Estadio Martínez Valero - Elche CF
Elche 1-1 Cartagena
25/10/09 - Liga Adelante
Att: 8,802
Outside the stadium
The travelling Cartagena supporters
The Main Stand
Looking towards the far end
The side stand
Half time sunset
Att: 8,802
With a trip to Spain organised for the half term holidays to visit my Dad we looked at the fixture list in the hope that Cartagena would have a home game for us to see. Typically, they were away, but thankfully they were only 60 miles north at Elche. So with the game being so local we got tickets for the away end and headed up to the city early, allowing us time to have a look around before the match.
Elche is a beautiful city with plenty of sights to see and things to do. After walking around the city centre we stopped in a bar for a drink and there was a big group of Cartagena supporters in there, a good few hours before kick off. Unfortunately the stadium is quite far from the city centre, but from one vantage point it was visible in the distance, with car horns audible from travelling fans arriving in the city and making there way towards the football ground.
Upon arriving at the stadium I was impressed straight away, with it being very tall and imposing from the outside. Built in 1976, with a capacity of 38,750, it hosted several games during the 1982 World Cup and was the scene of the biggest victory ever recorded at a World Cup finals, as Hungary thrashed El Salvador 10-1. It also hosted the 2002/03 Copa del Rey final between Mallorca and Recreativo de Huelva, with Mallorca running out 3-0 winners. It's also been recognised by FIFA as an elite venue and has been awarded a four-star grading.
Open on all four sides, heads were visible at the top of the stadium and my sister commented "look how high those people are! I hope you're not sat up there" - Sure enough, that was the away end and we had quite a climb ahead of us.
This was the first time I'd ever attended a Spanish game I wasn't too sure what to expect. Spanish supporters have always had a reputation of not travelling to away games very well or being very vociferous with their support, so I wasn't really sure how much I'd enjoy the experience. With that in mind I was pleasantly surprised with the vibrant atmosphere outside the stadium, with thousands of travelling fans queuing to get into the away end. Despite a large travelling support and this being a bit of a derby, there was no hint of trouble outside the ground and there were stalls set up selling merchandise for both teams, so I bought myself a Cartagena scarf for the game.
After making our way through the electronic turnstiles we climbed the flights of stairs to the upper tier and went to the bar to get a drink before going into the stadium. It turns out they don't sell alcohol in the grounds in Spain, so we were forced to purchase two cokes and we went into the stadium. With the seats being numbered by odd and even numbers, we were confused, with our seat numbers not being together. Walking around the full up away end, we gave up and perched in some spare seats that we found at the end of the row.
The stadium is as impressive on the inside as it is on the outside and with around 3,000 travelling fans in the upper tier behind the goal, there was a great atmosphere being generated. Unfortunately with the other three sides of the upper tier being closed and with the open lower tiers being incredibly empty, there wasn't a great deal of noise coming from the home supporters and I found this let the experience down a little bit. With all four sides being tall and steep, I could imagine it being an impressive sight with a sell out crowd.
Following their promotion the previous campaign, Cartagena had made a fantastic start to the season and found themselves top of the league and unbeaten going into this game. They also dumped Elche out of the Copa del Rey a month before this match. Elche had a more difficult start to the season, winning just two of their opening eight matches. Looking down the team lists before the game I was interested to see if there would be any names I'd recognise, with the only recognisable names being in the Cartagena side, as former Arsenal defender Pascal Cygan and ex-Chelsea midfielder Enrique De Lucas lined up.
From the upper tier there was a great view of the match, with the steepness of the stand making you feel as if you're almost on top of the action. It was a 5pm kick off and despite it being towards the end of October the temperature was still pretty high, which meant the first half was quite slow, with neither side really taking the initiative. Despite it being a second tier match the standard was good, with both sides keeping the ball on the ground and playing a passing game, typical of the Spanish philosophy. Both sides were very narrow and seemed reluctant to get the ball out wide when they had the chance to, meaning clear cut chances were at a premium.
It was goalless at the break and as half time came the sun went down, meaning lower temperatures and a much more open game in the second half. Three minutes after the restart Cartagena got the ball out wide for the first time all match and the cross was met by the head of Toché who gave the visitors the lead, much to the delight of the travelling masses. It took just six minutes for the home side to draw level, as they got the ball out wide and delivered a cross of their own which was turned in and produced the loudest noise from the home supporters all evening. With the sides level it was Cartagena who had the better chances to win it, but they couldn't convert chances into goals and they had to settle for a share of the spoils.
After the match the players got a good ovation from the travelling fans, who were kept in the ground by the police for around 15 minutes after the game to allow home fans to clear and minimise the risk of trouble. We were eventually allowed out of the ground and were lead down a pitch black set of stairs out of the ground. In any other country 3,000 people walking down steep metal stairs in the pitch black would be considered a major health and safety risk, but apparently not in Spain!
We got back in the car and made the journey back to Cartagena, with no signs of trouble from the home fans. I'd had a really enjoyable time at my first Spanish match, with the atmosphere created by the travelling fans leaving a really good impression. This continued on the way home, with fans beeping horns and waving flags and scarves out of car windows all the way down the motorway. After this match I couldn't wait to come back to Spain to see more football and it's a stadium that's certainly worth visiting, but I'd prefer to go back for a big game with a larger crowd.
A panoramic view of Estadio Martínez Valero
