The search for a reserve team
Since football first began, clubs have always tried to make up teams formed of promising young talent who one day will make the leap to the first team. CD Málaga was no different. While still called CD Malacitano, and despite having an amateur team, from 1939 a reserve team was sought to appeal to the most promising players in the area, with the club trying to reach agreements with other clubs from the city such as Racing Club and CD Europa. However, an agreement was never made.
The Victoria Balompié team made a fleeting appearance on 26th February 1942, whose high point was the match played at La Rosaleda against Betis Trinitario on 19th April of that year. A match that was held ahead of CD Málaga-Real Madrid, which was the ‘merengue’ team’s first visit to La Rosaleda.
Director Guillermo Santamaría was in charge of making up a team, but he was dismissed on 16th September 1942, so he didn’t play any league. However, it paved the way for two others, Ferro and Trigueros to play for CD Málaga.
Fernández Requena CF
In the 1942-43 season, Fernández Requena CF was formed, a team that took its name from the surname of Miguel Fernández Requena, CD Málaga director in the 40s. The team, dressed in yellow shirt with blue shorts, played matches in Segalerva, headquartered in calle Don Íñigo (nº 25), the location of the tanning and shoe factory operated by Miguel Fernández.
In the team’s first campaign, the lads competed in the 3ª Regional, going on to win the championship. The following two seasons, both in 2ª Regional, they were also champions of the category. As if that weren’t enough, the team won the Copa Comité in 1944, 1945 and 1946. Without doubt, the Fernández Requena was the best Málaga team in the provincial category.
Midway through the 40s, Fernández Requena CF became the CD Málaga reserve team, and Chales became coach. After winning in Third and Second Regionals, at provincial level, the team made the jump to Primera Regional, playing against teams from Málaga province and neighbouring provinces. At the time, this category was the immediate step up to Third Division.
In the 1946-47 and 1947-48 seasons, the team, competing in Primera Regional, played both intermediate Third Division promotion phases, but didn’t manage to reach the final phase and remained in this category.
The birth of Club Atlético Malagueño
On 23rd October 1947, the board of Manuel Navarro Nogueroles agreed that, for the following season, Fernández Requena CF would change its name to Club Atlético Malagueño. The objective, to get the team to the Third Division as soon as possible.
The name change took place on 25th May 1948 when Club Atlético Malagueño was named the reserve team within the structure of CD Málaga. As such, the team had a different federative number: 8001 for CD Málaga and 8003 for Club Atlético Malagueño (statistic of vital importance for what would happen in 1992).
Club Atlético Malagueño began its career in Primera Regional (Group C), with players from CD Santo Tomás, a team that had won numerous local championships. The team ended the first season in second place, behind Bomba CF from Algeciras.
In 1950, the resignation of Córdoba outfit CD Electromecánicas made administrative promotion to the Third Division possible for the Malaguista reserve team, going on to become a regular in the category. They even played the first team (which is why they removed the association from CD Málaga) in the 1959-60 season, and were named group champion in 1963-64, playing for Second Division promotion twice. Both times they were on the verge of playing in the silver category of Spanish football.
CD Málaga’s other reserve teams
In regard to reserve teams, although CD Málaga already had Atlético Malagueño, which in the years of being the reserve team didn’t stop supplying players for the first team, the CD Málaga structure also contained other teams that played the role of ‘reserve team for the reserve team’. This was the case of CD Rosaleda at the beginning of the 50s, Atlético Malagueño Aficionados at the end of the 60s (Andalusian champion with Ben Barek as coach) and going into the 70s, teams such as CD Málaga 'B' appeared, as well as CD Malacitano. We also had the case of San Félix, in ‘juvenil’ category, that from 1974 featured under the umbrella of CD Málaga.
This article serves as a small tribute to a team, Fernández Requena CF, of crucial importance for Club Deportivo Málaga and the future of football in the city. And a team that was possibly unknown to many Malaguista fans.
