Campeonato de Portugal Prio - Série C
Week 3 of the CPP series sees us move yet further south on the Portuguese mainland and into Série C territory. It would be slight misnomer for me to refer only to the Portuguese mainland of course. There is also representation from Madeira in the form of Marítimo B which ensures that those from the Castelo Branco, Viseu, Coimbra and northern Leiria regions get the chance of a trip south to within almost touching distance of the North African coast.
Unlike last week’s article on Série B, there is a little less of a competitive nature about the top of this division. That said, there is all to play for regarding the runner’s up spot that could take a club into the promotional play-offs as one of the best three runner’s-up. And at the other end, there is much to play for with several clubs trying to avoid the dreaded trapdoor into regional football.
But really there is only one place to start in Série C. It’s a club that many will be familiar with for many different reasons…
Série C – The Top
UD Leiria (65 points)
They say that very little is guaranteed in football these days. However, one thing that pretty much is relates to UDL (as the club’s fans refer to it) winning Série C after striking up a commanding 12-point gap at the top with five games left to play.
UDL were, of course, a Primeira Liga side not so long ago. In 2011-2012, the club finished bottom of the top tier of Portuguese football in a season which, apart from the obvious, will be remembered by the club’s fans for all the wrong reasons. For those not too familiar, this was the season that the club left its modern stadium at the Dr. Magalhães Pessoa (built for Euro 2004), and instead decamped to Marinha Grande, a stadium with stands around only half the pitch. It was also the season where UDL experienced massive financial problems that saw players leave en-masse, resulting in the club fielding just 8 (count them, EIGHT!) players in the April home league defeat to Feirense.
But enough history and onto today’s UDL. It’s fair to say the club is much better run now with a wealthy Russian benefactor which has allowed UDL to assemble a quality squad and remain full-time professionals. The club also moved back to the Dr. Magalhães Pessoa, in Leiria’s town centre, and so the crowds are back and the club has arguably the best facility in the entire CPP. As with the previous four seasons, the club has been hovering around promotion to the second tier, having skipped it when relegated in 2012.
UDL missed out on qualification to the promotional play-offs last season purely by dint of the head-to-head record with Azorean club, Operário. However, shrewd recruitment and keeping faith with former Santa Clara coach, Rui Amorim, has seen the club return bigger and better and this has shown in the commanding position in the league table.
With deep pockets, the club has been able to secure the services of current Mozambique international goalkeeper, Ricardo Campos, as well as Brazilians: Leandro Souza (Aves), Leonel Olímpio (Varzim) and Nailson (Zirka - Ukrainian top tier). These players have added to the likes of experienced Cape Verde international striker, Hernâni, and former Portugal age-group central defender, Yago, who had a long spell as a junior at Real Madrid and has also seen service in the top-flights of Sweden, Greece and Spain’s second tier with Girona and Espanyol B.
They say every club has a bad spell during a season, it’s just a question of how bad. The same is true of UDL who failed to win in four straight games during November / December. League losses at Marítimo B and then-title rivals Benfica Castelo Branco were punctuated by defeat at Aves in the Taça de Portugal 4th Round and a 0-0 draw at home to mid-table Gafanha. However, 21 victories in 25 league games can leave the supporters with very little to complain about overall.
It’s three summer signings that have added the necessary weight to the UDL attack. The aforementioned Leandro Souza tops the scoring charts with 14 league goals thus far and he has been ably assisted by 26-year-old João Vieira (signed from Vizela) with 13 and Swiss-born Portuguese striker, Adriano Castanheiro, who has weighed in with 7 goals from 15 league starts. So impressive has the form of the new attacking signings been that last season’s favourite, Serge Kevyn, was released and signed for Fátima (also of Série C) despite netting twice in two starts this campaign. He also represented Gabon at the AFCON 2017 tournament whilst with UDL.
And finally, as if to reemphasise the club’s statement of intent, two weeks ago they brought former Portugal Under-21, Boavista and Benfica goalkeeper Mika back to the club from an ill-fated spell in England with Sunderland. He has yet to play on his return but there will be few, if any, better goalkeepers in the CPP this season.
The club can all but seal top spot with a win this coming weekend at 6th place Gafanha.
The Chasing Pack
Unlike with last week’s piece, Série C has fewer challengers for the promotion play-offs spot. With UDL realistically having top spot all sewn up, the race for second is being hotly contested by two clubs…
Lusitano Vildemoínhos (2nd - 53 points)
What a season it’s been for the club from the small town of Vil de Moinhos. Sitting just to the west of Viseu, the club is in only its fifth straight season of third tier football. It has spent the vast majority of its history playing in the Viseu regional leagues and always “got by” in the third tier when playing there. However, this season Rogério Sousa has put together a competitive side that has made a surge from 5th to 2nd since the turn of the year.
The highest profile recruit in the summer was 22-year-old Guinea Bissau midfielder, Jaquité, who joined from Primeira Liga side, Tondela. He actually appeared for them in the top-flight in 2016-17 and has made 23 starts for Lusitano this campaign, contributing 2 goals. But the bulk of the side’s goals have come from 28-year-old wide man, Hélder Rodrigues, who has notched 11 goals in 24 starts.
Other important players have been goalkeeper, Ruca, who has been an ever-present in the league with 25 starts and giving up the 17 goals (joint best in the division with UDL). Another ever-present in the league has been left-back, Pedro Rodrigues, who has also contributed a goal since joining the club from Cesarense in the summer.
As it stands, the club’s 53 points will be enough to take it into the promotion play-offs. The fixture list looks kind on paper too, with 3 of the remaining 5 fixtures against sides in the lower half of the table. That said, Lusitano also host UDL on 8th April and they will be hoping to accrue enough points either side of this game to seal 2nd spot.
Benfica Castelo Branco (3rd - 50 points)
The other club in serious contention for second spot and a possible play-off berth is Benfica Castelo Branco. A stalwart of Portugal’s third tier, the club has been a “nearly side” for the last few seasons and 2017-18 looks like it could also be one for Ricardo António’s side.
The long-serving manager is now in his sixth season with the club and, after an indifferent start to the season, he oversaw a run of 5 straight wins in November / December which saw them take top spot. This included an impressive 1-0 victory at home to UDL. However, 4 losses and a draw in the league have seen the side slip to 3rd. Indeed, one of those losses was to Lusitano, ceding 2nd spot. But with only a 3-point deficit to their nearest rivals and games against predominantly mid to lower ranking sides for four out of the last five games, it’s all to play for. As with Lusitano, Benfica do have to travel to Leiria (1st April) as well so they’ll also be looking to accumulate as many points as they can elsewhere. Or could they be the only side to do the league double over the runaway leaders?
Key players this season have been 25-year-old central defender, Diogo Costa (24 starts), and 22-year-old left-back, Zézinho (24 starts), both of whom joined during the summer. The talisman has been Kikas, a 19-year-old locally born striker who has 10 goals in 18 league starts after joining from the Guimarães junior setup in the summer. Also, Gazela arrived from Gondomar in the off-season and has weighed in with 6 league goals from 16 starts. They have been backed up by 24-year-old Guinean striker, Youssouf, who joined in January from Segunda Liga side, Leixões. In his 7 starts with the club, he has contributed 4 goals, with braces in games against AD Nogueirense and Ferreira de Aves.
Relegation Candidates
With the bottom six clubs relegated this season, the reality is very stark for a number of clubs. Realistically, any of the clubs up to and including 8th placed Marítimo B are in danger of the drop. The Madeiran side are on 35 points and just 3 points clear of 11th placed Mortágua and also 6 points behind Anadia who are in 7th and will consider themselves reasonably safe going into the last 5 games of the season.
Bottom of the heap is Fornos de Algodres who have accumulated a shockingly low points total of 3! Not a single league win in 2017-18 means that 3 draws are the sum total of avoiding defeat for the basement dwellers. Add to that 12 goals scored and a whopping 68 conceded, and you start to get the full picture of the just what a nightmare this season has been for the club. In the last six league games, Fornos have suffered the following defeats: 0-5, 0-4, 0-6 and 1-5. The top scorer has been central defender, Rodrigo (2), and Angolan left-back, Ézio Pinto (2). It’s form that leaves Fornos 13 points off of 15th place Sourense.
Mortágua may fancy their chances of escaping the drop, with just a 1-point gap to safety. Again, goals have been a major problem for this side - defender Miguel Rodrigues top scoring with just 4 league goals in 24 starts. Meanwhile at the other end of the pitch, the contribution has been questionable from the striking department. 23-year-old Guinea Bissau striker, Gil, was signed in November from Gondomar and has managed just 3 goals from 12 starts. However, with games to left to play against the teams immediately around them, they will believe they have a great chance of getting out of trouble.
The current drop zone looks like this:
11th Mortágua - 32pts
12th ARC Oleiros - 29pts)
13th Ferreira de Aves - 22pts
14th Águias Moradal - 20pts
15th Sourense - 16pts
16th Fornos de Algodres - 3pts
Important Dates
25th March - Gafanha v UD Leiria (a win for UDL will all but guarantee top spot)
1st April - UD Leiria v Benfica Castelo Branco
8th April - Lusitano Vildemoínhos v UD Leiria
8th April - Mortágua v AD Nogueirense
22nd April - Mortágua v ARC Oleiros
By Paul Gellard
Related: Campeonato de Portugal Prio - Part Two - all to play for in the north
Related: Campeonato de Portugal Prio - Portugal’s Third Tier - Série A
