With all the focus on the First Division and with little time to have lowered the ball to the ground and raised his head to look to other horizons, the Elche quarry is completing one of the best seasons in memory. Without facilities or the investment of other times, The new project now led by Argentine Jorge 'Coqui' Raffo deserves a separate chapter.
Elche Ilicitano has qualified for the promotion phase to Second B, the new Second Federation. He has done it as second in his group, behind Eldense. Pau Quesada has successfully directed the franjiverde subsidiary despite the fact that the problems to make the first team squad and the long lists that are now kept in professional football left him on more than one occasion diminished to face the competition.
Elche Juvenil, in addition, has managed to qualify for the first time in its history for the Copa del Rey and the Champions Cup. The pandemic conditioned the dispute for the first prize won by René Martínez, the promising technician of this Honor Division team, and in the second he hopes to get as far as possible. Both junior and junior teams have a cast of extremely talented footballers who, in some cases, They have already started knocking on the door of Fran Escribá, a confessed lover of the quarry.
Jony Álamo, the jewel in the crown
Jony Álamo (La Unión, 2001) debuted last season in the first team at the orders of Jose Rojo 'Pacheta'. The now Huesca coach, this week's rival of his former team, soon detected in him a future value for the Club. Midfielder with a mixed profile, with good work capacity and a good run in the central area of the field.
The Youth Honor Division was too small for him and he soon made the leap from the subsidiary to the first team, where he has not played much but has been common in almost all calls. Last season he played three league games, two of them as a starter, and did not detract from the competition. This year he has been part of the starting line-up in four official matches: three in the Cup and one in the First Division, against Real Valladolid. With him in the engine room, led by Almirón, Elche got to 0-2 on the scoreboard. After his injury, in the final stretch, the team ended up giving up the tie.
Jony Álamo chases Messi, in the Gamper last summer.
JOSEP LAGO (AFP)
Javier Villar follows in the wake of his brother Gonzalo
The Elche quarry has borne good results in recent seasons despite the fact that the projects have not had continuity. Players like Gonzalo Villar, a key player in the Under-21 and Roma, came from there not long ago; Óscar Gil, starter on Espanyol's right back until his injury; or Sory Kaba, who made the leap to the first team from the subsidiary and was transferred to Dijon for the spectacular figure of four million euros two seasons ago.
Gonzalo's wake is now followed by his little brother, Javier Villar (Murcia, 2003). They say that he is a carbon copy of his brother, perhaps with a little less technical talent but with more physicality and development in the field. On some occasion he has already trained under Fran Escribá. It is the engine of Elche Juvenil, which has made history in the highest national category. A roundtrip midfielder from which a lot is expected.
Hugo Esteban, top scorer in Third
A striking case is that of Hugo Esteban (Valencia, 1998). The top scorer in Group VI of the Third Division, with 14 goals in 17 games, is shining with the franjiverde subsidiary, but he has not had the opportunity to look out on the balcony of the first team, neither with Jorge Almirón nor now with Fran Escribá. And it has not done so despite the fact that the forwards of Elche are not that they have stood out precisely because of their good numbers in front of the rival goal.
Hugo Esteban is not demoralized despite the fact that he disputes his last year as U23 while waiting for his good performances, his relevant role in the subsidiary and their outstanding numbers open the door to the first team or a more hopeful future in any other destination.
Hugo Esteban, in a match with the subsidiary.
Barri, Castillo, John, Diego Bri, Lluís Andreu and Luis Castillo, regulars
Throughout the last two seasons, pandemic through, the coaches that Elche has had (Pacheta, Almirón and Escribá) have used, on several occasions, the quarry to play. And not only to fulfill or to fill. They have already debuted, throughout all this time, footballers such as the right back Gerard Barri (Barcelona, 2001), the left back José Salinas (Callosa, 2001), the central John Chetauya (Murcia, 2000) and the winger Bri (Elche, 2002). Luis Castillo (Catral, 2000) He was the third goalkeeper in Almirón's stage and now Escribá has preferred to use Lluís Andreu (Barcelona, 1999) to complete the calls. Nacho Ramón, who also made his debut with the first team, injured his knee ligaments and has now started the countdown to return as soon as possible.
The sports city, the eternal promise
But if you talk about promises in Elche, the name that comes to mind is that of the future sports city. This has been the eternal unfinished project, not even started, that has haunted the heads of leaders, technicians and fans for two decades. In 2003 land was bought for its construction and it was never known again.
At the time, the training camps were sold at any price and right now Elche is forced to train in municipal facilities. The owner Christian Bragarnik is looking for property sites in the municipal area with the intention of investing in order to create playing fields for the entity and a residence for young soccer players. Time will tell if this bet is the good one or we will have to continue chasing Elche's golden dream.