With the Santa Cruz thermometers popping in the mid 30 degrees, met office advice was not to do anything too energetic. CD Tenerife took this to heart with a low key, plodding display and lost 2-1 at home to RSD Alcala – saving them from relegation. Thankfully last day of season blues affected all our rivals for the opening play off round and mass defeats ensured second spot and Badalona away and home over the next two Sundays.

Suspensions  forced changes onto CD Tenerife,  Meji took over the left back spot from Llorente but the big surprise in midfield was a first start for local youngster Sandro, a few weeks after his brief sub appearance – it was an inspired choice.  Just 9 muntes into the game Sandro took a free kick deep on the right and wafted in a perfectly weighted ball to the far post where Aridane was waiting to accept the gift header. This should have been the springboard to repeat the 4-0 away win but Tenerife were too casual and Alcala too hungry and when Kike lost the ball to Sesma he fed Alexander who charged at the home goal. Pablo Sicilia and David Medina parted and he raced through to tuck the ball past Sergio Aragoneses for a 1-1 scoreline, now it was time for us to really sweat.

It was all a bit untidy, Meji didn’t look comfortable at left back and without Kitoko the midfield couldn’t set the tempo for the game. Sandro didn’t get the ball laid off to him as often as he needed but when it was at his feet he delivered some incisive passes and crosses, Aridane was working hard up front but Perona was a little deeper and his goal scoring edge of recent weeks seemed rather blunt. Into the second half and Tenerife perked up initially, Kike had a good chance from a Perona cross but Juancho managed to cover his goal. Sandro got booked for a over zealous appeal for a penalty and coach Medina did the smart thing and took him off to avoid spoiling an impressive full debut. Zazo was his replacement but his fresh legs made little difference to Tenerife’s cause, Kike saw his shot bounce off the crossbar after Aridane had set him up, the big forward departed soon after injured, Kiko Raton was a natural replacement up front.

Alcala were desperate to save their Segunda B lives and pushed forward, Tenerife repeatedly failed to clear the danger and Alexander turned superbly in the box to fire home the winning goal after 74 minutes. The Tenerife players must have been aware of the other scores coming in on the giant screen, basically there was nothing to fight for, the final whistle saw the Alcala bench erupt with joy – a great result for them and for the 9.370 crowd it was a timely reminder that the hard work is just about to begin.

It was a scorcher and feeling that jeans would be more in place for a night out than shorts, my little legs endured a warm time under wraps. Besides the stunning visual impact of the concert hall it’s a great setting on the sea front between the old Castillo de San Juan where Nelsons troops landed before being repelled, and the busy port of Santa Cruz. The cafe in the Auditorium opens from 9 am to 3 pm daily and an hour before any show and they fold back the doors so that people can spill out onto the steps and concourse wth their snacks and drinks.

Beyond the sea wall there is a Music Hall Of Fame painted on the rocks by a local grafiti artist. It crosses all barriers of nationality and era, Bono, Michael Jackson, Barbara Streisand and Elvis all looked up at the Auditorium wishing they were playing inside. I also spotted favourites like Kurt Kobain, Dave Gilmour, and Jimi Hendrix all sharing the serenity of a sunny Santa Cruz afternoon. Several manky thin cats were also prowling among the musicians (Cat Stevens maybe)  fishermen were launching their lines, and a few blokes were even swimming in the less than clear looking Atlantic water.

Anyway with some time to kill I headed into the main shopping area of Santa Cruz to grab some food and check out the vibe, then one of my usual calls, the port. Only one cruise ship in but a new one on me, Costa Luminosa is from the same Itaalian stable as the ill fated Concordia and has the same big yellow funnel. This monster, built in 2009 is 450 metres long and carries 2,260 passengers, the capitaal has done very well out of cruise passengers this last year, sometimes five ships racked up at a time.

 Going down to dock level I headed for a flash modern yacht that was gleaming in the by now 28 degree sunshine. This was Titan, a 78 metre long palace launched in May 2010, only 7 cabins  but probably with show jumping facilities in each room, and a speed of 16 knots. The flag indicated the Bahamas, that was bourne out by the name Hamilton, capital of Bermuda, on the side, a later study told me it was in the top 50 luxury yachts in the World – wrap me up a dozen.

Finally it was showtime, so after meeting the girls at the bus station we went over to the Auditorium just in time to meet Imperial Ice Stars  artisitic director Tony Mercer, a Mancunian based in Moscow with his family and team of dancers. I interviewed Tony last year before the Swan Lake opening night, a busy and talented chap who started out as a football goalie with Droylesdon. On with the show, read the review here.

It was an edgy opening, Tenerife looked like they had come to nail the play off spot rather than tempt fate and leave it to next Sundays final home game. Sergio Aragoneses made a powerul two fisted save from a corner 2 minutes into the game and Kitoko had to make one of his trade mark interventions to rob Rivas in a menacing position. Tenerife settled, Kike Lopez got into a good position out wide but ran into defenders when Aridane was begging in front of goal. Raul Llorente sent in a fierce shot but home keeper Ponzo was able to push it wide. The opening goal was well crafted.Chechu cut inside a full back and lobbed a tempting ball up for Aridane to rise  and head it into the home net. Fans had to squint to see the goal in a little box our game had been squeezed into while TV Canarias concentrated on Vecindario – thank goodness for replays.

Sergio leapt like a basketball player to palm away a high corner and at the other end Kike Lopez let the goalie off with a low, slow shot that he easily gathered. Jony was the danger man for Marino, Sergio Rodriguez went misssing and he charged down the wing, Sergio Aragoneses did enough to narrow the angle and his shot flashed across the goal and pinged to safety off the post. Just into the second half  it was Jony again, heading over and then setting Castano up with a neat free kick that he fired over the goal. Tenerife had more class than their hosts, Chechu (below) was the provider again fooling 2 defenders and slipping the ball across to Perona to make it 2-0.

Zazo had been picked in midfield ahead of Marcos and had his big chance a few minutes later but was foiled by Ponzo in goal. Play broke to the other end and Sergio made another great save, this time low and near the post. Perona is back to the lethal goal scorer he was in the first half of the season, he pulled the defence wide and stroked the ball past the keeper to make the points safe at 3-0. Rounding off a solid team display Aridane nearly doubled his tally but Ponzo managed to block him. A well deserved win, looks like my scarf wont be getting its annual wash yet – bring on the play offs.

Whisper it quietly but promotion is no longer a dirty word in the Heliodoro stadium, CD Tenerife bounced back to form with a 3-0 win as influential midfielder Kitoko came back from his two month injury. To be fair to new coach Quique Medina, his other changes played a big part as well in kick starting the promotion play off quest. Medina replaced Tarantino in the centre of defence and Sergio Rodriguez took the place of Cristobal at right back, the defence looked steadier and the launch pad was there to fuel the miss firing rocket Perona up front. Few of us fancied Aridane as a strike partner for Perona (below) but it worked and our leading scorer finally moved on from his 11 goal tally with an impressive hat trick.

There was a sense of urgency from the start as the visitors were just a point behind CDT, Kike Lopez and Chechu both made strong runs down the flanks and Aridane was snapping at the Oviedo defenders. Chechu set up Perona for a headed shot but the keeper was able to deal with it. A few minutes later Perona pounced on some defensive uncertainty to fire a crisp shot into the visitors net, Tenerife were ahead with just 11 minutes on the clock. Nano came close to levelling but hit a post and at the other end Perona saw his shot go just wide of the target.

Kitoko (above) was in control in midfield and Bravo was having a decent go at his latest role alongside him. Oviedo are no mugs and a quick break caight the Tenerife defence stretched, Nano closed in on the space in front of goal but his pass was wasted by Rubiato with the goal gaping in front of him. Aridane missed his chance with a header, Sergio made a stunning double save, a second goal was needed to settle the nerves. Just before half time  Perona was the hero with a flying header that had the Oviedo keeper well beaten, perfect timing to underline the Tenerife revival.

The visitors looked more deterrmined after the restart, Diop tested Sergio and found him alert and strong. Zazo came on for Chechu who’s passses were becoming a bit slack. Perona was buzzing but Aridane was running out of ideas, Kiko replaced him to keep the pressure on the Oviedo defence. It paid off as Juanpa brought Perona down in the box and the rejuvenated striker stepped up to complete his hat trick. The usual confetti of yellow cards was missing but in the 83 rd minute Bravo went into the book and ruled himself out of next weeks away game at Marino Luanco.

The 8.895 crowd were lapping it up and the rift between them and the players was a distant memory. Cristobal was the final sub, taking over from Bravo and helping to guard against any late slip ups – goal difference may yet play a part in the play off picture.  Kiko and Perona both went close in the closing minutes but the victory was well deserved and put a big dent in Real Oviedo’s own play off ambitions.

Leggy promotion girls handing out cocktails and posh nibbles at the pool side, that was my first experience of the Hotel Jardin Tropical back in October 2008. It was the launch party for the first Tenerife Champions Cup beach volleyball competition and I was snapping photos of some of the competing players and grabbing the odd interview, honest I wasn’t enjoying all the pampering – well maybe a little bit.

Fast forward and Tenerife Magazine are offering a weeks half board holiday at this four star luxury zone in Costa Adeje. Hotel Jardin Tropical has moved with the times,  they had a complete refurbishment in 2010 but still have wonderful tropical gardens and a great range of food. There’s the El Patio restaurant that makes the most of the garden setting, Las Rocas for gourmet cuisine at the headland with the sea lapping just beyond, and Las Mimosas, a bright cheery dining room and patio where breakfast comes with extra rise and shine.

Costa Adeje is one of my favourite wandering areas, starting out at La Caleta I often walk along the coastal promenade past Hotel Jardin Tropical and the other posh modern hotels.The beaches are high quality and the mix of water sports and safe bathing make it popular with families – and there’s always somewhere I can buy a big gooey ice cream and drible it all down my shirt.

Anyway back to the competition, just answer a simple question at the Tenerife Magazine home page and wait for the draw on 31st May 2012. The prize is a week’s half board holiday for two to be taken, subject to availability within 12 months. The prize doesn’t include flights and is not transferable and must be claimed within 2 weeks of the draw or it will be re-drawn. Good luck.

The team selection was again strange, no recognised forward just Luismi Loro pretending to be an attacker, apparently the idea was Kike Lopez would also play a forward role – I hardly noticed him. Gerard burst past Pablo Sicilia and Tarantino after 9 minutes and went down in the box appealing for a penalty, it may have been given if he hadn’t looked to be trying for it so obviously. Tenerife managed their first attack 5 minutes later, Loro proved to be no more than a minor irritation to the home keeper. Loro had another chance soon after from a good Chechu (above) cross but blasted it wide.

Tenerife looked half asleep and not interested, Atletico were no great shakes themselves despite being the form team of the division. They wasted a dangerous free kick with a soft shot that bounced gently into Sergio’s hands. Tarantino must be good at something - I will let you know when I find out – his defending was hopeless again, Gerard roasted him and only a great save from Sergio prevented a goal. Cristobal (below) managed to set up Kike in front of goal but he was so slow the keeper smothered the ball. At the start of the second half Feran Tacon headed the ball onto Chechu in space, his shot was pretty crisp but the home keeper matched him.

Sergio came to the rescue again, this time from a free kick, Perona replaced Chechu, and Marco got a booking that rules him out for the Oviedo home game. Sousa sent in a free kick that evaded both sets of players, thankfully Sergio was alert and the danger passed. Another warning came as Sousa ran at Tenerife, three players converged on him, Pablo, Marcos, and Tarantino but still he got a shot in, another rescue by Sergio. The goal was coming and sure enough Llorente timed his tackle all wrong and his leg was hurdled by a home attacker who  played the ball in at the post leaving Sergio and his defence to scramble to clear it but failing dismally as Gerard bundled it in the net. Tenerife had nothing to offer in return, even bringing Kiko on for Loro failed to add any urgency and the game drifted to the final whistle, another blow to our promotion hopes.

There was almost a queue to meet Pope John Paul the second in La Laguna, the fine new statue by Czeslaw Dzwigaj had only been unveiled the day before but a few of Tenerife’s Polish community were eager to get a photo with the main man. Karol Wojtyla had been a decent goalkeeper back in his youth but I don’t think that’s why USOPAL the Polish association commissioned and paid for the statue. It’s a nice addition to Plaza del Doctor Olivera and appropriately next to the iconic church Iglesia de la Concepcion.

So began another northern tour of discovery, the 110 direct Titsa bus to Santa Cruz had whizzed me up from Los Cristianos in under an hour and the tram ride to La Laguna was as smooth as ever. Wandering a few yards down into Calle Cruz de Candelaria my curiosity led me into El Cinematografo, a small shop packed with DVDs of classic films. I know everyone downloads these days but collectors still want to own copies of greats from Clark Gable, Randolph Scott and an amazing collection of old westerns. The box sets are wonderful, how about all 6 Gordon Scott Tarzan films, or 20 classic sci fi and fantasy movies, and they had a music section with CDs from Yes and The Alan Parsons Project – don’t think I will be lost for present ideas in future.

After a quick check around the main streets I hopped on the tram and back to Santa Cruz to tick a few more calls off my list. The port was quite busy with Independence Of The Seas docked, another nice top up for the bars and restaurants, the week is bringing 22,000 cruise visitors in total. At several points I saw Inside Tenerife the new free glossy colour magazine co-produced by the port authority and Santa Cruz council and aimed at cruise visitors, looks good, plenty of info on La Laguna as well as the capital and guides to culture and food stops. Everyone is frantically trying to tempt people into their shops and bars which means bargains for visitors, I had a basic but nice three course meal for 7 euros in Cafe Dachita at the top end of Calle Castillo.

One of the days main calls was the Expohostel & Gastronomia show at the Recinto Ferial, mainly aimed at the catering and hospitality trade but well worth a look as it was free to get in. One of the first sites to greet me was a huge upside down gutted pig in a glass case, part of the Egatesa stall, CD Tenerife fans are used to seeing their advert on the back of our season ticket - try a gutted Pio next event chaps. I was impressed by the greeen cow on top of their stand – maybe heights make it ill. There was plenty of food stalls, the cakes looked lovely but they were a bit mean on the freebies, it was quiet and stall holders seemed to be touring other peoples stalls and sharing the goodies out. Shame really as I might have been shopping for a bulk order of fancy cakes and spring water for the Armada Sur summer BBQ – never mind we will have to do with burgers and beer.

On a football theme a couple of falcons were being shown off by the pest control company that protects the pitch at the Heliodoro Stadium, one of the birds stops us from being continually crapped on – well at least by the pigeons. One of the centre pieces of the show was a slow cooking contest with five chefs facing off at a row of cooking stations watched from rows of bleacher seating. It was all modern cuisine designed to show off as much of the plate as possible rather than cover it with food – and not a single Gordon Ramsey style tourets outbreak in sight.

On the way back to the bus station I popped into El Tanque, one of my favourite and weirdest art places. The former oil tank, 20 metres high was built in 1929 but after being pensioned off was turned into a cultural space 15 years ago. Inside there is just a series of steel girders supporting the roof and some spotlights are all that break the darkness. On this latest visit four sets of video art were projected on the inner metal skin with a series of cushions to sit on in the centre of the tank. On my first visit there was a circle of huge gongs suspended from the ceiling with fluffy cod ball type drumsticks to beat them with. The acoustics in El Tanque are amazing,they sometimes have live theatre and music – it’s very bizarre, the latest display is open 5 to 8pm in the week and 11 am to 4 pm on Saturdays and always free entry. One day I expect to go in and find hundreds of dormant Cybermen. El Tanque has just been declared a site of cultural interest. Time to catch the bus back to the relative sanity of the south.

A few months ago Sergio Aragoneses (below) could have worn pyjamas and a red nose, sung the Birdie Song, and dribbled the ball into his own net with Garfield slippers – and still be forgiven by the fans. These are troubled times for CD Tenerife and long serving goalie Sergio was booed and showered with abuse from the start of the 1-1 home draw with Lugo after being named as one of the main architects of the dressing room revolt that saw coach Garcia Tebar sacked last week.

Not the best of backgrounds  for former B team coach Quique Medina to step up and try to steer a course into the promotion play offs. The hostility of the fans extended to most of the team, seen as mercenaries, although most mercenaries get paid, this lot have been relying on promises since January. At least Sergio responded with a defiant display in goal starting with a first minute fingertip save  from a corner. The Tenerife team looked slow and lacking punch up front, Kiko was suspended and Loro supported Perona in attack.

The home defence was uncertain, Llorente had to make a strong headed intervention to clear danger and Sergio pushed away a long range effort from Quero. Manu had a clear route to goal before Pablo blocked him, from the corner Manu headed in but Sergio was there to punch the ball away. Tenerife set off on a breakaway with Feran Tacon bearing down on the Lugo goal, the keepers feet were equal to the weak shot. Marcos managed a weak looping shot, again the Lugo keeper hardly broke sweat. The visitors looked  a classy well balanced side and at times seemed to be toying with Tenerife.

The half time whistle brought more derision from the 8,627 crowd and the game pattern continued into the second half with Sergio making a great one handed save. The new coach made his first change and it was aa bold one, giving B team midfielder Sandro (above) a debut replacing Ferran Tacon on the left wing. The 21 year old looked lively and sparked a couple of assaults on the Lugo goal, Kike Lopez put a great ball across the face of the goal and  Belforti kindly turned it into his own net  for a vital lead. Zazo took to the field in place of the disapointing Loro but Tenerife slipped back into their slow tempo and Lugo stepped up their game.

As Aridane waited to come on for Bravo in the 80th minute, Lugo pushed forward and although Sergio got a hand to the ball De Pita scored at the second atempt to level the game. The last 10 minutes was more about keeping the visitors from taking all three points and CD Tenerife hung on but needed two fine late saves from Sergio to ensure the day wasn’t a complete disaster. As the players left the pitch they managed a token effort at clapping the crowd but got an equally unconvincing response as a Siberian chill interupted the hot sunny afternoon. Thankfully 5th placed Real Oviedo, visitors to Santa Cruz in 2 weeks, lost and with an away game at 6th placed Atletico Madrid B next week, Tenerife are still masters of their own play off fate.

To the untrained eye I was just lazing around at Via Vai near the beach feeding my face and  slurping a cold drink but another lovely afternoon was shaping up nicely. The Feria del Libro (book fair) was on its last day outside the Los Cristianos Cultural Centre, not just stalls with a range of books on culture, food and local history but also a stage where I saw soprano Candelaria Gonzalez shake the rafters at the opening presentation.

On the way to my lunch break I had popped into the 2 day Feria de Oportunidades (bargain  fair) where over 40 Arona business’s had taken stalls to clear oldstock at crazy prices. It was bustling quite well with some heavy scrummig down at the more popular clothes stalls. Never get too near to a woman in search of a bargain, they are lethal, some of the stall holders were thinking about ccalling in a UN peace keeping force at one point. To the side of the stalls there was a large bouncy castle slide for the little ones to play on, they could have let me have one go down the slide it looked great fun – apparently I’m a bit old – ageist or what.

Back at my food stop a few shoppers were comparing the contents of their bargain bags and were well chuffed, in thes tight times it’s a helpful boost to struggling local business’s and adds another attraction to a fairly quiet Saturday afternoon. Looking across to the ferry port I could see the top deck of an unusually sleek and stylish boat peering over the usual fishing boats  along from the old beach. I normally head round that way for a relaxing walk and a chance to talk to the fishes – their sport knowledge is sketchy but they are quite opinionated about the latest film releases.

As soon as I got near, the size of this motor yacht impressed me, obviously a very rich persons plaything and in 10 years here I have never seen a private boat moored up near where the excursion boats load and unload. It’s an open area and quite a few people had gathered to admirre the gleaming craft, the name Vive La Vie didn’t tell me much and a red flag with a Union Jack in the corner puzzled me. Someone mentioned the Cayman Islands and later research showed this to be right on the money, the motto on the flag said He Hath Founded It Upon The Sea .  A big chap who didn’t look short of a euro disembarked down the gang plank and in perfect polite English answered a few general questions and was suitably vague about the yachts owners. I did ask for a tour on board but  got the no I expected.

Anyway a mix of scraps of info and later frantic internet action told ne the 60 metre yacht was built in 2008 at Bremen, Germany by Lurssen to specific specifications for “a man and his family”. Top speed is 18 nautical miles an hour, it can sleep 12 each of crew and guests but most impressive of all was the fantastic inside design with a hi tech modern lounge, a fitness room, bedrooms that would shame many hotels, and a jacuzi. The yacht may be out on charter, aa notice on the gang plank made it clear that privacy would be protected with 24 hour security. We may never know who are illustriuos visitors are but they are sure to be impressed by Los Cristianos as it was at its dazzling best.

It started so well,home player Warden got a straight red card after just 5 minutes and CDT capitalised with a goal after 8 minutes as Ferran Tacon set up Perona, the ball went in the net but was given as an own goal, coming off Vazquez.  We’re not fussy how the ball goes in, that should have been the start of an easy victory but this is CD Tenerife we are talking about. Just after the half hour Jota levelled and 4 minutes later the sharp young forward gave Celta a half time lead.

Into the second half and just after Kiko had come on for Ferran Tacon (above), Jota wrapped up his hat trick, Sergio was again suspect with his positioning but the defence was having a nightmare. Jota is a hot property, he had been with the first team squad at Cartegena the previous night in a game that was abandoned after a linesman was felled by an object from the crowd. Anyway back to the nightmare, Kiko got himself booked and followed up soon after with another caution and was off, the 7th sending off for Tenerife this season to go with the storm of yellow cards.

As soon as the game finished the clock was ticking on Garcia Tebar, at least the club allowed him the flight home before sacking him. In comes Quique Medina coach of the B team, until the end of the season, or at least until he upsets our sensitive players. Our play off rivals all dropped points so the new boss goes into Sundays home game with second placed  Lugo knowing we can leap over them – yes we sacked a coach with the team in third position? Bookies probably wont even give odds on what will happen next at CD Tenerife – the only thing we can rely on is the passion and support of the fans. Time for us to dig deep again as we usher in another new charge for promotion.