Alcoyano, Real Madrid's first rival in this edition of the Copa del Rey, is one of the historic Spanish football players. The club was founded in 1928 and between 1945 and 1951 it played 4 seasons in the First Division. He only achieved permanence on one occasion, in 1947-1948, in which he achieved the tenth position among 14 teams with 22 points. Curiously, that campaign finished above Real Madrid, which was eleventh with 21. It also has 12 seasons in the Second Division: the last, in 2011-2012.
The stadium of CD Alcoyano: El Collao
El Collao is one of the oldest courses in Spain, since it was inaugurated in 1921, even before the founding of the club. It has hosted Alcoyano matches in First, Second, Second B and Third Division. As a curiosity, it kept its original grass for 90 years, until in the summer of 2011 it was replanted, coinciding with the last promotion of the team to the First Division.
The dimensions of the pitch are 102 by 63 meters. In other words, it is three meters shorter and five meters narrower than the Bernabéu or the Alfredo Di Stéfano. It can hold 4,850 spectators (the extra stands allowed 6,000 spectators to be held in the Whites' last visit in 2012), although the restrictions due to the pandemic will mean that this time the match will be played behind closed doors.
The legend of Alcoyano's morals
The Real Madrid rival is known for the saying “Have more moral than Alcoyano“Although the origin of the phrase is uncertain, its origin seems to lie in the fame that the club earned in the 1940s that it never considered a game lost, no matter how adverse the result.
Alcoyano players and coach
Only one of the players in the current Alcoyano squad can boast of having played in the First Division. Is their goalkeeper, José Juan, who made his debut with Celta in 2002-2003. The goalkeeper, who joined the team last season, has a long career in the Second Division, where he played 209 games with the City of Murcia, Granada 74, Granada CF, Lugo and Elche. At 41, he is the third oldest active player in First, Second and Second B.
Five other players have experience in Segunda: Mourad, Garcés, Jona, Juli and Jony Ñíguez, brother of Atlético Saúl. The team also has five players from the city: Pablo Carbonell, Jorge Moltó, Pablo Morgado, Sergio Mullor and the aforementioned Juli.
His coach is Vicente Parras (Alicante, 11-18-75), who is serving his second season at the helm of the team. He worked in the lower categories of Elche and reached the first team in the Second Division six games. Before arriving at Alcoyano, he directed a season and a half at Ontinyent in Second B.
In which group do they play and how is Alcoyano doing in Segunda B?
Alcoyano plays in subgroup 3-B of Second Division B after achieving promotion last season. With 10 games played, he is fourth classified with 16 points, the same as Villarreal B, which marks the playoff fighting positions to Second and direct classification for the new RFEF First Division category (also commonly known as Second B Pro). He comes from drawing (0-0) the last day with Hercules at Rico Pérez. Between the League and the Cup, add a streak of seven games without losing.
Second B
* Data updated as of January 20, 2021
In the League he has only six goals in favor, which have been distributed among many other players: Juanan, Jony, Ramón, Raúl, Rubio and Jona. The first two have also premiered in the Cup, where Mourad (2), Moltó and Ángel López have also scored.
CD Alcoyano in the Copa del Rey
Alcoyano qualified for this edition of the Copa del Rey as group 6 champion of the Third Division last season. He has reached the round of 32 of the KO tournament after beating Laredo (4-1) in the first round and eliminating an entire First like Huesca (2-1) in the second.
This is Alcoyano's 44th participation in the KO tournament. Its ceiling is in the quarterfinals of the 1945-46 season, that of his debut in the First Division, in which he was eliminated precisely by Real Madrid (2-2 in El Collao and 2-0 in white fiefdom). This is the fifth time he has reached the round of 32 in the 21st century. On previous occasions, he had the honor of receiving Barcelona, Valencia, Athletic and also Real Madrid.
CD Alcoyano clashes against Real Madrid
Alcoyano and Real Madrid will face off in an official match for the 13th time. The balance is favorable to the whites, with seven victories, three draws and two defeats. The last time they met, in the round of 32 of the Cup in 2012-2013, Madrid won 1-4 at El Collao with a double from Benzema and goals from Kaká and the youth squad José Rodríguez for the madridistas (Javi Lara scored the local goal) and 3-0 at the Bernabéu with a goal from Di María and a double from Callejón.
Pérez-Payá, a man from Alcoy at Real Madrid
Alcoy can boast of having one of its countrymen in the history of Real Madrid. José Luis Pérez-Payá (3-28-1928) wore the white jersey for four years, coming from Atlético de Madrid. It was between 1953 and 1957 and he was part of the squad that won the first two European Cups. Later, he was president of the Spanish Federation between 1970 and 1975.