Gonzales), Exposito, Victor (Hector), Toche FORTHCOMING FIXTURE When Cartagena won 4-1 at Real Murcia last November, they announced to Spanish football that their promotion aspirations were for real. On Sunday 11 April ko 12pm (midday), at Cartagonova Stadium, part 2 of this epic local Murcian derby takes place. A sell out crowd of almost 15,000 baying fans, will be cheering on their team - an occasion not for the faint hearted!! For further info on FC Cartagena, visit www.gotocartago.com or www.futbolclubcartagena.com.
ANYONE FOR FOOTBALL? Aged Between 20 - 40 Call Doug on 628 789 335