Something to read on the motorway
There are 4,000 albinegros on the road this morning, this one's for you.
The longest zebra crossing in the world was located in Cangas del Morrazo in the province of Pontevedra, at 46 metres in length. I use the past tense, as today there is a new record. Today the A-7 between Castellón and Murcia takes over the title as the longest stretch of black and white road, as 4,000 fans make their way from Castalia to the Estadio Enrique Roca, extending the record to around 300,000 metres. And if you want to talk about extending records, how about the team, going for a seventh consecutive win which would earn them promotion if Córdoba drop points against Recreativo Granada on Sunday.
Manager Dick Schreuder loves the pressure, while at the same time being keen to take it off the players. “We try and take it as a normal game, we want that the players are not too nervous, they just need to enjoy it”, the Dutchman said in the press conference on Friday. For the fans though, it’s a different story.
One of the biggest away attendances in the history of the club made possible by the close relations between the fanbases, the numbers will make for a day that is anything but normal. 11 official buses, plus those going by car, will occupy a significant part of 31,000 seater, alongside a Real Murcia crowd that will be more motivated than ever as their team push for the playoffs.
In the view of many fans, it is arguably the toughest game remaining, ahead of the visit of third-placed Ibiza to Castalia next week. While the islanders have endured a torrid run of form that forced a managerial change this week, the pimentoneros have been red hot, and undefeated since the beginning of March. A run that has allowed them to sneak up on Ceuta in fifth place and contend for a playoff spot, something that seemed near impossible in January, when they were down in 13th position.
Castellón will also have to contend with the notable absence of top scorer Jesús De Miguel, who came off injured with a groin problem in the first half against Melilla. Lars Veldwijk, the backup signed in January, is available but not ready for 90 minutes, and Schreuder confirmed he wouldn’t be starting. The likely change will be moving Raúl Sánchez into the main striker role, and bringing in either Manu Sánchez or Nikita Iosifov on the wing, although Dick will certainly have other options. Mamadou Traoré is also still uncertain coming off an injury, while Isra Suero will probably join De Miguel in not travelling.
According to Schreuder, the upper limit for away fans in the Netherlands is around 1500. Today there will be almost three times that number of albinegros descending on Murcia for a football feast in the Spanish third division. For 90 minutes, let’s put away the calculators, and live the moment, just as Dick and the players will be doing. PPO!