The Pennant Witnessing the Birth of Official Clashes Between Racing de Ferrol and Levante
On Sunday, November 10, 1946, Levante players had a league appointment at the Inferniño de Ferrol. Vallejo's squad crossed the Iberian Peninsula's vastness to set foot on the turf of Racing de Ferrol's old stronghold. The team coached by Villagrá faced a completely unknown universe. From the venue to the atmosphere, including the surroundings, everything was documented, marking the birth of official clashes between the Galician representation and the blue-and-garnet Levante.
The match is immortalized in Levante's memory through the pennant that testifies to the club's first presence at the Inferniño. It's one of the oldest documents held by Levante's Historical Heritage Department. This emblem, primarily green, representing the Northern Province of Coruña, captured the moments leading up to the Second Division encounter. Traditionally, captains from both squads exchanged these distinctive pennants before their inaugural official confrontation.
Agustín Dolz, as the head of the Levante squad, received this banner just minutes before the match kicked off. The media covered this tradition that marked the start of the duel. "Before the match, the captains of both artistic elevens exchange pennants, given Levante's first visit," emphasized El Mundo Deportivo's chronicle. Jornada, an evening newspaper published in Valencia, emphasized this practice. "Before the match, the captains of both artistic bands exchange pennants, given Levante's first visit to El Ferrol." Las Provincias' chronicle also stressed this reciprocity between the Racing and Levante captains when the ball was about to start rolling on the field. It reiterated the term "artistic pennants" to confirm this exchange.
The pennant, having withstood the ruthless passage of time, provides evidence of the historical period. The campaign mentioned on the lower part serves as a reference frame; we are in the 1946-1947 season. The Club Ferrol name recalls the change in denomination as per legal regulations prohibiting the use of foreign terms, effective since 1941. Racing Ferrol FC, legalized in July 1920, became Club Ferrol after the Civil War. Today, the football tradition of honoring the visiting club in its official debut with this emblem is maintained.
Levante returned to the Second Division that season after several years trying to escape the Third Division basement. Club Ferrol was a classic in that category during the forties and fifties, although the division of the Second Division into geographical groups, starting from the fifties, drastically separated the paths of Racing and Levante, despite sharing the status of teams linked to the Silver category. In fact, encounters in that space, common in the late forties, spaced out until the dawn of the third millennium.
What happened in the Inferniño? What occurred on that Sunday, November 10, 1946? Perhaps Levante deserved better luck in the Galician coliseum. "The blue-and-garnet forward played very well," highlighted Jornada. "Valencians deserved to take some points," added the newspaper from the Turia capital. Las Provincias reflected, "Levante played more than Ferrol." Marca was more pragmatic and informative, stating, "Ferrol defeated Levante at the Inferniño." The clash between the Valencian and Galician representations was decided in the final minutes. The duel began with an early goal from Tino, countered by Escribá in the dying moments of the first half. Baron and again Tino unraveled the game after passing the seventy-fifth minute. Victory was crucial for a Ferrol team entrenched at the bottom of the standings after achieving only one win and one draw in the previous seven matches. However, Levante made amends with a resounding 8-0 victory upon their return to Vallejo's lair, one of the greatest victories in the Second Division ecosystem.