CD Torrevieja 1 Elche CF Ilicitano 1
….. A Sunday tea time kick off at the Nelson Mandela Stadium, involving Torry and near nasty (sic) neighbours Elche Ilicitano, was the latest instalment of senior football held in the Vega Baja region. Both teams lost their respective matches the previous weekend, also by the same 0-3 scoreline, although Elche´s defeat was at home.
They´re currently in the middle of a bad run of form, having had a great start to the season, dropping down to mid table in div 3.
Torry meanwhile are still stuck the relegation zone, although manager Pedreño has recently added another 3 signings to his small squad. Bienvenido Antonio Calzado, Alberto Robles and Alex Parajon. Your services will be much needed due to injuries and suspensions, giving boss man the luxury of possibly a full bench (even though suspension bars him from sitting there himself!).
However, of the new arrivals, only Calzado made the starting lineup, slotting in to the Torry back four.
In front of an above average ‘derby’ crowd the early part of the game itself was a rather disjointed affair with referee Jorge Lajara blowing at every opportunity. There was little flowing football as the man in green and black pulled the play back for the most minor of offences, although when Pastor was unceremoniously bundled over in the box he chose to turn a blind eye.
Nevertheless it was the home side that was having the better of the exchanges with Pastor blasting over from close range early on.
Torry debutant Calzado took just 18 minutes to find the referees notebook before a clearance from keeper Buba fell to the feet of Elche’s Alberto who opened the scoring with 20 minutes gone.
But as so often happens the home side were back on terms moments later. This time it was a clearance in the Elche goalmouth that fell kindly for Pastor who tapped into an empty net, no more than Torry deserved.
The entertainment continued with a goalbound effort from Damien deflected for a corner just prior to the interval in a half that the blue and whites ‘edged’ and from which they perhaps deserved a little more.
As a pattern began to emerge for the second period it looked as though they were unlikely to achieve the promise they had shown in the first 45 as Elche took the upper hand with a series of incursions into the blue and white half.
But on the occasions that they breached the Torry wall Buba proved unbeatable between the posts pulling off a series of excellent saves to keep the home side in the game.
Llor was particularly lively for Elche and was close with a number of efforts as his pace gave him that extra yard but it was a Buba save from ex Torry player Brani that had the crowd in awe in the dying minutes that really earned the point as once again the man from New Guinea was the difference between the two sides.
Next week the trip north to Club Deportivo Almazora as Torry go in search of their third win on the road in an increasingly difficult season..
