The challenge of going straight up

García Pimienta can pose the challenge to his players to achieve one of the objectives that remain for the island club in its journey through the Second Division. Because since the current promotion playoff system was established in which the teams that finish matchday 42 classified between third and sixth place in two subsequent qualifiers, Las Palmas together with Córdoba are the only two teams that have managed to promote but never directly.

Of the 22 clubs that have managed to celebrate the long-awaited promotion since 2011, yellow and caliphs got it by the long way. Precisely the Andalusians dealt the greatest of the historical blows to UD in the infamous game of 22-J, while the islanders had to wait for the following season, that of 2015, to rise from the ashes and surf a wave of positivism during the campaign to certify their return to the First Division by beating Zaragoza with a comeback included thanks to Sergio Araujo’s final goal to bring delirium to Gran Canaria with a 2-0 win.

That last promotion that UD achieved cost them two previous setbacks. The first when they fell against Almería in 2013, a team that later beat Girona in the playoff final after winning both games. Just in that season began the journey of the Catalan team with the promotion phases and that have made it the club with the most presences in the postseason with six participations, of which it could only be promoted in one, in the one a week ago to leave Tenerife in the gutter.

So that Las Palmas does not have to repeat two consecutive failures, as it happened between 2013 and 2015, it could have as a reference the five teams that have immediately recovered from a playoff elimination to immediately go up directly to the next campaign.

The first was Celta de Vigo, who fell by the wayside in 2011 and the following year finished second to return to the First Division together with Dépor (two direct promotions). The next to emulate this path was Sporting de Gijón, who were defeated in the 2014 semifinals against UD, on the day of Valerón’s harangue in the El Molinón locker room, and the following year they were second, behind Betis (other two direct promotions).

Montilivi, usual suspect

Girona starred in a different matter, having to wait three years, just like UD, but with the nuance that in the third they finished second behind Levante. He starred in the tragedies in 2015 when he fell against Zaragoza after allowing himself to be lifted 3-0 against Los Maños in a historic comeback; and the following year Osasuna was the killer of the Catalans to embark on the road to LaLiga Santander.

Finally, the last team that managed to recover with it was Huesca. His first setback was in the 2016-17 season, a year only after having left Second Division B behind and Getafe left him on the road to later also eliminate Tenerife (two lost finals).

The team from Huesca licked its wounds and in 2018 it was one of the last clubs in the history of Primera to make its debut in the highest category of national football at the end of the campaign, second behind Rayo Vallecano – another that has two direct promotions.

You dropped from LaLiga Santander after going up and what did you do? Win the championship in 2019-20 with an iron fist. Just the challenge that García Pimienta can pose to his players when his squad ends.