Fertiberia begin preparing for the new DHP season

Fertiberia Balonmano Puerto Sagunto have begun preparing for the new season. Following their relegation from Asobal last season, the red-and-whites will compete in División de Honor Plata under Vicent Nogués, aiming to return to the top division of Spanish handball. The squad began the day with a morning training session. At midday, they started their medical examinations at the Health and Sport Institute and, once the doctors at the specialist centre had given the players the all-clear, they returned to the Ovni to continue training. At 8 pm, club president Juanjo Bataller; the mayor of Sagunto, Quico Fernández; the councillor for sport, Miguel Chover; and the director of the Fertiberia plant, Juan Arbona, welcomed the players alongside dozens of supporters eagerly awaiting the start of the season. The president of the red-and-white club stated that “The objective is to gain promotion to Asobal and, although we may initially be the division’s big favourites, I want you to approach every match with humility and take nothing for granted.” He also had a very clear message for the youngsters taking part in pre-season with the first team “Work hard and show what you can do this season, because the first team has a small squad and it is very likely that we will need to call on some of you.” For his part, the mayor of Sagunto, Quico Fernández, welcomed the players and highlighted “the efforts of the club, the city and companies such as Fertiberia to return the team to the top division of Spanish handball. For us, handball in this city is an emblem, which is why the Town Hall is backing this project. We want both of the city’s handball clubs to be in the top division.” During these first days of pre-season, coach Vicente Nogués and assistant coach Vicente Sos will be without Óscar García, who is playing in the European Youth Championship with the Spanish team, and Guillermo Corzo, who has just been crowned champion of the Central American Games. The coach also has several new faces, including Diógenes Cruz, Iván Montoya, Nacho Mirallave, Marcos Dorado, Adrián Ribes and Óscar Camacho. They have been joined by six youngsters from the red-and-white academy, selected by Vicent Nogués and Gabaldón to move closer to their first-team debut. Specifically, they are Álvaro Perales, Gabi Sánchez, Javier Manzano, Ángel López and Iñigo Celorrio. In addition, the new additions to the Primera Nacional side include Pablo de Rincón, who returns to the club, and Alberto Hernández, from Florida Handball. Before their league debut in Nava, against one of their direct promotion rivals, the red-and-whites will play five or six pre-season friendlies. Their first match will be at the Ovni in front of their supporters on Saturday 18 August against Agustinos; the match is the semi-final of the Federation Cup. The winner will face Benidorm for the cup on Sunday 26 August. On 24 August, Nogués’s team will travel to Algemesí for their second match of the season. On 31 August, they will play a pre-season match away against Huesca, an Asonal team. On 2 September, they will face Sant Martí in Ascó, and finally supporters will be able to enjoy watching their team again on Sunday 9 September at 12 noon in the return match against Algemesí.  

Translation produced using artificial intelligence.