The champion has few defeats to speak of, with a maximum of four losses during the two seasons of the second RFEF. In the recent period, the club recorded losses to Teruel last year and to Intercity a summer earlier. After three straight wins, Hércules suffered their first home defeat at Narcís Sala, a setback charged with meaning: the best league start in eighty years. The supporters from Alicante carried the weight, yet it was clear that the responsibility rested less on the shoulders of one individual than on the collective effort of the squad.
The coaching staff returned to mandatory Monday training yesterday, following an official decision that granted them one less day to prepare for the next league match. The squad heads to Andratx on Saturday at 8:30 p.m., with the customary one-day rest routine continuing, preferably on Tuesday.
The team trained in two blocks at Fontnivel. Starters enjoyed a rest period, while the rest of the squad focused on ball work and gym sessions. Nobody among the absentees was penalized; both are expected to be fully available on Friday, which will mark the definitive test. Nico Espinosa trained relatively normally throughout the week.
That should have been the hard slap from Sant Andreu, yet years away from professional football and the weight of past missteps make it hard to measure the true impact. Despite the setback, Rubén Torrecilla preserves an optimistic tone. “At some point you have to lose; that’s part of the game,” the Hércules coach said, noting that changes to the stadium on Saturday remain possible.
Motivational video did not produce the hoped-for effect in the locker room.
► Rubén Torrecilla attempted to bolster the players’ confidence after three consecutive wins by showing a motivational video featuring fans traveling to Barcelona to support the team at the Sant Andreu venue. In the coach’s words, it was about the players “getting it” and awareness, illustrating what supporters can do for the team as they endure and strive in away matches, so the shield can be proudly defended. The effort did not land as intended.
“Losing matches is part of the sport, but the team is prepared to handle it physically and psychologically because the work being done is excellent,” the blue-and-white coach stated. “There is no time to waste on complaints; the focus is on winning.”
“To all our fans I promise that we will reward their loyalty by delivering victory in Barcelona this Saturday. A win over Sant Andreu will reinforce the team’s independence and resolve and solidify their standing,” Torrecilla asserted, confident that the squad can stand on its own and avoid letting a single change erode its identity.
In two seasons of the second RFEF
4 DEFEATS
Hércules reached the top of the standings by competing fiercely throughout the year with Intercity and accumulating strong results despite the setbacks.
2 DEFEATS
In the campaign against Teruel, the team demonstrated resilience, with a title in sight. There were some narrow losses on Espanyol B and Manresa’s fields, yet the club still collected 66 points.
Both the coach and the players started the week united in a plan to avoid slipping into a losing streak and to prevent bad results from turning into longer slumps. Improvements are needed in several areas, with a focus on promoting younger players such as Sergi Molina or Hugo Sanz and advancing the return of key injured players.
Nonetheless, after four weeks of maintaining the same structure, the natural course would be to revisit a playing style that enables Hércules to share the top spot in the group during the first three weeks, while ensuring defensive solidity and high attacking efficiency. The team is resting on Tuesday, and doctors hope that the squad can fully recuperate, ready for a more reliable stretch and a deeper rotation to preserve energy across the squad.