Los albinegros ganan la batalla del derbi. By Steve.

LOS ALBINEGROS WIN DERBY BATTLE
FC CARTAGENA - 2 AGUILAS CF - 1
BY STEVE HIBBERD

Cartagena turned this game completely on it's head, as they rolled up their sleeves to earn a hard fought victory.
Local rivals Aguilas dominated 1st half proceedings, fully deserving to lead at the half time interval, but amazingly the home side were every bit their equal during an action packed 2nd half. This win has propelled Cartagena back up the div 2b table to 7th place, only 5 points adrift of leaders Real Betis 'B'. It was pretty much the expected line up for Fran Alcoys men, although one face missing was club captain Sivori, who is likely to be absent for at least a month following a nasty leg injury. It was a first taste of action for summer signing Adrian.
FC CARTAGENA LINE UP
ALEJANDRO, ORMAZABAL, ORLANDO, LUSARRETA, CABREJO, CURRO, MARIANO, CARMONA (LEO 63), LAFUENTE, MOLIST (JUVENAL 87), TOLEDO (ADRIAN 90)
Aguilas made their intentions very clear from as early as the 5th minute, when their rugged centre back Raul, crudely sythed down Mariano from behind. Just 2 mins later they had deservedly taken the lead, courtesy of a Honorio pile driver from the edge of the penalty area, which left Cartagenas young keeper Alejandro with no chance. Chances were few for a Cartagena side, who appeared totally shellshocked at a determined Aguilas display. If it wasn't for an outstanding performance by the overworked Alejandro, then Aguilas would have put the game out of Cartagenas reach by half time. Both goalscorer Honorio and twin striker Tariq, blasted long range efforts which were brillantly pushed to safety. In between the Aguilas onslaught, Molist did at least unleash one fine drive, requiring a great save to prevent the Catalan from scoring. Molist was also involved in the halfs final incident, when inside the opposing penalty area, he was awarded a free kick for a blatant foul on him. How ref Naranjo decided to make the kick indirect, was a complete mystery, but he would later square matters up during a hotly contested 2nd period.
Half time Cartagena - 0 Aguilas - 1

That man Molist was at it again, only 1 minute into the 2nd half, when his close range shot was superbly blocked by Aguilas keeper Gomez. On 52 mins, a controversial goal by Mariano squared the match at 1-1. It appeared that Toledo had fouled Gomez during a aerial challenge, resulting in Mariano heading home the loose ball. Gomez was incensed, so much so that his prolonged protests brought him a booking from senor Naranjo. Los Albinegros were buzzing, big time, and it was no surprise when on the hour mark they took the lead. Collecting a loose ball just outside the opponents penalty area, Xavi Molist intelligently rifled in a low drive just inside the near post, surprising an unprepared keeper. It was Molists 5th goal of the season, proving to be decisive, in a game which at times came close to boiling over. Further long range efforts by Cartagenas Lafuente and Molist were once again well saved by the superb Gomez, who was having a blinder. But it wasn't all one way traffic. A sublime 30 yard free kick was acrobatically tipped over by Alejandro, then Cartagenas impressive keeper repeated the feat when he once again came to his sides rescue with only 2 mins of normal time remaining. Orlando, deputising as captain, had the final word when his audacious 40 yard shot was suitably fingertipped to safety by man of the match Gomez, in the 5th min of stoppage time. Lusarreta, Toledo and Leo all picked up yellow cards, to join 4 Aguilas players in the refs little black book!
Attendance - 3,500

FORTHCOMING FIXTURE
Next Sunday 16 December, ko 5pm, Cartagena make the long journey to the province of Extremadura to play Merida in their Romano Stadium. Lying in mid table, Merida were on the end of a 6-0 thrashing at Melilla last weekend, and hopefully will still be reeling from this defeat when Los Albinegros come to town.
As I will be visiting family in Malaysia, once again Sky Blue Fred will be covering the next few matches. Fans can also keep in touch with FC Cartagena news by visiting http://www.gotocarto.com./