retired_Kemp

The suspense is killing me. :o

Come on. You can do it. :thup:

retired_bbcarr

i intend to not start anymore stories for a long time now bob, so the crown could be up for the taking

it'll be a tough ask to escape the drop but we know you can do it :thup:

retired_amyslack

Thanks for your support gentlemen. Terk - there's only one story whore - I don't even come close

April 2004

Sunday 4th
I am most anxious that we do our very best to keep our momentum going as 10th place Burgos visit to open our April league programme. Even though Diego Martin is now fit I decide that we won’t change a winning team so he is forced to sit on the bench. I am glad that I made that decision as Orife scores the opener after 4 minutes and Zurita adds a second 10 minutes later. It seems like our luck is definitely on the up as Orife scores twice more in the second half to complete his hat trick but right at the end of the game he pulls up injured. It turns out that he has a calf strain and will be out for 4 weeks. The terrific 4-0 win takes us out of the bottom four as we go above Pájara Playas on goal difference.

Wednesday 7th
It is a relatively short journey to Jerez for our next match against Xerez. They are 7th in the table and I suspect that we will be very lucky to take even a point from this encounter. Diego Martin replaces the unfortunate Orife and Kévin Jacmot comes in for a tired looking Luis Miguel Carrión but apart from that we field an unchanged team. It now seems that something extraordinary is happening to Motril and I watch in disbelief as Jorginho scores three goals in 7 amazing minutes to put us 3-0 ahead with 20 minutes on the clock. When Pablo Box makes it 4-0 after 25 minutes I have to pinch myself to see if I am dreaming. We face sustained pressure from the home side in the second half but, apart from a dubious penalty, we hold firm and Pablo Box scores his second of the match two minutes from time and gives us a 5-1 win. Either our luck has turned around completely or our new formation is working far better than I could have dreamt. Whatever it is I am grateful for it.

Saturday 10th
We feature in a rare televised Saturday game at promotion challengers Oviedo and with such a short period between games I have to make a few changes to the playing personnel. Jesús, Pablo Box, Zurita and Jorginho are all rested and replaced by Abraham, Carlos Rivera, Olivares and Rodri respectively. We also have an injury problem with Luis Miguel Carrión out for a month with a calf strain picked up in training so Kévin Jacmot retains his place. We more than hold our own and create a number of excellent chances and the home side have their keeper to thank for keeping them in the game. But right at the death our luck runs out as Oviedo score the winner in stoppage time. The 1-0 defeat is by no means just reward for our efforts but I am still very encouraged by our performance. We also suffer another injury setback as Carlos Rivera suffers a leg injury that will keep him out for 3 weeks. Worse news is to follow after Sunday’s games as other results send us back into the bottom four.

Sunday 18th
The visit of bottom club Murcia offers us the perfect opportunity to get back on track. I have said this many times before this season, but this is a game that we absolutely must win. We are back to close to a full strength team and I am optimistic that we will take full points. My confidence takes a knock when we make a very lethargic start and the visitors take the lead after quarter of an hour. We buck up our ideas though and goals from Pablo Box and Juan Ugarte take us into the break 2-1 ahead. We spend most of the second half pounding the Murcia goal but can’t find a way past an inspired keeper. The visitors occasionally threaten on the break but José Luis and the back three stay alert and deal with their attacks well. The game ends with no further scoring and the win shoots us up to 17th place on goal difference over Pájara Playas

Sunday 25th
Our final game of the month involves a fairly short trip along the coast to Elche, between Murcia and Alicante. They had a comfortable 4-1 win in Motril earlier in the season and still have an outside chance of promotion. Even though we don’t create too many scoring opportunities we have the better of the first half. I sense that our recent luck may be holding as our hosts have a goal disallowed for offside. Then just before half time Juan Ugarte is brought down in the area and Kévin Jacmot converts the penalty to send us into the break with a narrow lead. Ugarte scores a second after an hour and we make the game safe when a shot from Pablo Box is deflected past the Elche keeper. The 3-0 win gives us our 4th win this month and we are now out of the bottom four with a little breathing space between us and the relegation places. The only bad news is an injury to Sergio that will sideline him for a couple of weeks.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">********************************************* ********************************************** Spanish Second Division - Saturday 1st May 2004********************************************** *********************************************Pos Team Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag Won Drn Lst For Ag Pts---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------1st Málaga 37 13 3 1 40 15 8 7 5 34 30 73 2nd Oviedo 37 13 3 3 33 15 7 4 7 33 35 67 3rd Sporting Gijón 37 11 3 4 36 17 8 4 7 32 28 64 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------4th Salamanca 37 10 6 2 32 15 6 8 5 23 23 62 5th Alavés 37 12 5 1 41 19 5 4 10 34 36 60 6th Elche 37 11 5 3 33 18 4 5 9 19 33 55 7th Córdoba 37 7 9 4 35 26 6 6 5 32 31 54 8th Extremadura 37 10 5 3 33 20 5 4 10 22 30 54 9th Valladolid 37 9 7 3 41 27 4 7 7 21 32 53 10th Recreativo 37 9 3 6 31 22 6 5 8 31 30 53 11th Burgos 37 8 8 4 36 24 6 2 9 23 35 52 12th Xerez 37 9 3 7 31 29 6 3 9 24 31 51 13th Levante 37 9 3 7 31 28 4 7 7 21 27 49 14th Las Palmas 37 7 8 4 34 27 5 4 9 22 31 48 15th Badajoz 37 8 5 4 19 13 4 7 9 20 33 48 16th MOTRIL 37 5 7 6 27 27 6 4 9 28 31 44 17th Pájara Playas 37 7 7 5 29 29 4 4 10 18 28 44 18th Lleida 37 6 3 9 28 35 5 7 7 24 29 43 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------19th Albacete 37 8 3 7 31 29 4 3 12 20 41 42 20th Cartagonova 37 8 4 6 32 27 1 5 13 19 38 36 21st Novelda 37 6 5 8 37 38 2 2 14 25 55 31 22nd Murcia 37 6 3 10 34 39 1 6 11 14 37 30</pre>

retired_amyslack

May 2004

Sunday 2nd
Our opening game of the month is another one of those “must-winâ€� encounters as Pájara Playas visit the Escribano Castilla. We have crept above them on goal difference and a win here would really give our relegation battle a huge boost. Óscar Jornet replaces the injured Sergio but apart from that the team is unchanged. The game is quite evenly contested with both sides creating openings and we both suffer from the same problem – we can’t seem to hit the target. However, we have a bit more success than the visitors and first half goals from Jorginho and Diego MartÃ*n are enough to seal a crucial 2-0 win. Other results mean that Novelda and Murcia both have their relegation confirmed. It seems only a matter of time before they are joined by Cartagonova but any one of half a dozen teams could take the final relegation place.

Wednesday 5th
We have accepted a bid from Bembibre in D2B for transfer-listed striker Sergio Larreina, he has agreed terms and the transfer will go ahead in June when the window reopens.

Sunday 16th
Our recent turnaround has the entire team buzzing and we were in no mood for a two-week layoff as we are itching to get back into action. The visit of relegated Novelda is the perfect opportunity to pick up three more points that would go an awful long way towards securing our survival in the Second Division. Sergio is restored to the team after his injury and we have what I feel is pretty much our strongest lineup available. As seems to be the case these days all goes to plan and two goals from Jesús and another from Pablo Box takes us into the break with a 3-0 lead. The visitors score a late consolation but we get a good 3-1 win to take us a step closer to safety. Our only negative was a season-ending injury to Kévin Jacmot who will be out for a month with strained ankle ligaments. The relegation of Cartagonova was confirmed and runaway leaders and near-neighbours Málaga have secure promotion to the Primera Liga.

Wednesday 19th
Barcelona triumphed over Mallorca in the all-Spanish UEFA Cup Final with a comprehensive 4-0 win at the Olympiastadion in Berlin.

Sunday 23rd
For our visit to Valladolid, some 200 kilometres north of Madrid, Orife comes in to replace the injured Jacmot with the rest of the team unchanged. The match turns into one of the most exciting of the season as the advantage swung first one way and then the other. Valladolid took the lead after 22 minutes but Diego MartÃ*n equalised 6 minutes later. We went into the break tied at 1-1 but the home side re-took the lead shortly after the restart. Another 6 minutes passed before Zurita scored another equaliser. With 20 minutes remaining Jorginho gave us a deserved lead. However, Valladolid were not finished yet as they gained their own equaliser after 75 minutes. Then to my joy Jorginho scored his second of the game virtually straight from the restart. We were able to hang on to the lead for a fantastic 4-3 win that takes up us to 14th, 5 places and 7 points away from relegation. With just two games remaining we have ensured our survival in the Second Division.

Saturday 29th
Real Madrid have won the Primera Liga title, finishing just a point ahead of Barcelona with the rest lost in the distance. Barcelona also lost out in the Spanish Cup Final suffering a 3-0 defeat by Valencia.

Sunday 30th
For the visit of Las Palmas there was almost a carnival atmosphere at the Escribano Castilla as we can now relax and enjoy our last couple of games. We field an unchanged team from the fine win last weekend and are hopeful of continuing our good run of form. We were perhaps a bit too relaxed in the first half as we created very few chances and were a little fortunate to go into the break with the game scoreless. However, in the second half we really turned on the style and put the visitors under sustained pressure but the visiting keeper was in inspired form and repelled our every effort. With 4 minutes remaining on the clock Las Palmas caught us on the break and scored a goal totally against the run of play. But Jorginho came through for us again, scoring a brilliant solo effort from the restart to give us a 1-1 draw. A win for Málaga has guaranteed them the title but the other two promotion places, and the final relegation place, remain undecided at present.

retired_Kemp

Contrats on staying up

retired_amyslack

Thank you kind Doctor

June 2004

Sunday 6th
Our final game of this roller coaster season involves a trip along the west coast to Huelva, near the Portuguese border, to take on Recreativo. This may well be Diego MartÃ*n’s last game for the club as he has refused all of our recent contract offers and his current agreement expires later this month. Once again we looked a little flat in the first half and went into the break two goals behind and seemingly out of it. But after a good deal of encouragement during the break the team went back out in a much more determined mood and with half an hour remaining Jorginho scored to get us back into the game. But with time running out it looked like we would end the season on a low note as we just couldn’t find a way past a solid home defence. However, in a quite extraordinary climax to the match, Diego MartÃ*n equalised 4 minutes into stoppage time with literally the last kick of the game to give us a 2-2 draw. Sporting Gijón and Oviedo secured their promotion and Albacete took the fourth relegation place despite finishing level on points with Lleida and Pájara Playas.


Wednesday 9th
After a few days of rest and relaxation it was time to take a look back at the season and assess the positives and negatives. But first a look at the final league table.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">********************************************* ********************************************** Spanish Second Division - Wednesday 9th June 2004********************************************** *********************************************Pos Team Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag Won Drn Lst For Ag Pts---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------1st C Málaga 42 15 4 2 47 21 8 7 6 34 33 80 2nd P Sporting Gijón 42 12 4 5 40 22 10 4 7 35 29 74 3rd P Oviedo 42 14 4 3 35 16 7 6 8 36 40 73 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------4th Alavés 42 14 5 2 45 22 7 4 10 41 39 72 5th Salamanca 42 10 9 2 36 19 6 9 6 24 27 66 6th Valladolid 42 10 7 4 46 32 6 8 7 26 34 63 7th Badajoz 42 11 6 4 26 15 5 7 9 23 34 61 8th Elche 42 11 7 3 34 19 5 6 10 24 38 61 9th Xerez 42 11 3 7 37 30 7 4 10 25 32 61 10th Extremadura 42 11 5 5 36 23 6 4 11 25 32 60 11th Recreativo 42 10 4 7 36 27 7 5 9 33 32 60 12th Levante 42 10 4 7 36 30 5 8 8 23 29 57 13th Córdoba 42 7 10 4 36 27 6 7 8 35 37 56 14th MOTRIL 42 7 8 6 33 29 7 5 9 34 36 55 15th Burgos 42 8 9 4 36 24 6 3 12 26 43 54 16th Las Palmas 42 8 8 5 38 32 5 5 11 24 35 52 17th Pájara Playas 42 8 7 6 33 32 4 6 11 20 32 49 18th Lleida 42 7 5 9 33 39 5 8 8 26 33 49 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------19th R Albacete 42 10 4 7 36 32 4 3 14 21 46 49 20th R Murcia 42 8 3 10 36 39 1 8 12 18 42 38 21st R Cartagonova 42 8 4 9 32 31 1 6 14 22 42 37 22nd R Novelda 42 6 6 9 40 43 2 3 16 29 62 33</pre>

The biggest positive was of course our terrific form in the closing months of the season where we lost only 1 of our last 14 games. For some months I was really concerned about being relegated and we suffered an awful run of results and some very bad luck. But once we turned the corner we were playing as well as any team in the division and that was very encouraging. On the playing front Jorginho, Sergio, José Miguel Zurita, Jesús, José Luis and Suat Usta all performed consistently well. However, Diego MartÃ*n has been a disappointment and perhaps his likely departure will be no bad thing. My priorities as far as strengthening the squad is concerned centre around getting a backup keeper and bringing in a striker or two. I will look to improve defence and midfield too but I see these areas as being of slightly less importance in the short term.


Sunday 13th
The Spanish domestic season is now complete and I cast an eye over the other league tables.


<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">********************************************* ********************************************** Spanish First Division - Sunday 13th June 2004********************************************** *********************************************Pos Team Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag Won Drn Lst For Ag Pts---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------1st C Real Madrid 38 16 2 1 48 12 13 2 4 42 20 91 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------2nd Barcelona 38 17 2 0 52 9 11 4 4 45 23 90 3rd Betis 38 14 3 2 38 13 11 1 7 37 28 79 4th Athletic Bilbao 38 17 2 0 44 15 6 2 11 27 37 73 5th Valencia 38 16 1 2 41 14 4 10 5 25 29 71 6th Sevilla 38 12 2 5 40 22 9 4 6 21 20 69 7th Atlético Madrid 38 14 4 1 28 8 5 5 9 16 21 66 8th Villarreal 38 13 3 3 43 24 8 0 11 29 39 66 9th Espanyol 38 9 3 7 44 44 5 4 10 26 32 49 10th Celta 38 8 7 4 28 19 3 5 11 25 37 45 11th Real Sociedad 38 9 4 6 27 19 2 6 11 26 39 43 12th Mallorca 38 8 1 10 34 35 4 4 11 18 29 41 13th Deportivo 38 7 6 6 24 27 4 2 13 24 37 41 14th Leganés 38 8 3 8 32 36 4 1 14 24 44 40 15th Tenerife 38 7 2 10 30 44 4 4 11 39 54 39 16th Rayo 38 7 4 8 29 29 4 1 14 24 38 38 17th Osasuna 38 8 4 7 39 41 2 4 13 17 46 38 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------18th R Zaragoza 38 9 5 5 33 29 1 2 16 14 46 37 19th R Racing Santander 38 5 5 9 28 42 4 1 14 18 48 33 20th R Hércules 38 4 2 13 25 37 3 3 13 22 40 26 ************************************************** ***************************************** Spanish Second Division B - Sunday 13th June 2004********************************************** *********************************************GGrou p Pos Team Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag Won Drn Lst For Ag Pts---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------1st P Ourense 38 14 4 1 43 17 13 4 2 38 22 89 2nd P Getafe 38 13 5 1 47 20 11 4 4 38 23 81 3rd Langreo 38 13 4 2 42 20 7 7 5 29 18 71 4th Marino 38 11 2 6 25 18 11 2 6 36 24 70 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------5th Ponferradina 38 11 6 2 32 14 6 8 5 24 21 65 6th Lugo 38 14 3 2 40 18 3 8 8 17 27 62 7th Avilés 38 15 2 2 35 14 2 7 10 15 29 60 8th Pontevedra 38 11 3 5 40 21 7 3 9 27 35 60 9th Compostela 38 8 5 6 32 20 7 5 7 26 24 55 10th Betis B 38 12 5 2 42 24 3 4 12 27 43 54 11th Zamora 38 13 4 2 39 17 2 4 13 12 30 53 12th Jaén 38 11 3 5 34 26 5 1 13 24 48 52 13th Racing B 38 10 3 6 38 32 4 2 13 32 53 47 14th Cultural 38 7 8 4 32 26 4 4 11 21 28 45 15th Talavera 38 8 5 6 23 22 3 4 12 25 38 42 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------16th R Ferrol 38 8 4 7 28 26 2 6 11 22 29 40 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------17th R Ã�vila 38 9 4 6 20 19 1 5 13 12 31 39 18th R Toledo 38 6 7 6 27 28 4 1 14 16 33 38 19th R Don Benito 38 2 4 13 17 39 2 1 16 11 44 17 20th R Écija 38 3 2 14 11 38 1 3 15 7 47 17 Group 2Pos Team Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag Won Drn Lst For Ag Pts---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------1st Real Unión 38 12 6 1 30 7 14 3 2 32 13 87 2nd Éibar 38 10 6 3 34 19 11 3 5 38 23 72 3rd Logroñés 38 11 3 5 44 22 9 5 5 30 23 68 4th Gernika 38 11 4 4 35 21 8 6 5 30 27 67 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------5th Numancia 38 10 6 3 36 19 9 4 6 38 26 67 6th Alavés B 38 9 8 2 29 13 7 7 5 19 18 63 7th Calahorra 38 11 4 4 31 20 6 4 9 19 31 59 8th Real Madrid B 38 12 5 2 37 22 4 4 11 32 41 57 9th Noja 38 10 2 7 32 22 7 3 9 19 25 56 10th Amurrio 38 10 5 4 30 21 5 6 8 27 31 56 11th BeasaÃ*n 38 8 3 8 29 24 7 5 7 17 18 53 12th At. Madrid B 38 11 1 7 33 23 5 4 10 23 28 53 13th Conquense 38 8 5 6 23 18 5 5 9 21 27 49 14th Linares 38 8 5 6 25 28 5 3 11 24 39 47 15th Elgoibar 38 6 3 10 16 27 6 6 7 20 26 45 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------16th Arenas 38 6 5 8 17 21 3 5 11 19 40 37 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------17th R Athletic B 38 7 3 9 35 39 1 6 12 15 36 33 18th R Aurrerá 38 4 5 10 14 21 2 5 12 14 39 28 19th R Peña Sport 38 2 8 9 24 39 3 3 13 14 31 26 20th R Bermeo 38 4 5 10 24 35 1 5 13 10 36 25 Group 3Pos Team Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag Won Drn Lst For Ag Pts---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------1st Castellón 38 15 3 1 45 17 10 7 2 33 21 85 2nd Terrassa 38 8 6 5 33 23 14 2 3 37 19 74 3rd Benidorm 38 12 5 2 37 13 9 4 6 28 24 72 4th Gramanet 38 10 3 6 36 25 9 9 1 44 26 69 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------5th Palamós 38 9 5 5 22 19 9 4 6 23 21 63 6th Alzira 38 9 7 3 35 19 7 5 7 35 30 60 7th Mataró 38 10 2 7 35 30 8 3 8 37 35 59 8th Binéfar 38 8 7 4 26 21 8 2 9 32 31 57 9th Eldense 38 9 5 5 30 19 4 7 8 15 22 51 10th Barakaldo 38 11 3 5 29 20 3 6 10 15 30 51 11th Sabadell 38 10 5 4 28 19 3 7 9 20 31 51 12th Reus 38 10 5 4 33 20 4 3 12 17 33 50 13th Hospitalet 38 9 5 5 34 25 4 5 10 19 30 49 14th Andorra 38 9 4 6 20 18 3 6 10 13 27 46 15th At. Baleares 38 8 7 4 27 25 3 2 14 19 37 42 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------16th Barbastro 38 6 3 10 18 22 5 6 8 18 21 42 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------17th R Mallorca B 38 5 6 8 31 38 5 6 8 23 28 42 18th R Nástic 38 6 4 9 16 24 3 3 13 19 35 34 19th R Figueres 38 5 5 9 30 42 1 2 16 15 50 25 20th R Alicante 38 3 4 12 18 35 2 5 12 12 32 24 Group 4Pos Team Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag Won Drn Lst For Ag Pts---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------1st P DÃ*ter Zafra 38 15 2 2 36 16 8 6 5 28 20 77 2nd P Ceuta 38 12 4 3 35 14 10 5 4 32 21 75 3rd Lanzarote 38 15 2 2 35 12 7 5 7 24 23 73 4th Dos Hermanas 38 11 7 1 40 20 8 3 8 30 33 67 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------5th Algeciras 38 8 7 4 30 21 11 1 7 31 22 65 6th Ejido 38 11 4 4 35 23 8 4 7 29 26 65 7th Cádiz 38 11 7 1 36 23 7 4 8 28 34 65 8th Béjar Ind. 38 13 2 4 32 14 5 6 8 29 31 62 9th Coria 38 12 3 4 33 21 7 2 10 27 25 62 10th Melilla 38 11 1 7 35 21 8 3 8 25 29 61 11th AlmerÃ*a 38 12 5 2 33 20 4 5 10 24 31 58 12th Sevilla B 38 10 2 7 46 29 8 2 9 34 34 58 13th Alfaro 38 12 3 4 36 18 5 3 11 19 34 57 14th Alcorcón 38 8 8 3 22 15 3 7 9 17 25 48 15th Horadada 38 7 4 8 25 30 3 4 12 11 27 38 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------16th Granada 38 6 4 9 28 27 3 5 11 17 35 36 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------17th R La Bañeza 38 7 3 9 20 30 2 3 14 8 33 33 18th R Bembibre 38 5 3 11 16 26 2 6 11 17 36 30 19th R Burriana 38 4 4 11 22 36 2 2 15 18 44 24 20th R Grabasa 38 0 2 17 12 47 2 1 16 15 44 9 Promotion Group APos Team Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag Won Drn Lst For Ag Pts---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------1st P Getafe 6 2 1 0 6 3 1 0 2 4 5 10 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------2nd Gramanet 6 2 0 1 6 5 1 0 2 5 6 9 3rd Lanzarote 6 1 1 1 3 4 1 1 1 4 3 8 4th Real Unión 6 1 0 2 4 5 1 1 1 4 5 7 Promotion Group BPos Team Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag Won Drn Lst For Ag Pts---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------1st P DÃ*ter Zafra 6 3 0 0 9 3 1 1 1 3 4 13 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------2nd Terrassa 6 1 1 1 6 6 1 1 1 5 5 8 3rd Marino 6 1 1 1 3 3 1 1 1 6 9 8 4th Logroñés 6 1 1 1 6 4 0 0 3 2 6 4 Promotion Group CPos Team Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag Won Drn Lst For Ag Pts---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------1st P Ourense 6 2 1 0 6 3 2 1 0 6 4 14 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------2nd Éibar 6 1 0 2 5 6 1 2 0 5 3 8 3rd Dos Hermanas 6 1 0 2 4 6 1 0 2 4 6 6 4th Benidorm 6 0 2 1 3 4 1 0 2 4 5 5 Promotion Group DPos Team Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag Won Drn Lst For Ag Pts---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------1st P Ceuta 6 2 1 0 6 0 1 2 0 6 4 12 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------2nd Castellón 6 2 1 0 5 3 0 2 1 2 7 9 3rd Langreo 6 2 1 0 8 2 0 1 2 2 5 8 4th Gernika 6 0 2 1 3 5 0 0 3 0 6 2</pre>


Thursday 17th
The proposed transfer of Sergio Larreina has been cancelled because Bembibre can no longer afford the fee.

Friday 18th
Somewhat surprisingly in my opinion, Diego MartÃ*n has been voted Player of the Year by the Motril supporters. Given his relatively poor performance I didn’t expect him to receive this honour for a second consecutive season. It must be a vote of thanks for his contribution in the past as the fans are fully aware that he will soon be out of contract.

Tuesday 22nd
The backup keeper position is resolved for the moment with Rafael Gomez Company (Rafa) agreeing a season-long loan from Levante.

Wednesday 23rd
Pablo Box, Óscar Jornet, Javier Musa and Juan Ugarte have all completed their loan periods and returned to their respective clubs. Striker Xavier Molist has joined on loan from Badajoz for the season.

Thursday 24th
The whole of Spain is in mourning following the defeat of the national side in the Semi Finals of Euro 2004 by surprise package Scotland. The Scots won 2-0 and will face Italy in the Final.

Friday 25th
Out of favour midfielder Diego has left the club at the end of his contract.

Sunday 27th
Italy win Euro 2004 narrowly beating Scotland 2-1 in the final in Lisbon.

retired_amyslack

July 2004

Monday 12th
I have been trying to hammer out new deals with some of our key players and today Jorginho agreed a new 3-year contract.

Thursday 15th
José Miguel Zurita has also signed a new 3-year deal.

Tuesday 20th
Our first signing of the new season arrives as defender José Luis Rico is signed from Badajoz for €700K. He can play anywhere along the back line and he looks like a pretty decent player.

Sunday 25th
We have picked up a couple of unattached youngsters this month. Ramón Conget is a defensive midfielder and Ramón Cabrera is a winger. Both are 19 and we feel that they have a lot of potential for the future. Diego MartÃ*n has been out of contract for nearly a month now and has decided to move on. He scored 62 goals in 109 appearances for the club and we certainly wish him well for the future.

Monday 26th
A number of loan deals have been agreed this month. We welcome Manchester City forward José David Cabello, central defender/midfielder Jubera from Hercules and midfielder Juan from Sporting Gijon. All are here for the entire season and overall I am pretty pleased at how the squad is looking now.

Saturday 31st
Sergio Larreina has agreed a move to D2B club Coria and we receive €30K for the deal.


August 2004

Monday 9th
As I am keen to see how the new players settle in I have accepted an offer from D2B side Logroñés for a friendly match. We run out comfortable 3-0 winners with pleasing performances all around. Our two new forwards looked good and Molist scored one of our goals.

Monday 16th
I have invited newly promoted neighbours Malaga for a run out at the Escribano Castilla as I think that they will give us a very good warm up. We get a very good 2-1 win with Molist getting on the scoresheet once more.

Friday 20th
Our last practice match before the season begins is against D2B side Marino and involves a long trip to Luanco near Gijon, almost directly north of Motril on the northern coast of the country. This is the best part of 1000 kilometres and as we are playing on Friday I plan for the entire squad to travel and to spend the weekend there to enjoy the wonderful coastline and take some final relaxation before the season ahead. We win the game 2-1 with José David Cabello scoring both of our goals.

Friday 27th
Barcelona win the European Super Cup with a 2-1 victory over Feyenoord.

Sunday 29th
Our first game of the new season is at home to Burgos and if we can repeat last season’s 4-0 home win I will be absolutely delighted. The pre-season warm ups have given me some interesting selection choices. Loan keeper Rafa impressed but I have decided that José Luis will stay as our number one. José Luis Rico has played well in defence and is a definite starter. Jesús picked up injury in midweek training so loan-signing Juan will take his place. Our best performers from last season will keep their starting places for the moment. Up front I will obviously play our on-loan strikers José David Cabello and Xavier Molist and I have high hopes for this partnership. We will be maintaining the formation that seemed to work for us so well in the last two months of the season so we will be lining up as follows

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> Cabello Molist Jorginho Jacmot Rivera Zurita Juan Rico Sergio Usta José Luis</pre>

The game turns out to be quite eventful to say the least. Zurita gives us an early lead and all is going well until José Luis brings down a Burgos attacker and receives a red card. I withdraw Molist to allow Rafa to come on and he immediately makes a name for himself by saving the penalty. We see out the half holding our one-goal lead but the visitors equalise almost immediately from the restart. However 5 minutes later Cabello puts us back in front and that’s the way it stays until the 90th minute when Burgos grab an equaliser for a 2-2 draw.

retired_amyslack

September 2004

Sunday 5th

September gets underway with a trip to Córdoba and with José Luis serving the first of a 3-match suspension for his sending-off last week Rafa starts and we have no substitute keeper on the bench. The only other change is the inclusion in defence of Jubera instead of Usta. Cabello puts us into the lead after 20 minutes but the home side equalise almost immediately due to some slack marking at the back. However, Cabello scores his second of the game just before half time and Carlos Rivera puts us 3-1 up with 25 minutes remaining. Córdoba get a late consolation in stoppage time but we travel home with a decent 3-2 win.

Monday 6th
Kévin Jacmot has signed a new 3-year contract as his previous deal had become non-protected.

Sunday 12th
Our next game is at home to Lleida who will be looking to avenge the 6-1 defeat that we inflicted on their own ground back in March of this year. The visitors singularly fail to gain revenge as our Brazilian star Jorginho is the catalyst for an excellent 4-0 win. He scores twice with Cabello and Molist adding the other goals.

Sunday 19th
We make the relatively short trip to Alicante to take on Hércules, a team that we have never played before in my time at Motril. After two consecutive promotions to reach the Primera Liga they were relegated last season. For this game I am playing Orife on the left of midfield instead of Jacmot to see how he performs as a wide player. The game is somewhat frustrating as we have plenty of possession and chances but have a major problem in actually hitting the target. We hit the woodwork twice but can’t get the ball in the net. With 20 minutes remaining I replace Orife with Javier Guerra and he transforms the game, scoring the winning goal 10 minutes after his introduction.

Sunday 26th
For the visit of Valladolid I decide to start with Javier Guerra to see if last week’s performance was a fluke. He has never really impressed in the three seasons that I’ve been in charge but perhaps we now have a formation that will suit him. I am also giving Jesús a starting role in the holding position instead of Juan and I want to try out Olivares in central midfield rather than Carlos Rivera. Cabello gives us the lead midway through the first half and we reach the break 1-0 up. Molist adds a second shortly after the restart but the visitors pull a goal back soon afterwards. With less than 15 minutes remaining Cabello gets his second of the game and despite conceding again shortly before time we gain a good 3-2 win. All of the players coming in performed well with Jesús in particular looking very solid.

Our good form from the end of last season seems to have carried forward to the start of this campaign and to my surprise and delight we head the table at the moment. I am particularly pleased with the contribution of our loan players, the undoubted star of which is José David Cabello with 6 goals in 5 games so far.


<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">********************************************* ********************************************** Spanish Second Division - Thursday 30th September 2004********************************************** *********************************************Pos Team Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag Won Drn Lst For Ag Pts---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------1st MOTRIL 5 2 1 0 9 4 2 0 0 4 2 13 2nd Xerez 5 1 1 0 5 1 2 1 0 6 2 11 3rd Badajoz 5 1 1 0 6 2 2 1 0 6 3 11 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------4th Salamanca 5 1 2 0 3 2 2 0 0 4 1 11 5th Extremadura 5 1 1 0 4 3 2 0 1 5 3 10 6th Ourense 5 1 1 0 3 1 1 2 0 5 3 9 7th Racing Santander 5 2 1 0 5 3 0 1 1 2 6 8 8th Ceuta 5 2 0 1 6 5 0 1 1 1 2 7 9th Levante 5 1 1 0 4 3 0 3 0 6 6 7 10th Burgos 5 1 0 1 2 2 1 1 1 5 5 7 11th Las Palmas 5 1 2 0 6 5 0 1 1 3 4 6 12th Getafe 5 1 0 2 4 5 1 0 1 2 1 6 13th Valladolid 5 0 2 0 2 2 1 0 2 5 5 5 14th Hércules 5 1 0 1 1 1 0 2 1 2 3 5 15th Zaragoza 5 1 0 2 3 6 0 2 0 2 2 5 16th DÃ*ter Zafra 5 0 1 2 3 5 1 1 0 3 2 5 17th Elche 5 1 2 0 4 2 0 0 2 0 3 5 18th Recreativo 5 1 0 2 3 5 0 2 0 5 5 5 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------19th Lleida 5 0 0 2 0 4 1 1 1 3 6 4 20th Alavés 5 0 3 0 3 3 0 0 2 1 4 3 21st Córdoba 5 0 1 1 3 4 0 1 2 0 7 2 22nd Pájara Playas 5 0 0 2 1 4 0 0 3 2 5 0</pre>

retired_amyslack

October 2004

Friday 1st
We have been on the lookout for an additional keeper and have come across Emilio Alvarez, an experienced 32-year-old recently released by Extremadura. He has agreed a package and will join the club when the transfer window reopens in December.

Sunday 3rd
The month gets underway with a relatively short trip to Jerez to take on Xerez. As they are currently just one place below us in the table I expect a tough encounter. The team is unchanged from last week and even though José Luis is back from suspension, Rafa keeps his place between the posts. We control the game for long periods and always look like gaining the win but we have to wait until early in the second half before scoring. Zurita is left with a simple tap in after a shot from Cabello comes back off the bar. Olivares scores his first goal of the season to put us 2-0 ahead with less than 20 minutes to play. Xerez do manage to pull a goal back with a rare attacking foray and the 2-1 final score is a poor reflection on our superiority.

Sunday 17th
After a weekend off because of international fixtures we are refreshed and keen to get back into action against visiting Salamanca. Despite our eagerness we actually play very poorly initially and the visitors take the lead after 10 minutes. But two minutes later José Luis Rico scores his first goal for the club to equalise. We are back on level terms but our play doesn’t improve much and then we get a penalty out of the blue. Olivares tucks it away to take us into the break with a slender advantage. Things improve markedly in the second half and Jorginho underlines this with a goal to give us a 3-1 win.

Saturday 23rd
I am very surprised to hear that Juan Carlos Mandia, one of the coaching team, has accepted an offer from fellow Division Two side Zaragoza to join their scouting staff. This obviously leaves us short-handed so I start looking around for a decent replacement.

Sunday 24th
For our next game we have made the journey across to North Africa to play Ceuta. Having just missed out on promotion for the previous two seasons, our opponents finally made it to Division Two last season. With no injury problems or suspensions I can field an unchanged team, which is always a positive. We are fortunate that an offside decision denies Ceuta an early goal and shortly after that incident Cabello gives us the lead. In the second half defender Jubera gives us a two-goal cushion – just as well as the home side pull a goal back with 20 minutes remaining but we hang on for a 2-1 win.

Thursday 28th
We have identified a new member of the coaching staff to replace Mandia. Brazilian Marco Aurelio is an experienced central defender and has been playing in Italy for the last seven seasons or so. He is keen to get involved on the coaching side and he will be coming on board in mid-December.

Sunday 31st
For the last game of the month we entertain another newly promoted team, Getafe. They were relegated from Division Two in the previous season and have made an immediate return although they are sitting in one of the relegation positions currently. I can go with an unchanged team once more and I am hopeful of a good end to the month. We started brightly and took the lead through Zurita after just 3 minutes. But Getafe gradually came back into the game and started to take control and it was only the fine play of keeper Rafa that kept our goal intact. However. midway through the second half they got the equaliser that they deserved. Then we lost Olivares to injury and Carlos Rivera came on. To my relief we were able to hold on for the 1-1 draw as the visitors were certainly the better side.

We have kept up out unbeaten start to the season although we have now dropped to second on goal difference.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">********************************************* ********************************************** Spanish Second Division - Monday 1st November 2004********************************************** *********************************************Pos Team Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag Won Drn Lst For Ag Pts---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------1st Badajoz 9 4 1 0 11 3 3 1 0 8 3 23 2nd MOTRIL 9 3 2 0 13 6 4 0 0 8 4 23 3rd Racing Santander 10 4 1 0 9 5 3 1 1 11 10 23 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------4th Xerez 9 2 1 2 9 6 3 1 0 10 4 17 5th Valladolid 10 3 2 0 14 5 1 1 3 6 7 15 6th Recreativo 9 1 1 2 4 6 3 2 0 12 8 15 7th Elche 10 3 2 0 9 3 1 1 3 2 5 15 8th Extremadura 9 2 1 2 10 12 2 1 1 5 3 14 9th Zaragoza 9 2 0 2 5 7 2 2 1 8 6 14 10th Levante 9 2 1 1 8 6 1 3 1 9 9 13 11th Ourense 9 2 1 2 8 8 1 3 0 7 5 13 12th Salamanca 9 1 3 0 4 3 2 0 3 6 11 12 13th Burgos 9 2 2 1 6 5 1 1 2 6 8 12 14th Lleida 10 2 0 3 4 7 1 2 2 7 11 11 15th Hércules 10 2 0 3 4 6 0 3 2 3 6 9 16th Las Palmas 9 1 3 0 6 5 0 2 3 7 10 8 17th Alavés 10 1 4 0 8 6 0 1 4 7 13 8 18th Ceuta 9 2 0 2 7 7 0 2 3 2 5 8 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------19th Getafe 9 1 0 3 6 9 1 1 3 5 6 7 20th Pájara Playas 9 2 1 2 7 8 0 0 4 2 8 7 21st Córdoba 10 0 2 3 8 11 1 1 3 4 12 6 22nd DÃ*ter Zafra 10 0 2 3 6 9 1 1 3 8 12 6</pre>

retired_amyslack

November 2004

Monday 1st
Central defender Jubera will be out for a couple of weeks with a knee injury sustained in training.

Sunday 7th
Our trip to Huelva to play Recreativo presents us with a challenging game that will offer a stiff challenge. Olivares will be unavailable for another few weeks after his injury last week so Carlos Rivera comes into midfield. Suat Usta also comes in for the injured Jubera. This is the most frustrating game of the season so far as we play well enough to win by a comfortable margin but end up losing 1-0. We hit the woodwork three times and find the home keeper in outstanding form. We also lose Carlos Rivera to a knee injury that will keep him out of action for a fortnight.

Wednesday 10th
We travel to Zaragoza for a rare midweek match with Abraham coming into midfield and PÃ*a drafted into central defence. Our opponents were relegated from the First Division last season and although we have never played them whilst I have been at the club I anticipate a hard game. My worst fears are confirmed as we give away two early goals to fall 2-0 behind after less than 15 minutes. We struggle for the rest of the first half as we just can’t get any rhythm going. Things improve slightly after the restart but all we have to show for our efforts is a penalty converted by Cabello. The 2-1 defeat is disappointing and I am concerned that we are in danger of starting a losing run.

Sunday 14th
The visit of struggling Diter Zafra gives us the perfect chance to get back on track. Promoted to Division Two last season, they are at the wrong end of the table and finding life at this level difficult. We make heavy weather of the game however, and having taken a two-goal lead into the break thanks to Molist and Cabello we allow the visitors back into the game in the second half. In the end I am grateful to hang on for a 2-1 win and three valuable points.

Monday 15th
We agreed a couple of free transfers for next month when the transfer window opens again. Tony O’Brien, an 18-year-old forward and Darren Fletcher a 20-year-old midfielder are the players in question. I am particularly pleased to have landed Fletcher as he was released by Manchester United back in August and I am surprised that he was still available,

Sunday 21st
We have made the long trip to Santander more than 1000 kilometres directly north on the coast of the Bay of Biscay. Having spent the last three seasons fighting relegation Racing Santander finally lost the fight last season and were relegated from the First Division. However they looking to make an immediate return and are just two points behind us in the table. In expectation of a very tough game I decide to go for a more defensive approach and Luis Miguel Carrión and Victor come into the wide midfield positions instead of my usual attack-minded players. Jubera is fit enough to come back into central defence in place of PÃ*a. José David Cabello gave us the lead after quarter of an hour but less than 10 minutes later Santander equalised. It looked like we would reach the break all square but the home side scored a second in stoppage time at the end of the first half. When they added a third 10 minutes after the restart I decided that my cautious approach wasn’t working so Carrion and Victor came off and Zurita and Javier Guerra came on. Cabello pulled a goal back with less than 10 minutes remaining but we couldn’t find an equaliser and were defeated 3-2. We have now slipped to 3rd in the table and hold the final promotion place.

Thursday 25th
Another player will be arriving next month in the shape of Nicola Legrottaglie a 28-year-old Italian defender recently released by Chievo.

Saturday 27th
A Saturday match for a change as Elche visit the Escribano Castilla. They are one of 5 teams that are locked on 22 points, just two points behind us so this is a big game. I go back to my first choice wide midfielders for this one and Rodri replaces a disappointing Abraham in midfield. The match follows a pattern that is frustratingly familiar – we have most of the play, are kept at bay by an inspired keeper and lose to a breakaway goal. A 1-0 defeat is a bad result. Even worse news reaches me later that night when I hear that José David Cabello has agreed a transfer to Espanyol of the Primera Liga and we will lose him in December. Given that he has scored 11 goals in 14 games this is a major blow.

Sunday 28th
Things are definitely not going our way at the moment. I having been fending off regular transfer bids for Sergio, one of our key central defenders. But today First Division Atlético Madrid have agreed to meet the €1.5M release clause in his contract. I have tried to persuade him to stay but there is no way that he is going to pass up an opportunity to play in the Primera Liga. I will now lose my two best players in a fortnight.

This is not the best of months all in all but we are still holding the final promotion place although given the forthcoming departures on the playing side I don’t know how long that will last.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">********************************************* ********************************************** Spanish Second Division - Sunday 28th November 2004********************************************** *********************************************Pos Team Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag Won Drn Lst For Ag Pts---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------1st Badajoz 14 6 1 0 17 3 4 2 1 11 7 33 2nd Racing Santander 14 5 2 0 13 8 3 2 2 14 14 28 3rd MOTRIL 14 4 2 1 15 8 4 0 3 11 10 26 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------4th Valladolid 14 4 3 0 17 7 3 1 3 9 8 25 5th Recreativo 14 3 2 2 9 8 4 2 1 17 11 25 6th Elche 14 5 2 0 14 5 2 2 3 4 6 25 7th Salamanca 14 3 4 0 10 5 3 1 3 9 13 23 8th Extremadura 14 3 2 2 14 13 3 2 2 9 7 22 9th Zaragoza 14 4 1 2 11 9 2 3 2 10 11 22 10th Xerez 14 3 1 3 14 12 3 2 2 12 10 21 11th Las Palmas 14 4 3 0 12 5 1 2 4 10 13 20 12th Ourense 14 2 1 4 9 12 3 3 1 11 9 19 13th Hércules 14 4 0 3 9 8 1 3 3 4 7 18 14th Burgos 14 2 3 2 6 6 2 2 3 9 11 17 15th Levante 14 3 2 2 13 11 1 3 3 10 13 17 16th Alavés 14 2 4 1 10 8 1 1 5 13 18 14 17th Lleida 14 2 0 5 7 12 1 4 2 12 16 13 18th Córdoba 14 1 2 4 11 14 2 1 4 7 16 12 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------19th DÃ*ter Zafra 14 0 4 3 9 12 2 1 4 11 15 11 20th Getafe 14 1 0 6 7 16 2 1 4 7 10 10 21st Pájara Playas 14 2 3 2 10 11 0 1 6 2 13 10 22nd Ceuta 14 2 0 5 9 12 0 3 4 3 8 9</pre>