 CD JAVEA extended
their unbeaten run to four games after a spirited home draw against league
leaders UD Oliva. Yet it might have been three wins in four had two golden
chances later in the second-half been converted into goals as the rojiblancos questioned their visitor's credentials as one of
the promotion favourites. The atmosphere
was electric with both sets of fans
creating plenty of noise. Perhaps
a draw was the right result but
it could have been so much better
for Javea as they continue to climb
back towards the top end of the
table.
It is perhaps
much to the credit of coach Kenny Brown's
patient squad-building during the summer
that despite losing three key players
in defender Juan Ochando (injury), Pablo
and Canari (both suspension), the
rojiblancos
looked far from a "patched-up side"
that some might have unfairly suggested
prior to the game. Popular midfielder
Rubén Plá continued his return from
long-term injury by taking control in
the centre of the park, perhaps a tad
prematurely but Kenny's hand had been
very much forced by suspensions. With
his right-hand man missing, club skipper
Juanma needed to work hard to marshall
his young defence but Aldo, Dan Harvey
and the ever-improving Rubén Serrío
faced the challenge with confidence.
At the other end of the field, loanee
James Lindie and Juan Onieva looked
to add to their tally.
The
rojiblancos
began well against a side that went
into the game undefeated and leading
the group table by three points. The
home fans lifted their voices against
a determined travelling contingent from
UD Oliva's very own Peña Morer Blues,
who arrived with drums and scarves to
cheer on their side. The noise was terrific
and the game definitely had a derby
feel about it.
The
match ebbed from end to end with neither
side carving out any real chances. Former
Javea striker Salva Costa could have
been a definite danger but loanee Dan
Harvey worked hard to keep him in
check and the tall striker was restricted
to a handful of snatched chances from
distance. Goalkeeper Ortolá didn't have
a great deal to do aside from bark orders
to his defence but Oliva's Xaixó
had much more to do and proved to be
having problems holding onto the ball,
a basic requisite for a goalkeeper.
Put under pressure, the custodian was
prone to spills and almost handed the
home side the opening goal when he dropped
a long range shot from Javi and managed
to smother the loose ball just as Lindie
chased in an attempt to smash the
ball home. Sadly the rojiblancos
wouldn't try and exploit this obvious
weakness as often as the home fans would
have liked; several more spills might
have produced a goal.
The
second half brought little change as
both sides worked to try and break the
deadlock. Neither side threatened to
dominate as the game continued to flow
from end to end. Rubén Pla limped off
after managing a brave 75 minutes of
a relatively bruising encounter in the
centre of the park to be replaced by
Julio Ivorra, another player returning
from long-term injury and another with
plenty of passion for the fight.
The
home fans lifted the tempo to encourage
the players to continue pushing the
league leaders; even the club president
was spoted rising to his feet to join
in with the singing. Minutes later Lindie
has a golden chance to open the scoring
when he broke clear into the box and
let loose a powerful shot towards goal.
However Xaixó made amends for his poor
handling skills by throwing his whole
body in the way of the fierce strike
and managed to block the attempt. With
time running out, coach Kenny decided
to make changes and threw on Scott and
Juanito as a direct replacement for
Lindie and Onieva. The
rojiblancos applied
the pressure with fresh legs up front
and might have taken the lead with another
great chance when Scott saw his
effort cleared frantically off the line;
the play might have been judged offside
by a matter of inches but it might have
been a brave official who would have
given the same decision had the ball
crossed the line!
As
the seconds ticked away, Oliva made
one final push to grab a very late winner,
laying virtual siege to the Javea goal
as they forced a succession of corners,
roared on by their lively band of support.
With some four or five minutes of added
time coming to a close, both sets of
fans applauded the players for it was
a very spirited and very enjoyable 0-0
draw.
CD
JAVEA: Ortolá, Rubén Serrío, Juanma,
Aldo, Harvey, Rubén Plá (Iborra, 76m),
Javi, Dani (Evaristo Plá, 34m), Carlos
Ribes, Lindie (Juanito, 82m), Onieva
(Scott, 82m).
Booked:
Also, Rubén Plá, Javi, Carlos Ribes.
UD
OLIVA: Xiaxó, Camacho, Llorca, Dani
Durá, Ismael, Xavi Torres (Demián, 78m),
Julián, Ximo Llorca, Raúl (David Coloma,
76m), Javi Rullo, Salva Costa.
Booked:
Ximo Llorca, Javi Rullo.
REFEREE:
Rodríguez Mejías.
ATTENDANCE:
400 approx.
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