CD Thader Rojales – 2 Orihuela CF ‘B’ – 1
By Steve Hibberd
An amazing 2nd half turnaround, resulted in Thader emerging victorious, whereas for large periods of the 1st half, they looked as if they were feeling the effects of scoffing too many easter eggs.
Without the injured Quino, Kike started as the lone front runner, whilst fellow striker Nino was named as sub. Fresh from the moral boosting victory over Elda, this Easter Monday local(ish) derby had all the makings of a cracker, as Thader sought revenge for the season’s opening day defeat.
On a Moi Gomez Stadium pitch, which is looking better than it has for a long time, a quick Orihuela break resulted in Sergio Galindo shooting over the bar after 3 mins. From a corner on 8 mins, Fran headed just wide, before Borja became the first of 6 Thader players to receive a yellow card.
From the resultant free kick by Omar, Adrian produced a wordly save to keep his side in the game. The visitors were now bossing proceedings, then from another free kick, Sergio Moreno leapt high to head his side into the lead on 25 mins.
Parity should have been restored on 28 mins, but from an exquisite Javi assist, Rubo contrived to blast the ball over the bar.
A blatant push on Javi inside the pen area on the half hour mark, should have resulted in a pen to the hosts, but the ref saw it differently, nonchalantly waving aside protests. Apart from a half-hearted Dani Lucas effort, the remainder of the first half was uneventful.
It was just as well that spectators aren’t permitted inside the ground, for the majority would still be ordering drinks at the bar when super sub struck. A half time double substitution, involving the introduction of Calderon and Miguel, paid off instant dividends.
With only 25 seconds on the impressive new stadium clock, a pin point cross from the right by Javi, presented Calderon with the simple task of side footing home into an empty net.
Four minutes later, Calderon was clearly bundled over in the box, and this time the ref deemed it worthy of a penalty. Rubo struck his spot kick with venom and accuracy, putting his side into a lead, that not long before, had looked a long shot.
Thader employed spoiling tactics for the remainder of the match, which although not pretty, proved decisive. Calderon did in fact put the ball in the net again on 89 mins, but alas his effort was ruled offside.
Next weekend, Thader travel to Elche, where they will play Ilicitana Raval. A recent impressive run, which has seen Thader shoot up the table, means that this match features 2 teams looking at promotion, instead of early relegation blues.
