Last Wednesday brought another tough result for Eldense as they fell to Valladolid by a single goal. The team showed flashes of promise in the second half, but the overall performance left them submerged in the early stretch of the season. After nine rounds, this marks the first real sporting crisis of the campaign for Fernando Estévez’s side, who found themselves facing a difficult run of form and a table that reflected their struggles. The Elda side, which has earned respect for its fighting spirit, now steps back onto the field with renewed urgency as they try to climb away from the relegation zone despite the setback against Valladolid.
Estévez’s squad has collected just two points from the last eighteen on offer, with two draws against Alcorcón (2-2) and Espanyol (3-3) in Cornellà-El Prat, and losses to Zaragoza (2-0), Levante (2-0), Oviedo (1-3), and Valladolid (0-1). The sequence has tested the team’s resilience and called into question some attacking decisions that have limited their output in crucial moments of matches. The match against Valladolid built tension in a way that could be familiar to supporters: the initiative drifted away at key times, and the absence of a decisive finish sealed another painful result. In this moment, the club’s staff and players must recalibrate quickly to avoid a prolonged dip in results.
Eldense, currently struggling with a trio of losses, saw a slight lull in momentum that halted a long stretch of near-constant improvement. The side had begun October with a challenging run that included defeats in back-to-back road matches, producing a reality check that the squad cannot afford to overlook as they navigate the next fixtures.
Calendar and officiating
Even with the darker outlook, small details remain part of the season’s mosaic. Three teams sit in play-off positions—Espanyol, Levante, and Zaragoza—and Eldense has to confront each of them in the near term. The schedule adds pressure, with matches scheduled against the frontrunners that will test both tactical discipline and mental resolve as the season progresses. The officiating and added time decisions have already sparked debate, with some moments in recent fixtures drawing ire and causing reactions in the stands and on the bench alike. One noted instance involved a late equalizing chance against Valladolid that was not given a legal goal, a moment that sparked disappointment in the stands and on the field. The protagonist Juanto Ortuño publicly expressed disappointment after the match, acknowledging the frustration of missing out on a legitimate opportunity to level the score. These episodes contribute to the narrative of a season where fine margins matter greatly and every decision is scrutinized.
Generally, the squad has not collapsed under pressure. The match against Real Oviedo at the previous week’s end displayed the team’s willingness to fight, and in the second half against Valladolid the side showed a resilient push toward the rival’s goal. Forward-looking assessments suggest that the goal-scoring opportunities need to translate into goals more consistently, as the current drought is leaving the team short of the breakthrough moments that often define a successful run. Eldense’s attackers have created chances; what remains is finishing them with precision and composure to break the current cycle of narrow losses.
Juanto Ortuño, the team’s top scorer with three goals, demonstrated that his instinct remains sharp when opportunities present themselves. Despite a recent stretch where finishes haven’t always been found, his performance in and around the box signals that the threat is still there. His colleagues, Sergio Ortuño and Marc Mateu, also delivered strong showings, combining with Dumic to reinforce why they remain the preferred trio in Estévez’s starting lineup. The upcoming weeks present a more “manageable” calendar, yet every match will carry the weight of the club’s ambitions to stabilize in the upper half of the fight to avoid relegation. The next set of fixtures pits Eldense against teams that are fighting to stay clear of the relegation zone, including Huesca, Racing de Ferrol, Amorebieta, Burgos, and Andorra, with Elche also in the mix as a potential challenger if form turns in their favor. The squad and its supporters will be watching closely to see if the margin for error can be reduced and if the team can rediscover the sequence of victories that once defined the season’s early optimism.