Alhaurín de la Torreis a town in the province of Málaga, Andalusia, in southern Spain.
The town originates back to prehistoric times, as the Phoenicians (mostly from Libya) settled in Alhaurin when setting up factories in Málaga and Cártama in about 1,000 BC. It was here that Lauro was founded, then centuries later the Romans called it Lauro Vetus.
The Moors, after the Islamic conquest of Iberia, called it Albarracín, when it grew into a larger community of farm-houses. The re-conquest of the town in 1485 meant another variation on the name, finally becoming Alhaurín de la Torre.
The town is 8 km from the Costa del Sol, sitting between the Sierra de Mijas and the Hoya de Málaga, with the highest peak being Mount Jabalcuza. Since 1991 it has been the headquarters of the Málaga Provincial Prison, just outside the town.
“The Alahurinos” currently play in Tercera División RFEF – Group 9, and joined the Málaga Football Federation in 1973. The club played regional football until 2005, before achieving promotion to the Tercera División after winning their Primera Andaluza. The club have won league titles in 2009-10 and 2013-14.
Estadio de Los Manantiales
Camino de Aldeabarán s/n, 29130
Alhaurín de la Torre, Málaga, Spain
The club originally played at El Pinar on the other side of town, before switching to Los Manantiales. The stadium has four rows of blue seats all around, apart from behind one of the goals which has an extra row. The sides are fully covered with open seats behind each goal. The Bar La Jugada is in the far corner, which has a dining area with tables and chairs.
Alhaurin de la Torre 1(Josemi 20)
El Palo 3(Acosta 21,40 Falu Aranda 28)
Pre-season Friendly
20h30ko
Att.225.est
Admission 5€ (the usual Spanish ticket torn in half routine)
The home team went ahead on 20 minutes when Josemi side footed in with power from the edge of the box, but Palo equalised straight from the kick off, with a left foot shot into the far corner from Acosta.
The visitors took the lead with a lovely goal from Falu Aranda, who picked the ball up in the corner of the 18 yard box and placed his shot perfectly into the top corner.
Five minutes before half time it was 1-3, when a quick break was finished off by Acosta, firing in a low right wing cross from close range.
There was no further goal action in the second half as both teams made plenty of changes to give their full squads a run out.
#Heedhopper
After weeks of searching and contacting various clubs this was the only match I found taking place while I was on holiday in the Costa del Sol. We arrived on Sunday the 24th, so this game took place on our last night in Benalmadena. I left the breadknife at the hotel an hour before the scheduled 8.30pm kick off and booked a taxi on the Bolt app. (Many thanks to Lee from the Global Sports Bar for his advice) The journey up to Alhaurin is 20 minutes (17km) from the resort, so after a failed taxi pick up, I was successful with my second booking which picked me up in time to reach the stadium for the start.
After a trouble free journey the reverse trip was very stressful, once it became apparent that there was no chance of a Bolt car back to Benalmadena. I checked Google maps for public transport, but it was a two bus trip with a walk in between, which took well over an hour. All I could do was ask around if anyone knew of a taxi rank or phone number, which is a difficult task if you don’t speak fluent Spanish. Eventually, following basic sign language communication through four different willing helpers, a bilingual gentleman was finally pinpointed in the stadium. When I told him of my predicament he said he could get me a lift back to the resort no problem. So I got into a car with four strangers, who all looked very pleasant and friendly, so I sensed no danger of a pending kidnapping or mugging.
The car was driven by a Spanish lad called Juan, and my fellow passengers were all students, relocating from Israel, Iran and Canada, so with this daft Geordie in tow, together there were five different nations sharing the ride. Juan dropped me off at the pub where I arranged to meet the breadknife, and she was shocked, but not surprised at my latest escapade.
I do love visiting a new ground while on holiday, for me the vacation isn’t complete unless I’ve experienced the adventure of traveling to an unfamiliar place, where I’m unable to converse with anyone and taking in the atmosphere of unknown surroundings.