Scoring goals and preventing them from entering the net are the two pivotal tasks in any football squad. It is easy to say, and hard to do. These roles rank as the most valuable for any team, with eleven players contributing, yet two stand out as the primary actors: the goalkeeper who keeps the scoreline clean and the striker who pursues the tally. In older football lore, the positions carried the numbers one and nine.
This season, those two numbers have a clear owner at Hercules. The number one is worn by Carlos Abad, a goalkeeper who has started every match since pre-season and who anchors Ángel Rodríguez’s ongoing quest for a zero against his own goal, a feat that would guarantee at least a point. When the rest of the team finds success in the rival zone, the rewards multiply.
Carlos Abad, 27, arrives in Alicante after a long journey with the aim of a fresh start at a club pursuing the same goal. His recent career includes a stint at Tenerife with 17 official appearances across four seasons, followed by a relegation season at Córdoba with 28 league appearances and 49 goals conceded, after a tough spell in the Second Division B. The Canarian goalkeeper, who has trained with Deportivo and Atlético Baleares, now feels like Hercules’ top option in goal.
These lines reflect the team’s distinctive pre-season preparation and the strong impression Abad has left during this period. The praise is abundant for now. During the injury break of his last friendly against Alcoyano, he conceded just one goal in four warm-up matches. Moments later, he delivered in a shootout by stopping the decisive penalty that earned his team the Ciutat d’Alcoi trophy.
Choosing not to travel to Luceros has coincided with a run of victories for Hercules, and the goalkeeper has begun the season with the confidence every guardian needs, watching clean sheets accumulate as minutes tick by. This favorable impression must be borne out in official competition, but Abad is already exuding positive momentum. At the same time, Castilla under Zidane has sparked thoughts in him about pursuing a two-year loan to Tenerife. With a height of 1.93 meters, Abad should be able to command his area, win aerial battles with central defenders, and, perhaps most crucially, make decisive plays when asked. In theory, Hercules aims to be a dominant force in the Second RFEF, generating multiple scoring chances, necessitating a goalkeeper ready to participate selectively, but with moments that decide outcomes.
Hercules creates optimism
Cesar Hernandez
On the other side of the pitch, the number nine for Hercules this season will be worn by Jack Harper, a somewhat nomadic Scottish forward who showed good manners during his time in Malaga’s youth system. The arc of football is full of ups and downs, and at 26 it is clear that promise must translate into tangible results.
To prove himself, Harper agreed to take another step down the ladder. After wins over Malaga, Alcorcón, and Cartagena in the Second Division, he moved down to the Second B for a half season with Villarreal B’s affiliate. His next move landed him in the RFEF First Division with Racing de Santander last season, playing the full campaign. He contributed to the team’s promotion, yet his personal tally was modest with 17 appearances and 2 goals. The time has come to push forward again and gain momentum in the process.
Like his teammate Abad, Harper was decisive in a recent friendly against Alcoyano. He earned a penalty and converted it, marking his debut as Hercules’s striker. The opportunity to win the game slipped away in the dying moments when a one-on-one chance against the opponent’s keeper eluded him. Eleven meters later, his left-footed shot was read by the keeper, and the chance did not convert.
Harper hopes to recapture the smile he wore at the outset of the 2018/19 season when he emerged as a sensation with Malaga in the lower tier. He scored four goals in the first round but did not sustain that form. The present campaign is viewed as a chance to reestablish momentum. Carlos and Jack are the identifiable symbols of Hercules this season, the two numbers that could steer the club toward promotion through their performances.