IMORTAL FOOTBALL CLUB ALBUFEIRA

Imortal through with a 4-0 win    ...... see http://www.futebol365.pt/competicao/1143/

Thanks Lofters for the confirmed score.

I don't think you have to book meals except on match days. I will ask next time.

I wasn't at the game so no report this week. I also watched the rugby, worse luck.

Black Cat - A 4-0 win is a good result. When I went back to the pub I watched both Sunderland and Newcastle games as they were on at the same time. A Geordie couple I was sitting with did not know whether to laugh or cry. The rivalry between these teams in unbelievable
Enjoy the rest of your holiday mate.

Game v Culatrense on Saturday will be a 3pm ko at the slightly less horrible Penha 'stadium' in the north of Faro.

From Forte do Vale it's about 20 - 25 minutes walk, mostly uphill. Alternatively, eg if it's raining, take the GIRO Linha Verde (Green) bus from the Tres Palmeiras (Three Palms) roundabout outside Forte do Vale at 1335(if it's a 1500 ko) to the bus station then take the path, about 5 min walk.  You would in the ground around 1400 the Linha Azul will take you back at 1700.

http://www.algarvebus.info/images/Stadium%20location.jpg

Beer is not expensive, but they normally only do bifanas (pork steak roll) etc on the food side on match days.

Wearing a Celtic top won´t get you into a fight at Imortal.

Getting to Olhanense for a Sunday game is pretty difficult. It's a 1500hrs ko that day.

The only real option is by bus

Albufeira : 1130 from the bus station (catch the bus from Estrada da Santa Eulaia at about 1140)

Faro arrive : 1300
change bus buy a new ticket
Faro leave : 1325
Olhão arrive : 1345

Returning

Olhão leave 1700 (leg it fast to the main road near McDonald's and catch the bus there)
Faro arrive 1720

If you miss that one the next bus isn't until 1750.

Faro leave 1725 if the travel god is with you, 1745 if not but that one goes the long way around via Loulé.

Albufeira arrive 1810 or 1910
 
If not, the 1750 from Olhão gets to Faro at 1810, in good time for the last bus to Albufeira which leaves at 1845 arriving at 2015.

Train isn't really an option as there is a 3 hour gap in the afternoons with no trains at all towards Faro from here.

Coming back from Olhão there is a 1729 to Faro arriving 1739 but you have little or no chance of making the 1745 bus and there is a 2 hour wait until the next train to Albufeira.

Yes, three hours to travel about 40 miles. Welcome to Portugal at weekends.

As for me I am off to brave the elements to watch Imortal in Faro v Culatrense having missed the last two games. Again, the only way I can get there for 3pm is to get a bus at 1205 - this goes the long way around and arrives in Faro at 1325, so for you no chance of the 1325 to Olhão and it's an hour's wait for the next one. As I live 25 minutes walk from the bus station I shall be off at 1130.

See you next weekend. I may well wear my blue Tonbridge AFC shirt as a recognition panel.

The 1756 from Faro back to Albufeira - Ferreiras is an intercity train for which you must buy a different ticket. You cannot use a regional ticket on the intercity train.

That fare is €9,10 one way whereas by regional train it's €3,30.

But I guess an extra €5,80 might be preferable to possibly sitting around for hours in Faro.

Reporting from yesterday, Imortal had a useful 2-0 win over in Faro against Culatrense and are back in 2nd spot. More later.

On the transport front, I took the 1130 bus from Albufeira to Faro which was full with standing passengers by the time we left Olhos D'Agua. All those tourists going to Vilamoura. I found a bar in Faro showing the Spurs v Liverpool game (on a Spanish channel) watched most of that before the 15 minute walk to Penha and the game.

Afterwards I walked down to the Hospital for the 1725 Transrápido bus back to Albufeira, which somehow contrived to be 15 minutes late only three stops out of the bus station. There were five other passengers.

Culatrense 0 - 2 Imortal

The biggest surprise of the day was that it only rained for a few minutes at the start. Most of the game was played in sunshine, although the gusty wind often made ball control difficult on the synthetic pitch.

Two well taken goals by one of a few new faces, Ricardo Ruiz, gave Imortal a well earned victory. They dominated the game for long periods, but were denied more goals by a mixture of wayward shooting and one really good save. For their part, the Imortal defence had some difficult times, but the home side's finishing was even worse.

Imortal had the wind in the first half and tried the tactic of quick crosses to outwit defenders. Didn't work. Midway through the half skipper Pedro had a long free kick that sped accurately towards goal, but the 'keeper saw it from a way off and dealt with it easily. A couple of chances followed, Baldé swept a shot just wide after a corner was not properly cleared then Miguel had a close range header really well saved on the line.

The final few minutes of the first half saw Culatrense on the front foot, but they made nothing of a couple of good chances coming about from defensive errors. Imortal's defence was well organised and blocked several attempts on and around the edge of the penalty area.

Imortal began the second half well and went ahead after 10 minutes. Baldé crossed from the left wing, Ricardo spun well to control an awkwardly bouncing ball, then drilled it low and hard into the corner of the next from about 12 yards out.

The second followed on 21 minutes. Once again Culatrense failed to clear a corner, the ball dropped at the feet of Ricardo whose looping shot from the corner of the penalty area beat everyone to nestle in the far side of goal.

His reward was to be subbed five minutes later!

The rest of the second half was pretty much in Imortal's control. There were no big exertions needed to deal with opposition who had run out of ideas, except right at the end when the half way line offside trap was broken, Cultatrense were bearing down on goal in numbers. but defenders rushed back quickly enough to block the rather half hearted shot.

The game was well refereed for a change and there were no histrionics from either side. Crowd was about 50.

Match stats

Free kicks conceced : Imortal 16, Culatrense 9
Offside : Imortal 2, Culatrense 3
Shots on target : Imortal 7, Culatrense 3
Shots off target : imortal 8, Culatrense 5
Shots blocked : Imortal 0, Culatrense 7
Corners : Imortal 11, Culatrense 2
Yellow cards : 1 each, both for fouls.

Next Saturday Imortal face local rivals Ferreiras in what is always a keenly contested affair. Ferreiras have spent some seasons in the national league before being relegated last season, so the teams haven't met in a league game for a while. Kickoff may be at 3pm I shall confirm this asap.