Unión Deportiva Salamanca, S.A.D. is a Spanish football team based in Salamanca, in the autonomous community of Castile and León. Founded on 16 March 1923, it currently plays in Segunda División B – Group 2.
Nicknamed Los Charros, the club plays in white shirts and black shorts, holding home games at the Estadio El Helmántico, which seats 17,341 spectators.
[edit] History
Initially formed by Irish students, Salamanca first played in early Spanish championships in 1907, before an official league was founded later on. On 16 March 1923, at the tables of Café Novelty, situated in the Plaza Mayor, Dionisio Ridruejo set the club's early official foundations[1][2] and, from 1939 and during the following three decades, it fluctuated between the third and the second levels of the Spanish football league.
In the 1974–75 season, Salamanca made its La Liga debuts, overachieving for a final 7th position (out of 18 teams), which would be its best classification ever. The team lasted in the topflight until 1981, mainly coached by José Luis García Traid, then returned the following year for a further two seasons, being further relegated to Segunda División B - the new third division created in 1977 - in 1984–85, and spending three years in that category before promoting back.
In 1994–95's second division, after finishing fourth in the league, Salamanca lost the first leg of the promotion/relegation playoffs against Albacete Balompié, 0–2 at home, but won 5–0 away, returning to the main level after eleven years. The club was then managed by 29-year old Juan Manuel Lillo, also in charge for the following season, as the Castile and León club ranked 22nd and last in the top level.
From 1999 onwards (with two more visits to the first division, with 15th and 20th-place finishes respectively), Salamanca stabilized in the second level, safe for the 2005–06 season, spent in the third, with the club winning the regular season and promoting in the playoffs. Veteran Quique Martín was arguably the most important player of the club in the decade, whilst Argentine Jorge D'Alessandro, who held the record for most games in the top division in the club's history, worked with the team as a a manager in a further two spells (three in total).
2010–11 brought a club record ten consecutive defeats between December 2010/February 2011,[3] and two coaching changes, as Salamanca returned to the third division after five years.
Café Novelty: Salamanca's official beginnings were set here, in 1923.
[edit] Season to season
[edit] Current squad
Numbers taken from the official website: www.udsalamanca.es and www.lfp.es Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
[edit] Honours/achievements
[edit] Players
See Category:UD Salamanca footballers
[edit] References
[edit] External links
Paco Caste
Pablo Zegarra
Current season
