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Post by dudleyhatter on Aug 10, 2023 7:32:31 GMT
Well, where to start? To say there have been some changes since the playoff victory would be something of an understatement! To start the manager departed, he has joined Sevilla C who are based in the tercera league which is where El Palo played last season. In theory it could be seen as a backwards move as he has dropped back down but he will have an immensely talented young squad to work with and presumably the possibility of internal promotion and access to better facilities. All the best to him. Destiny has gone to follow his destiny, he has moved to the league above us and will play for another team from Malaga province Antequera. He scored for them in his first two preseason games including last weekend against Malaga CF, and will be pitted against them in the league! Several other regular players have left too. So who is at the club still? Well our group has expanded to nine and I have been contacted through my El Palo Ingles Instagram account by other people who either want information about the club or are panning to catch a game when in town. Our new manager is Nacho Perez who played for Malaga CF, Real Sociedad, Getafe and Real Betis and has been involved in coaching at various levels (including this one and higher) for several years. We have retained the services of keeper Benito de Valle (who made some vital saves during the playoffs and is a good stopper), and two key defenders Awana (a brick wall of a player and good reader of the game) and Lulu (who is a solid centre back with the knack of getting his foot in at the right time). We have also retained three key midfielders from last season Baka (who is a great ball winner and can move up the pitch well), Joao Paolo (our resident Brazilian genius who plays the game at a different mental level to most of last year’s team) and Roberto Sierra (a ball playing midfielder who also chases and harries all over the centre of the pitch). Up front we announced our first resigning of the summer in Ito ( a striker who cannot run or Shapiro with conviction!) the only one we are not happy with! There are obviously lots of new recruits mainly from the level we are going to be competing at. This level is known as RFEF (the Spanish Football League) Segunda Group Four. There are five regional groups at this level, one automatic promotion spot and four playoff spots as well as FIVE relegation positions! The playoffs are slightly different though as you are drawn again at teams from other divisions. This division was obviously very strong last year as three of the four playoff sides won promotion and the fourth lost on away goals to Atlético Madrid B. Our league is split between a cluster of 8 teams around Murcia and Cartagena (close to where County played against Lincoln and a four hour drive away to the east); Vélez Málaga and ourselves close to Malaga; Marbella and Estepona an hour or so to the west, then Linense on the border with Gibraltar, Sevilla B, Betis B, Cadiz B and another two teams based in western Andalusia around a two hour drive away; and finally Manchego Real (no cheesy jokes please) based in Ciudad Real a four hour drive north.
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Post by hatter_in_macc on Aug 10, 2023 11:05:58 GMT
Lots of adventures to be had, Duds! Vamos Paleños! ![](http://i.imgur.com/kHwOi2r.gif)
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Post by gazz on Aug 10, 2023 11:45:30 GMT
Lots of adventures to be had, Duds! Vamos Paleños! ![](http://i.imgur.com/kHwOi2r.gif) What he ↑↑↑ said! Good luck to the boys!
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Post by dudleyhatter on Aug 11, 2023 19:58:06 GMT
Off the pitch things are changing too. The club will need to do some upgrading of facilities which are currently pencilled in for Christmas time (when we have no games and our first two after Christmas are away from home) from 17th December until 21st of January is the window for works. A new pitch and floodlights as well as improvements to the open air seating section! This year the cost of a season ticket has gone up, from 60€ to 80€ but we get to see more games at a higher level and indeed a Nike first team shirt too for the money! In terms of actual preseason games we have played three, beating Torre del Mar 0-1 and in doing so repeating the score from the play off victory of last season. Then we played Estepona who are in our division and after getting to half time at 0-0 changed all eleven players and lost the second half 2-0. Two goals in two minutes. Interestingly Estepona should have been in the Tercera with us last season but had the money to ‘buy’ a vacant place in this level, although a different group. Our third preseason run out was away to Cadiz B (who are in our division). This time the first half team conceded two and the second half team none. Final score 2-0. All but one of our preseason games will be away, three more against teams from our division and the last game of preseason will be at home to a team from Tercera. It looks like goals will be difficult to find again this year. The league will be completely different to last year, with only eight teams remaining, so let’s see what happens. Up the mighty marineros!
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Post by gazz on Aug 11, 2023 21:41:18 GMT
That's still a cracking deal for the season ticket, Duds, especially with a first team shirt thrown in - that's absolutely superb!
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Post by bringbacklenwhite on Aug 12, 2023 9:13:10 GMT
Good luck for the new season Duds.
Fingers crossed for you all.
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Post by dudleyhatter on Aug 16, 2023 20:49:52 GMT
Last Sunday’s game against Velez Malaga was cancelled a few hours before kick off, the second such instance this preseason! Tonight’s opponents UCAM Murcia are one of the favourites for promotion this year. They lost in the playoff final stage to Atletico Madrid B on away goals and have strengthened their team this summer! Very kindly they have also provided a live YouTube broadcast of the game so I have been able to watch and see how the new look El Palo team are playing. Well, in short, the first twenty five minutes was men against boys. We were second to everything; out run in all areas; producing nothing in the middle; but hey at least we had Ito up front… and we were already two-nil down Their first goal came from us struggling to clear the ball defensively, it was picked up by the striker outside the corner of the box on the right hand side. He unleashed a screamer into the far corner. Sometimes row Z is the best defensive option… their second goal was played through the middle from deep and when I say there was no defence, what I mean is THERE WAS NO DEFENCE literally there was a twenty metre gap in the middle and their striker went thank you very much! After this we came into the game more (maybe they took their foot off the gas!) and played clean through twenty metres out was Ito… who took a half decent touch and then rolled it into the keeper’s arms (he was already lying on the floor). The game was then end to end without clear chances until half time. After the break they made a number of changes whilst for the first time we didn’t. We were getting more into the game and created some half chances, fortunately a triple change in the sixtieth minute saw Ito leave so now we might do something! We kept pushing and had several half chances and found lots of space down both flanks, it was from a good ball played in from the right wing that saw Ivan Breñe slot home to reduce the deficit in the eightieth minute! There was then a very soft red card for their centre half. We continued to press and after recycling a ball down the right hand side, a quick one-two saw Raul Rojas smash the ball into the far side of the net in added time! Cue added drama as this was the ‘BeSoccer Trophy’ so there had to be a winner. Normal time couldn’t find one so we went straight to penalties! The first ten penalties were all scored, without the keepers even getting close to any. Up steps the eleventh shooter for UCAM, underside of the bar and out! Next goal wins, if only Baka can score it… he does!!!
Campeones!
Two preseason games to go. Next Sunday at home will our first chance to see the players in the flesh! On another interesting note there is a WhatsApp group for all the supporters of teams in the division. That could be interesting as the season wears on! There is a UCAM fan already saying that they changed so many players tonight etc etc
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Post by bringbacklenwhite on Aug 17, 2023 8:53:20 GMT
Sounds like a very good result Dudds.
Great report
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Post by dudleyhatter on Aug 17, 2023 16:01:53 GMT
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Post by bringbacklenwhite on Aug 17, 2023 19:49:43 GMT
Classy stadium !!!
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Post by dudleyhatter on Aug 17, 2023 20:00:08 GMT
An indication of the level we are now playing at… we have a small house and a bloody big heart!
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Post by gazz on Aug 18, 2023 12:45:45 GMT
Great finish, awful defending - but that goal means nothing! ![;)](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/wink.png) CAMPEONES ![](http://i.imgur.com/LESPEAB.gif) Great report, Duds and vamos Paleños! ![](http://i.imgur.com/oB1nl5N.gif)
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Post by ceefer on Aug 18, 2023 17:35:17 GMT
Off the pitch things are changing too. The club will need to do some upgrading of facilities which are currently pencilled in for Christmas time (when we have no games and our first two after Christmas are away from home) from 17th December until 21st of January is the window for works. A new pitch and floodlights as well as improvements to the open air seating section! This year the cost of a season ticket has gone up, from 60€ to 80€ but we get to see more games at a higher level and indeed a Nike first team shirt too for the money! In terms of actual preseason games we have played three, beating Torre del Mar 0-1 and in doing so repeating the score from the play off victory of last season. Then we played Estepona who are in our division and after getting to half time at 0-0 changed all eleven players and lost the second half 2-0. Two goals in two minutes. Interestingly Estepona should have been in the Tercera with us last season but had the money to ‘buy’ a vacant place in this level, although a different group. Our third preseason run out was away to Cadiz B (who are in our division). This time the first half team conceded two and the second half team none. Final score 2-0. All but one of our preseason games will be away, three more against teams from our division and the last game of preseason will be at home to a team from Tercera. It looks like goals will be difficult to find again this year. The league will be completely different to last year, with only eight teams remaining, so let’s see what happens. Up the mighty marineros! Great idea to include the football shirt. Good luck this season. Adelante!
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Post by dudleyhatter on Aug 31, 2023 9:35:16 GMT
So our last preseason game, and the only one at home, came and went on Sunday. We were playing against a team from the Tercera who were unsuccessful in the playoffs last season. The side retained a core of players from last season. With the keeper, two central defenders and three of the midfield from last season in the starting line up. These were the players that we all felt were the best in the side last year and deserved the chance to prove themselves at this level. Obviously Destiny has moved to a higher level and hopefully has the chances in his new team to prove himself. The game also saw the official retirement announcement of two club stalwarts. Nacho Aranda (400 appearances) and Duran (366) have been at the club for 14 and 11 seasons respectively. Local guys and literal club legends, Destiny came back to say goodbye to them too!
As for the game… well, it has taken me until now to recall an events of real note. We won 1-0 thanks to a strike in the 28th minute, and that is about all that happened. Of course Ito (or as we are calling him Shhh Ito) came on the second half and headed a clear chance so far wide it was painful. We are going to struggle this year again for goals I fear. There was no clear pattern of play or formation, rather worrying when the seasons starts for real on Sunday! In the Segunda RFEF the top team get promoted, the best four play off against teams from the other divisions making it possible for five teams to get promoted, similarly five teams will definitely get relegated with sixth from bottom going into a survival playoff!
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Post by dudleyhatter on Aug 31, 2023 9:40:32 GMT
And here is a quick run down of who we are up against this season.
El Palo - last season tercera promoted vía playoffs!
Vélez Málaga - been in Segunda gp4 since 21/22 season last season one off relegation in 13th.
Marbella - won promotion from tercera as champions.
Estepona - bought a place in Segunda gp5 last season 8th place finish, moved to the correct regional league this year.
Real Balompédica la Linense relegated from RFEF 1, 2 points off safety.
Sevilla B (Atletico) finished 10th in Segunda Gp4 last season having been relegated from RFEF 1 the year before. (in 2018 they were in the second tier of Spanish football)
Cadiz B (Mirandilla) been at this level for four years finished 11th last season.
Betis B (deportivo balompié) finished last season in 12th one point behind all the other B teams. Having been relegated from RFEF 1 the season before.
Orihuela won promotion from tercera as champions. ( our Valencian rivals)
San Roque de Lepe - finished 7th in Segunda gp4 last season been at the level for two years having been promoted in 20/21.
UCAM. The unlucky playoff team from this level last year, of the four playoff sides three got promoted UCAM drew home and away with Atletico Madrid B and lost out on league position! Season before they were relegated from RFEF 1.
Cartagena B. Finished 9th in Segunda gp4 last year winning the battle of the B teams on head to head. Promoted from tercera the season before.
Racing Cartagena Mar Menor finished last season in Segunda Gp4 in 8th place as Mar Menor, now they have joined with Racing Cartagena (who were in tercera) and will now play in Cartagena, Racing Murcia will now be there reserve team.
La Unión - last season tercera promoted vía playoffs.
Aguilas -won promotion from tercera as champions.
Yeclano Deportivo finished last season 6th in Segunda gp4, two points behind UCAM. Having been promoted from the tercera the season before.
Antoniano won promotion from tercera as champions.
Real Manchego won promotion from tercera as champions.
So that’s five Tercera champions, two play off winners, one relegated side and ten who were in Segunda RFEF last season!
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