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CD
JAVEA returned
from the winter break in familiar form,
despite the appearance of four of the
six acquisitions secured during the
festive respite. The records will show
that the rojiblanco vanguard has failed
the find the back of the net for the
fourth successive game, a drought stretching
back to the end of November, although
the statistic won't reflect the
fact that Javea did manage to 'score'
twice during a frenetic second-half
against U.D. Tavernes, the efforts disallowed
by a woefully inadequate referee. The
performance was a marked improvement
on the disappointing effort made at
U.D. Benissa just before Christmas.
However, as they begin the second-half
of the campaign with a run of just
one victory in the last five games,
it looks as if a promotion play-off
spot will elude CD Javea for another
season.
A
heavy deluge struck the town half-an-hour
before kick-off and only the courageous
few braved the elements on the stadium's
exposed terrace to watch a game full
of incident but devoid of goals. Four
new faces appeared in the starting line-up,
coach Kenny Brown addressing manning
problems caused by long-term injuries.
With the departure of young goalkeeper
Ortolá to Villajoyosa C.F., it was former
Pego C.F. keeper Jorge who took his place between
the sticks, a custodian who arrived
with plenty of reputation. Former Javea
players David Ivars and Carlos Carbonell,
midfielder and right-back respectively,
returned to the club, both having enjoyed
a short sojourn in the Third Division
whilst an unknown quantity in Nigerian Yooussucha,
a gangling midfielder from C.D.
Polop, also took to the field.
The
game began with the usual ebb and flow
as each side tested the resolve of the
other with a series of assaults but
there was little work for either
goalkeeper. Carbonell looked lively
down the right-flank, displaying the
potential to claim himself as a suitable
replacement for Dan Harvey, whilst Ivars
battled hard in the centre of the park
to try and prise open the visiting defence.
Both have Third Division pedigree, having
previously played for C.F. La Nucia
and Pego C.F., yet it was the right-back
who looked to have gained more out of
the experience.
However it
was Yooussucha who was to make much of an
impression on the loyal congregation.
Suggested to be a player in the
mould of former Arsenal skipper Patrick
Viera, his fledgling performance was
more reminiscent of a young Carlton
Palmer - plenty of enthusiasm but very
little else. However the former Polop
man blossomed as his confidence grew
and his playmaking potential was obvious,
especially during the second-half. If
only some of his colleagues could read
the game as well.
For
much of the opening period, neither
goalkeeper was seriously tested. Both
Onieva and Scott, who was having his
best game of the season, tried to find
occasion to take a shot but the Tavernes
back-line stood resolute. At times the
rojiblancos would bunch too much down
the centre spine of pitch,
forgetting that they had some width,
and too many times they would try unsuccessfully
to barge their way through the middle.
Tavernes put up a valiant defence but,
much like their opponents, they were
unable to make any serious headway into
enemy territory.
The
deluge returned during the second-half
and only a few brace souls remained
in the stand, sheltering under an array
of umbrellas, the rest taking refuge
at the bar. Midway through the second
period, Javea appeared to have taken
the lead when someone rose above the
melee to divert the ball beyond the
keeper and score. However celebrations
were cut short by the linesman's flag
on the far side, indicating an offside
offence, a transgression that could
have been attributed to any one of the
three players, so keen were the rojiblancos
to get the ball into the back of the
net.
The
visitors were reduced to ten men with
some ten minutes remaining. Ivars drove
through the defence but was brought
down by Tavernes' Cabe; although the offence
warranted the award of a free-kick,
it didn't appear to be cynical enough
to attract a booking. However the
former Pego man had made the most of
the advantage and collapsed to the ground
in agony under the challenge, the official
deciding to send off the defender and
handing the rojiblancos an advantage.
As
the heavy rain reduced to mere drizzle,
Javea pushed forward to find that elusive
winner. Yooussucha was making his presence
known across the park and attracting
plenty of accolade from the few fans
still braving the elements. The tall
midfielder would put in a tackle, disrupt
a play then charge further down
the field to snuff out another attack
before laying off several balls that
would have split the away defence wide
open had his colleagues been more alert
to his intentions. Sadly some didn't
have the necessary reaction to take
advantage.
As
the clock ticked away towards an inevitable
conclusion, a free-kick was awarded
to Javea some 30 yards distant from
goal, a chance for late glory. Carlos
Ribes struck the ball sweetly and it
flew through the crowded penalty area
and nestled in the back of the net to
cue delirious celebration both on and
off the pitch, Jorge charging out of
his area to join the celebrations.
Yet
there was rushed activity in the Tavernes
area and it soon became apparent that
the referee had awarded a free-kick
AGAINST the rojiblancos just outside
of the six-yard area for an infringement
that did not seem obvious from the curious
waves of his arms but was later revealed
to have been given for a foul by a Javea
player. To give Tavernes
appropriate credit, their custodian
reacted swiftly and passed the ball
with accuracy to a colleague whilst
many of the rojiblancos remained clustered
at the side of the pitch in premature
celebration - including the goalkeeper.
Someone
realised the potential for disaster
and tried to gain on the opponent from
distance whilst Jorge sprinted as fast
as he could back towards the goal but
it looked inevitable that Tavernes
would claim victory. Yet it seemed that
both players did enough to panic the
player into an early shot at the open
goal from some 45 yard distant and everyone
aside from the visiting contingent let
out an enormous sigh of a relief as
the ball bounced inches wide of the
right-hand post. It was the last incident
of the game.
CD
JAVEA
Jorge, Carbonell, Aldo,
Juanma (c), Rubén Serrío, Canari, Yooussucha,
Carlos
Ribes, Ivars, Scott, Onieva.
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