Hércules

Hércules de Alicante Club de Fútbol, S.A.D. (Spanish pronunciation: ) is a Spanish football team based in Alicante, in the autonomous community of Valencian Community. Founded in 1922, it currently plays in Segunda División B and plays its home games at the 30,000-capacity Estadio José Rico Pérez.

After first appearing in La Liga in the 1935–36 season, Hércules would play sporadically in the category for the next 40 years, playing mainly in the second division but going as low as the third. From 1961 to 1969, neighbours Alicante acted as its feeder club.

After a ten-year spell in the top flight, encompassing 12 seasons in the 1970s and '80s, the club only returned again in the 1996–97 campaign. Though eventually relegated, it managed two remarkable comeback wins over Barcelona, which ultimately handed the Liga title to Real Madrid.

In 2004–05, after five years in the third level, Hércules finished second, being subsequently promoted to the "silver category". After posting three consecutive solid seasons, the club narrowly missed out on a return to the top division in 2009, finishing fourth, three points behind last-promotee Tenerife.


Hércules celebrate in Alicante, after returning to La Liga in 2010
The 2009–10 campaign saw Hércules promoted back into the top flight after 13 years in dramatic fashion: losing 0–1 at half-time at Rayo Vallecano, the team fought back to win 2–1 in the penultimate game of the season and leap frog Real Betis into third place. In the last round, a 2–0 away win against relegation-threatened Real Unión guaranteed promotion, with the 4–0 win of Betis over Levante eventually counting for nothing (all three teams – Levante, Hércules and Betis – ended equal on points).


First starting lineup of the season 2010–11, its last in La