A Heartbreaking Away Record for Hércules: 76% of Points Lost

Hércules' fate is sealed as they conclude the season without a chance for promotion, despite the unique opportunity presented by the schedule, with the last three matches to be played at Rico Pérez: against Algeciras, Intercity, and Sanluqueño.

Why has Hércules failed to compete for promotion? There are many reasons, and one of the main ones is the dreadful away record under Rubén Torrecilla. Hércules has lost 76% of the points available away from Alicante. The team has secured only 13 out of 54 points, with three wins, four draws, and an alarming eleven defeats, numbers that clearly suggest relegation. The latest defeat, against a Villarreal B side fighting for survival, dashed Hércules' promotion hopes, leaving them in no man's land, victims of defensive frailty and lack of experience.

After Sunday's match, Torrecilla lamented the chronic poor away performance but praised the sacrifice of a squad that has reached the final stretch of the league running on fumes: «The players give everything they have, we have a strong sense of belonging to this badge, things might be done better or worse, but I am proud of them, I have no complaints. It's true that away from home we are vulnerable in any situation, and at home, we win all these matches. We've thought it over a thousand times, analyzed it, made changes, but we haven't been able to change this dynamic that has plagued us all year.»

Torrecilla acknowledged that this Hércules lacked «depth» to aim for more ambitious goals than survival and regretted that the remaining three matches at Rico Pérez will be quite uneventful: «I feel sorry for the players, who have put in a tremendous amount of work this year, and for the fans. With a win (in Villarreal), we would have filled Rico Pérez for the remaining three matches. Now I ask the fans to come to the stadium because this team is worthy of admiration,» concluded the Hércules coach.

The blanquiazul team will host Algeciras this Sunday, who are also in no man's land, one point behind, and several of Torrecilla's players are nursing injuries.