One step away from promotion to the Second Division, he left Badajoz and then took leave. Fernando Estévez is on his way to lift his thorn and return Eldense to professional football after nearly 60 years. The Barça manager is not afraid of pressure in the remaining nine games and is confident that he will fulfill “a dream” that was not among the club’s goals last summer. Currently, the team is in the lead four points ahead of Castellón. Finishing first has the great reward of direct promotion without the need for a playoff. The coach, who has become a hero in Elda, says, “I’m just worried about the match I will play with Intercity right now, I don’t even know the schedule.”

Did you expect to be the leader with nine games with a four-point advantage over the second?

When I came, the goal was neither promotion nor first place. The category has a notorious set of teams with a big budget and stability. Struggling to get into or close to the ‘play-offs’ was tough and we are more than just reaching that goal. The reason I came here is because of the harmony with the sports management, I know the category well and this allowed me to reach a consensus on the squad design. We started the project with the idea of ​​taking our place in the category, but in the end we exceeded expectations.

The city of Elda is dedicated to the team…

Yes, it’s beautiful. It had been a long time since Elda had this much interest in football. We started with 1,200 members and filling the stadium was unthinkable right now. The atmosphere created is very nice. Only 300 tickets remain for Sunday’s Intercity match, and it covers over 4,000 seats.

Intercity arrives in Nuevo Pepico Amat on Sunday…

A good team, a project that makes very strong bets and is in the category with good players and a good coach. Being a derby makes it more attractive.

Two points in three games but still maintaining a considerable advantage against Castellón…

The abnormal thing was that we were ahead by many points from the followers because there are teams in this category that have a lot of money. This is a very equal category. What is normal is what we are experiencing right now, too much equality, too much competition. It’s a long race in any case, the grades were in June and five days ago we were in worse shape than now, Castellón was one point away… It is true that the final results were not positive, but we are much better in the classification.

How do you see the calendar they left in these last nine days?

I can’t make a value judgment as I can’t see beyond the next game. All I know is that now we have Intercity at home and Amorebieta away. I don’t know how it goes on but it’s complicated for everyone because everyone has something at stake. There is no one who has not played anything and I know from experience that surprises can happen and live in the short term.

Could the match against Amorebieta be key?

He’s a complex competitor and an example to look out for. A humble club, they do very well with their squad for their category and they are there on their own merit with a team very well adapted to their category and style of play. I wouldn’t limit it to one or two candidates. We have up to seven or eight teams in the fight and I will include the SDLogroñés who beat us. I’ve been putting it in pools for a long time.

Promotion directly to the Second Division would be a dream…

It would be very nice to get promoted for an age-old club like Eldense, and it would be much better to avoid the complexity of the playoffs in the first place, where you encounter real ocean liners and risk everything. But it would rise like any firm. It would be great for everyone if we were the first

What surprised you the most about your team?

Professionalism of the players. We have famous players from an important career, such as Álex Martínez, Miguel Núñez, Pedro Capó, Juan Carlos Hernández, who played in the Second Division, and it is remarkable that they have always been very modest people with a career. To fight for the benefit of the group over individuality. When these heavyweights make your job so easy, it says a lot about what this team and this club are. The locker room is so unified and the harmony between the coaching team and the chair is where the key to what we do is and where the work bears fruit.

How do you think pressure can carry the team in this final episode of the season?

Printing is a privilege. I’m one year away from being promoted to runner-up and come from a year of no education. Returning to training is invaluable and being exposed to this pressure is a privilege. As a kid, you always picture yourself setting a discount or promotion target. The closest emotion we can have is fighting for a promotion. We believe in the mission and the result is the result of hard work. Competition is what puts you in your place.

How do you see the meeting on Sunday?

A tough competitor. We encounter them relatively rarely. They are in a good moment, they have been fighting well for eight weeks without losing. They found eleven types. It will be a very difficult match, they have a good coach and good players like Piñán, Etxaniz, Marí… They are top people, if they have a good day they can complicate us, but we have the tools. and it will be a good game