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MATCH REPORT No. 2 2007/08
Saturday 8th September 2007
HERCULES CF "B" 1 CD JAVEA 1
Author: Colin Hulmes

CD JAVEA continued their unbeaten streak with a 1-1 draw against Hercules CF "B" in Alicante. Fate dealt several cards throughout the evening; the match was close to being suspended after the players, officials and supporters of CD Javea turned up at the Cuidad Deportiva de Alicante to find a pitch not prepared for senior football and no match officials. The match eventually kicked-off some 75 minutes late and could have been won by the rojiblancos when Alex Cuadrado fired home after 92 minutes. However fate continued to play a part and the hosts managed to bundle home an equaliser with seven minutes of added time on the clock. However a draw is a decent result down in Alicante and there shouldn't be too much disappoinment for all the signs continue to suggest that this might just be a very special side this season.

The small band of JAVEAMIGOS who made the short trip down to Alicante proved to be an asset to getting the game going when they helped clear the field of play of the training goals to help prepare the pitch for the senior match that was supposed to take place at 6pm. At 6.45pm the match officials finally made an appearance and the game eventually kicked off at 7.15pm.

Javea looked sharp from the very beginning of the game and might have scored in the opening minutes but a wild shot from Juanito sailed just wide of the post and rippled the netting behind the goal rather than the goal itself. Both teams played with plenty of skill and pace with the ball passed nicely along the ground for much of the time. Attacking football was the tactic of the day and both teams had excellent chances, with the best falling to Javea's Javi who managed to hit the post from a couple of yards out. Hercules thought they had taken the lead later in the half when an attack fown the right-hand side produced a superb cross into the box which was met well by the centre-forward sitting unmarked in the six-yard box. As his effort powered towards the top corner of the goal, the heads of the travelling army fell. However custodian Ortolá pulled off a world class split-second reflex save to tip the ball over the bar.

The second half saw the hosts step up a gear and the Javea defence began to revert back to the bad old days of lumping the ball back up in the air. You couldn't blame them; they came under a lot of pressure from the hosts and t really was a case of just getting the ball away from danger. However the rojiblancos did manage the odd breakaway and Puncho caused plenty of problems on the wing. The midfield was being run comfortably by Ruben Pla but a succession of bad tackles eventually put him out of the game and he was replaced by Pablo (effectionately called "the nutter" by the travelling contingent) who worked hard to maintain a bit of stability in the centre of the park.

As the game wore on, it seemed clear that a change was needed and the general consensus was that striker Alex Cuadrado might be able to relieve some of the pressure. They got their wish and it produced an almost immediate response with seconds of normal time remaining on the clock. Alex chased a ball over the top of the defence, out-paced the defender and smashed the ball beyond the outstretched palm of the keeper and into the back of the net. Three points seemed to be assured. However, with many minutes of added time being played, fate was to deal a cruel blow. The rojiblancos looked to make a change to run down some of the time remaining but, with the player ready to come on the touchline and the linesman flagging for the change, the referee continued to watch the play and from a throw-in, Hercules B somehow bundled the ball home to salvage a point.

All in all, it as felt that a draw was the right result for all the hard work put in by both teams. The rojiblancos continue to look like a group of players playing as a team rather than a bunch of individuals; they seem much fitter and, so far, playing much, much better football than they have for some time.