Match Preview: CD Jávea v Benferri CF

CD JÁVEA v BENFERRI CF
Sunday 16th February, 12.00pm
Campo d’Esports Municipal Xàbia

OUR OPPONENTS

Benferri Club de Fútbol represents the small town of Benferri, located in the Vega Baja de Segura close to the border with the Región de Murcia and about 7km north of Orihuela. With a population of around 2,000, it is an agricultural centre best known for olives and figs.

Although a football club represented the town in the late 70s and early 80s, the current incarnation of Benferri CF was formed in 2008 and has been the most successful, playing most of its football in the top level of regional football in the Comunidad Valenciana.

The club finished its first season of competitive football as undefeated champions of the Segunda Regional (Grupo 17), winning 25 of the 28 games and claiming 78 points out of the possible 84. The following season, the club finishing second in the Primera Regional (Grupo 7) behind CD Universidad de Alicante to claim a second successive promotion. However, their stay in the Regional Preferente was short-lived and they finished in the bottom three to suffer an immediate return.

After three seasons back in the Primera Regional (Grupo 8), the club finished as champions at the end of the 2013-14 season to win promotion back to the Regional Preferente, where it remained for nine seasons, achieving the club’s highest ever position at the end of the reduced 2020-21 season when it finished 5th in Group 6.

However, at the end of the 2022-23 season, Benferri CF finished second from bottom of Group 4 and, although there was no relegation due to the football pyramid restructuring in the Valencian region, the club was placed in the Primera FFCV (Group 4), the second tier, due to finishing in the bottom half of the table.

Last season, Benferri CF finished in 6th spot with 12 wins and 45 points from 30 games, and scoring 45 goals in the process. The club was amongst the early pace-setters when it went 14 games unbeaten from the end of September, topping the table after a 2-0 home win over Villajoyosa CF on January 21st, but just one win in the following 12 games ended any hope of returning to the top tier at the first attempt.

This season, the club hasn’t been fairing so well and finished the first half of the season just three points above the drop zone having won just once in the last nine games. They have begun the final half of the season in a similar fashion, losing 2-1 at home to CD Montesinos to leave them in 13th spot, on level points with CF Sporting de San Fulgencio.

HEAD 2 HEAD

CD Jávea and Benferri CF have met three times. The first ever encounter was in October 2010, when both clubs were playing in the Regional Preferente (Group 4), and it finished a 1-1 draw in Benferri, a result that left CD Jávea rooted to the bottom of the table and four points adrift of safety as it sought its first win of the season (which would come the following weekend when the rojiblancos defeated fellow strugglers UD Horadada at home and kicked off a run of just one defeat in ten games). The return fixtures in late February saw a single goal from David Ivars secure all three points at home to lift the rojiblancos into 11th spot, its highest position of the 2010-11 season. Benferri CF finished in 17th and were relegated.

Earlier this season, CD Jávea made the long journey south and returned with a comprehensive 5-2 victory to lift themselves into 4th spot, young striker José Cabo claiming his first hat-trick of his senior career whilst both Josep Marcilla and Tomas Calvo scored their debut goals.

PRIMERA FFCV – Group 4

FIXTURES – JORNADA 18

Saturday 15th February 2025
16:15 – CD El Campello v Catral-Castrum CF
Sunday 16th February 2025
11:30 – CD Almoradí v CD Murada
11:30 – CF Sporting de San Fulgencio v Villajoyosa CF
11:30 – Santa Pola CF v CF Intercity “B”
12:00 – CD Jávea v Benferri CF
16:30 – CD Montesinos v CD Betis Florida
17:00 – Novelda CF v Mutxamel CF
17:00 – Villena CF v Callosa Deportiva CF