CD Jávea
 | |||
| Full name | Club Deportivo Jávea | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Los Rojiblancos | ||
| Founded | 1939 | ||
| Ground |
Campo d'Esports Municipal, Xàbia–Jávea Valencian Community, Spain | ||
| Capacity | 2,000 | ||
| Chairman |
 David Tiscar | ||
| Manager |
Juanjo Cháfer García | ||
| League | Regional Preferente – Group 3 | ||
| 2015–16 | Regional Preferente – Group 3, 8th | ||
|
| |||
Club Deportivo Jávea is an association football club from Spain. Founded in 1939, they are based 100 km from Valencia, and 80 from Alicante. They currently play in the Regional Preferente – Group 3.
History
CD Jávea have been part of the community of Xàbia–Jávea for almost 75 years. Very much a provincial club, the rojiblancos have rarely breathed the purer air of the upper echelons of the Spanish league pyramid but have established themselves as one of the more progressive lower league clubs in the region. Occasional spells in the Third Division have interrupted an otherwise solid presence in the Valencian Regional Preferente, one of the more powerful regional set-ups in Spain.
CD Jávea were last promoted to the Third Division in the early 90s, and Within three years they were back in the Regional Preferente. In 2001/02 CD Jávea finished second in group IV behind a very powerful 'B' side from Hércules CF but lost their play-off round to SD Sueca to miss out on promotion to the Third Division. Two seasons later, a late run of form from the rojiblancos put them in good stead to claim another play-off spot but just one point from the last two games meant that they finished four points off the zone in 5th spot.
In 2006/07 CD Jávea almost left the Regional Preferente but in the wrong direction in a chaotic season for the football club. Young manager Alberto Araujo was tasked with putting together an exciting side that could challenge for promotion but by late November the club was just above the relegation zone. The club's board acted with knee-jerk reaction and sacked Alberto and three key first-team players; amazingly they discovered their fate on regional radio and the club was set to self-destruct as players refused to train. Ultimately Alberto stayed on a club for another six weeks as the club sought to avoid controversy, a clause in the coach's contract citing right to dismissal if the club wasn't in the top ten by the season's midpoint. On 14 January 2007, CD Jávea drew 1–1 at CD Polop and sat in 15th spot. Alberto departed the club.
Former FC Torrevieja player Kenny Brown was sought after as a suitable replacement, having the sort of coaching credentials that would suit the ambitions of the club. However bureaucracy at the Federation meant that he wasn't permitted to assume responsibilities on match-day and coach Mitgeta took on a caretaker-coach role. Jávea won just once in 21 games between 5 November 2006 and 6 May 2007 and a 0–1 home defeat at the hands on UD Altea forced the rojiblancos into the drop zone. Yet somehow the players pulled themselves off their knees and carved out two remarkable wins, a 2–1 away victory at Albatera CF and a 4–2 home win over CD Polop on the last day of season which secured safety by two points.
At the end of the 2006/7 season, English businessman Mark Catlin was elected president of the club after having spent a period as 'commercial director'. Catlin moved enthustiastically to steady a ship sailing dangerously close to stormy waters.
In January 2008 CD Jávea were featured on British television in a Sky Sports special called "La Lower Liga" which explored the impact of the British ex-pat community on football on Spain's Costa Blanca. Whilst CD Jávea was heavily featured, the programme also featured Noel Williams who was playing for Second Division Elche CF at the time. A follow-up programme entitled "La Lower Liga: The Second Half" was broadcast in the summer of 2008. Also featured in the programmes were CD Jávea's international supporters club, the Peña Javeamigos.
As a consequence of the programmes, CD Jávea received well over 100 emails from players and coaches in the UK, including Football League side Southend United. A partnership agreement was signed in the summer of 2008[1] which resulted in three young Southend players flying out to the Costa Blanca to join CD Jávea for a six-month loan spell, although just one managed to last the entire period. No further contact has been made with the club with regards to this agreement since the end of 2008.
The 2009/10 season began with coach Kenny Brown leaving the club after just three games to take up an assistant manager position at Grays Athletic in the UK, hoping to help former team-mate Julian Dicks guide the club away from the Conference National relegation zone. Former player and captain Jose Luis Bisquert was appointed as head coach a few days later.
In October 2009 President Mark Catlin resigned from his position, citing broken promises made to him by the local council during the summer of 2009. (Catlin subsequently joined English League One side Bury as 'commercial director. However a group of local's came together to form a caretaker board to take responsibility for the running of the club. Through their hard work in promoting the club across the town, support for the club began to build again despite the lack of progress on the pitch. The club finished the 2009/10 season in 13th spot and, although relegation was ultimately avoided, it had come close for a few weeks during the late winter.
With the club in dire financial trouble, a policy of encouraging local talent was pursued and the squad was built around local players, many of whom had been released by other clubs in the area. The 2010/11 season began badly, the worst start for some time with five straight defeats and two draws saw CD Jávea firmly established at the very bottom of the table. The fans had to wait until late October for the club's first win of the season, a 3–2 home victory over U.D. Horadada and the 'rojiblancos' gradually lifted themselves away from the wrong end of the table with a series of much improved performances, including a 4–1 thumping of play-off contenders Hércules C.F. "B". The season continued to be a mixed bag of results, the most disappointing of all being the spineless 5–1 defeat at close rivals U.D. Altea who would finish the season as group champions and ultimately win promotion to the Third Division through the play-offs. CD Jávea finished the season in 11th spot with Armando Lemos hitting 11 goals of the club's 42 goals that season.
The 2011/12 season was ultimately one of the most successful seasons for almost a decade. With José Luis Bisquert still at the helm, the side started slowly with three successive draws and a defeat but a run of three consecutive wins including a stunning 4–0 away demolition of U.D. Aldaya saw the 'rojiblancos' quickly rise up the table and, despite the occasional wobble, mainly against the sides pushing for a play-off spot, the side made a serious bid for the top four. Indeed a run of six wins in seven games lifted the side into fourth spot and within a whisker of a play-off place. But then a miserable final run of five games without a win saw CD Jávea slip to 6th, including a 1–0 home defeat to relegated Torrent C.F. on the last day of the season, a loss that ended hopes of lasting the whole season undefeated at home. Yet, it was the club's highest finished since 2003 and promised much for the future.
Yet after a hint of what could be, the 2012/13 season delivered a campaign to forget, despite a promising start which saw CD Jávea in early contention for a play-off spot. The 'rojiblancos' drew 15 of their 34 games and won just two games in the second half of a season which included a depressing eleven game run without a win. The two victories - one at home against Racing Algemesi and the second away at UD Ondarense - would be against two sides who would ultimately be relegated, scant consolation for such a miserable season. CD Jávea finished 10th, twelve points clear of the relegation zone but there was an enormous 28 point gap between themselves and the play-offs. It was as if the club gave up once safety had been assured, thanks to a decent first half of the season which saw the club lose just three times. But the knowledge that the club could not have been relegated was scant consolation for poor performances in the latter half of the season.
With coach José Luis Bisquert able to add some experience to the side during the summer of 2013, including the arrival of Dani García from CD Dénia and Sergio Mesa from CD Llosa, the 2013/14 season would be very interesting. An unlucky opening day defeat at CD Dénia was followed by an eight-game unbeaten run in which Dani García would score four goals, including two stunning strikes that would have been worthy of a greater stage. The rojiblancos would finish in 8th spot.
2014-2015 CD Javea finished sixth but had put in a claim for a top three place for much of the season until a 0-6 home defeat to Recambios Colon CF applied the brakes on the ambition (Recambios Colon would go on to win promotion to the Third Division). The rojiblancos also recorded some of their biggest wins in their history when they crushed CD Chella 8-1 before defeating relegation-bound Catarroja CF 6-0 on their own pitch. The club finished third top scoring team in the league with 67 goals in 34 games behind UD Alginet (81) and Recambios Colon CF (70) and scored 21 of those goals in their last five games of the season. Coach José Luis Bisquert stepped down at the end of the season.
2015-2016 CD Jávea's new board of directors confirmed the appointment of a new coach in Jesús Moratal, formerly of CD Dénia. After a mixed pre-season campaign, his first league match in charge was a 0-0 home draw in the Marina Alta derby against his former club. It took eight games to get a first win under his belt, a 2-0 home victory over perennial strugglers Pego CF, by which time Jávea had slipped to 16th position in the table. The wins started coming gradually but mixed results saw the rojiblancos rarely threaten the top half of the table and in November 2015 Moratal was relieved of duty and in January 2016 replaced by former UD Canals and UD Beniganim coach Juanjo Cháfer García. His impact was immediate. Jávea went on a nine-match unbeaten run to climb to fifth and make a valid claim for the top three but a curious collapse in the final six games in which the rojiblancos recorded just one win saw the side slip out of contention and finish 8th, nine points off the top three.
Season to season
- 2R, 1R, RP
|
|
|}
- 7 seasons in Tercera División
Squad 2015–16
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
|
|
Stadium
The Campo d'Esports Municipal is owned by the local council. The main football pitch is synthetic grass which was laid to replace the natural surface in 2006. In addition to the 11-a-side markings, the pitch is also laid out with dark blue 7-a-side markings across the width of each half of the pitch.
The main stand running alongside the western edge of the pitch with a capacity of close to 2,000 spectators, standing only. There are no seats but spectators tend to seat directly onto the concrete. The stand is uncovered and consequently spectators are exposed to the elements. The changing rooms and offices underneath the stand were seriously damaged by fire, thought to have been started deliberately, in June 2010; a similar arson attack destroyed the nearby headquarters of Javea Bull Rugby Club. However the local council had already earmarked the changing rooms for a complete refurbishment and work was carried out during the summer of 2010. A new scoreboard was installed in 2015.
