Second division day 22

The second division promotion race was thrown wide open this weekend after the top three sides all failed to win. Leaders Alavés were beaten 1-0 by Valladolid on Sunday lunchtime, Figueredo getting the only goal of the match in the seventh minute. The Vitoria based side stay in top spot though after Cádiz suffered their third defeat in a row, this time 1-2 to an Eibar side who played the last half hour with ten men. Youth international David Silva got the winner for the Basques late on to take his team back up above Elche into the top three.

Celta took advantage to close to within three points of the promotion spots after a 1-0 victory over Almería, Gustavo López scoring the winner just two minutes in to the second half. Recreativo lost ground though after they were held 1-1 by Sporting Gijón, who have not lost now in Huelva in 28 years. And Lleida kept their slim hopes of promotion alive with a 1-3 win at Racing Ferrol, taking them above their opponents into the top half of the table.

Down at the bottom there were single goal victories for the two Murcia sides, taking them both a little closer to salvation. Real Murcia beat Nàstic 1-0 thanks to a headed goal from Iván Alonso, and Ciudad Murcia defeated Córdoba 0-1, a result which ends the brief revival of the Andalusians and opens up a nine point gap between the bottom two and the rest. Terrassa have been dragged down into the relegation battle after they lost 3-1 to fellow strugglers Salamanca, and they are now only two points above the drop zone. (30.01.05)

Third placed Elche dropped points at home for only the second time this season when they were held to a 0-0 draw by Tenerife. It was a good result for the visitors' new manager Tigre Barrios, who took over from Pepe Moré midweek. Two other new coaches faced each other when José María Bakero's Málaga B were beaten 0-3 by Enrique Martín's Xerez, Mena, Roteta and Moreno getting the goals. And another newly appointed manager, Pontevedra's Alberto Argibay, saw his new side drop further into the relegation zone after they were beaten 1-0 by Poli Ejido, Mara getting his first goal for the locals early on. (29.01.05)