Spain

R.F.E.F. Primera Division

Grupo 3

Sunday 16th February 2025

Kick Off 17.30 Actual 17.31

Villarreal C.F. ‘B’ 3 Club Deportivo Alcoyano 0, attendance 530

13’ 1-0

32’ 2-0 (pen)

88’ 3-0

@ Ciutat Esportiva Villarreal ‘Mini Estadi’

Carrer Miralcamp 128

12540 Vila-real

€15 Admission

No Programme.

It was a 50 mile drive back north from Torrent to Villarreal. Unfortunately, we stopped at a service station en route for food, during which time we had our bags stolen from the boot of the car, although it was only when we went to go in the boot after arriving in Villarreal that it came to our attention that it had happened. We decided it was best to still do the game and report the theft afterwards, rather than let it ruin the trip, but it did really take the shine off it.

Anyway, the B team of Villarreal play in the third level of Spanish football, playing home games at the ‘Mini Estadi’, the main pitch at their training complex, on the western fringes of the town. It has seats on all four sides, with the only cover being in the centre of the main stand. We just went to the ticket office and bought a ticket, which turned out to be in the away section. Not a problem, as there were only 54 others in with us and you could sit wherever you wanted.

It was hard to really concentrate on the game, which was a shame, as Villarreal were really good. Even though it was 12th versus 13th in the league table, the hosts had the upper hand throughout and coasted to an easy win. They opened the scoring after thirteen minutes, when an angled shot from the corner of the 18 yard box was saved by the ‘keeper, but easily tucked away after being followed in. Goal number two came just after the half hour mark, courtesy of a penalty and despite creating plenty more chances, it took them until two minutes from the end to get their third goal, cutting inside from the right before hitting an unstoppable shot into the far corner.

After the game we headed into Villarreal to report the theft of our bags. Unfortunately, the Police computer was down with a technical problem, so we were advised to return later “when it may be back up and running?”. We checked in at our hotel on the edge of town and they telephoned the police station for us, confirming the computer was now back in use, so we headed off to obtain a crime number for the insurance claim. My co traveller had lost his spare phone and coat, which annoyingly had his passport in. I’d got off lightly by comparison, losing just a few tee shirts, boxer shorts and socks, which had all been worn, but crucially they’d taken my medication to cover the following day and a spare amount in case of flight delays.

We were due to fly back at 1425 on Monday from Barcelona. It was a near 3 hour drive north, but we dropped off the hire car and then took a taxi to the British Consulate (absolutely superb service considering they say 2-3 working days to issue emergency passports) in the city, where we’d managed to book an appointment for 11.15. In a matter of minutes the temporary passport was issued and we were back in a taxi heading back to the airport. Our return flight with Vueling left just a few minutes late and it was certainly good to arrive back in Blighty without further incident.

Apart from the theft, which could have been far worse, especially if we were actually present when it occurred, it had been a successful trip. We managed to get in 5 games as we had hoped, covering just over 600 miles in the process and it now takes my Spanish grounds visited up to 62.

Spain

R.F.E.F. Segunda Division

Grupo 3

Sunday 16th February 2025

Kick Off 12.00 Actual 12.03

Torrent C.F. 1 Club Esportiu Europa 1, attendance 4,520

25’ 0-1

72’ 1-1

@ Estadi San Gregorio

Avinguda de Perez Galdos 15

46900 Torrent

€15 Admission

No Programme.

This morning started with a 30 minute drive to the town of Torrent, just south west of Valencia. Parking near the stadium was non existent, due to clashing with Sunday morning church services, but we eventually found an area of wasteland, which doubled as a car park, which was maybe ten minutes walk from the ground. We arrived at the stadium about 10.45 and the queue outside the ground was already starting to build. Tickets were available from a window next to the entrance and as it was a gorgeous day, reaching 23 degrees at the peak, we opted for general admission tickets, rather than the main 1,000 seat stand, which meant we’d be in the open, but without shade. Not something you normally have to worry about in February. The stand is on the entrance side of the ground, with the other three sides having four steps of concrete steps, where everybody sat down, with standing on the back row only, apart from a couple of ignorant supporters who seemed totally oblivious to the fact that standing on the front row wasn’t really the done thing.

The match was 4th versus 1st, in what is level 4 here, with Torrent just four points behind the leaders. I thought there might be a decent crowd here, but certainly didn’t expect it to be this big and it seemed to have caught out many locals, as it was a good twenty minutes into the game before the queue at the entrance finally disappeared. There were quite a few fans here supporting Europa too, despite it being a four hour drive from their base in Barcelona and it bucked the trend of the top levels in Spain where very few away fans bother travelling. The two teams were well matched and goal scoring chances were at a premium. Europa broke the deadlock after twenty minutes five minutes, cutting in from the left before beating the ‘keeper into the near top corner of the net. The equaliser came with eighteen minutes left, cutting in from the right side of the box before lobbing the ball over the ‘keeper, enabling an easy tap in at the far post. Europa will probably feel it was a game they should have won, but at least the point keeps them top, whilst Torrent drop a place to fifth. The game finished at 13.54, so ample time to head off to a second match.