When Borja Bastón sent that penalty into the clouds at the José Zorrilla, just a few minutes after Femenías had slipped a simple ball from his mitts, Oviedo had just let their opportunity to chase Valladolid up the table. At that time, December 12, the Blues were chasing the play-off and were only three points behind the Pucelanos. If they had triumphed in Zorrilla, something that was not very far away, the two would have been equal on points. But that duel was won by the Pacheta team that, from then on, has shot up the table to the point of prowling the direct promotion positions. For Oviedo, the script that followed that clash has not been as brilliant as expected. And now they face each other again, tomorrow at 6:15 p.m. at the Carlos Tartiere, with a certain sense of revenge in the blue rows. Valladolid currently leads the Blues by 17 points.
“Valladolid is the team with the best form in the Second Division,” he said yesterday in the Ziganda press room. No one can dispute the claim. The numbers are responsible for confirming the Cuckoo’s thesis. Since he beat Oviedo in his fief, Valladolid has managed to amass 27 of the last 33 points. An impossible pace for his rivals to follow because it has meant keeping 81.8 percent of the points at stake in the last 11 rounds of the championship.
The pucelano rush has had direct consequences on the goals of Pacheta this season. From fighting to gain a foothold in the play-off zone, they have now become the main alternative to Eibar and Almería in the first two steps. Valladolid was fifth on matchday 29, with an advantage of 3 points over sixth, precisely Oviedo, and four points ahead of second, Ponfe. At the moment, they are third, tied with Almería, second, and with an income of fifteen points with Cartagena, seventh.
For Oviedo, the progress in the competition has followed a similar rhythm as the rest of the course, with Ziganda’s men installed in a stumbled advance, in which the good moments have alternated with others of drought, but without managing to chain that streak so necessary to put both feet in the top six.
Since it was planted in Pucela to discuss the leather against Valladolid, Oviedo has only managed to retain 13 of the 33 points in the running, thanks to the wins against Ponferradina (2-0), Almería (2-0) and Burgos (0- 1) and draws against Fuenlabrada (0-0), Eibar (1-1), Amorebieta (1-1) and Huesca (3-3). The defeats have come against Tenerife (4-0), Real Sociedad B (0-1) and Girona (2-1). In total it has been done with 39.4% of the points at stake.
“Oviedo is a well managed team”
As usual, Pacheta threw flowers at Oviedo, tomorrow’s rival from Pucelano, a rival he mistrusts. “Oviedo is a historic player in the competition, an entity that marks a fantastic city to live in, with a well-armed team, with good footballers, and well managed”, analyzed the former blue coach in the press room. “We will have to be tight, impose a lot of rhythm on the ball, not give them distance, because they have high quality players and a good structure, and here (in reference to the first round match in Zorrilla) they already made us suffer”, recalled Pacheta. Regarding the presence of nearly 2,000 Blanquivioleta fans at the Tartiere, he pointed out that “it can only generate hope that people want to travel with the team, because that means that they like something and that they feel proud.”
