2017–18 Gibraltar Second Division
# 2017–18 Gibraltar Second Division

The 2017–18 Gibraltar Second Division was the fifth season of the second-tier football in Gibraltar since the Gibraltar Football Association joined UEFA. Like the previous season, this year the league was contested by 9 clubs. The season began on 26 September 2017, and is expected to end in May 2018, with a mid-season break anticipated while Victoria Stadium underwent improvements. There will be no Chesterton's Cup this season.

Gibraltar Phoenix were the reigning champions, having won the league for the first time the previous season and earning promotion to the Premier Division. Boca Gibraltar won their first title this season, securing the title by a single point after a 1–1 draw with arch-rivals Bruno's Magpies on the final day of the season.

## Format

Clubs play each other twice for a total of 16 matches each. The Second Division winner is promoted while the second-placed team enters a playoff with the ninth-placed team from the Premier Division. This season sees the continuation of the Home Grown Player (HPG) rule, requiring clubs to name 3 home grown players in their matchday squads with at least one of them on the field of play at all times. On 1 October, FC Olympique were awarded a 3–0 win over College 1975 after College fielded an ineligible player. The match had originally finished 2–1 to Olympique.

On 2 February 2018, Angels were expelled from the league due to violations of squad quota and Home Grown Player rules, with their record expunged.

## Teams

Gibraltar Phoenix were promoted to the 2017–18 Gibraltar Premier Division as champions last season. Bruno's Magpies lost their promotion playoff, so remain in the division. Europa Pegasus had applied to join the division for the coming season after their expulsion at the end of the 2015–16 season, but the Gibraltar Football Association turned down their request, citing new rules now forbidding feeder clubs from joining the Gibraltar football pyramid.

| Club | Manager | Captain | Kit supplier | Sponsor | 2016–17 |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Angels | Juan José Jiménez | José Antonio Gonzalez | Sport City | Eroski Center | 8th |
| Boca Gibraltar | Juanjo Pomares | Liam Clarke | Nike | Coral | 3rd |
| Bruno's Magpies | David Wilson | Ryan McCarthy | Nike | GVC Holdings Chestertons | 2nd |
| Cannons | Dani Gámez | Daniel Jimenez Falcon | Joma | Ocean Medical Clinic | 4th |
| College 1975 | Nolan Bosio | Nazim Hughes | Joma | Cosmopolitan | 7th |
| Europa Point | Juan Molina | Ivan Ruiz | Luanvi | Sunborn Yacht Hotels | 10th (GPD) |
| Hound Dogs | Chris Gomez | Ivan Borg | Joma | The Calpe Hounds | 9th |
| Leo FC | Norberto Alonso Simón | Angelo Lavagna | Errea | | 5th |
| Olympique 13 | Lewis Fraser | Jordan Perez | Uhlsport | Hungry Monkey | 6th |

### Managerial Changes

| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position in table | Incoming manager | Date of appointment |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Leo | Rogelio Ramagge | Mutual Consent | 15 June 2017 | Pre-season | Catanha | 15 June 2017 |
| Angels | Lewis Fraser | Resigned | 21 June 2017 | Pre-season | Juan José Jiménez | 1 July 2017 |
| Olympique 13 | Garry Turner-Bone | Mutual consent | 1 July 2017 | Pre-season | Lewis Fraser | 21 July 2017 |
| Cannons | Christian Olivares | Moved to assistant manager | 1 July 2017 | Pre-season | Dani Gámez | 1 July 2016 |
| Europa Point | Daniel Amaya | Sacked | 18 August 2017 | Pre-season | Juan Molina | 18 August 2017 |
| College 1975 | Juan Molina | Signed by Europa Point | 18 August 2017 | Pre-season | Nolan Bosio | 20 August 2017 |
| Leo | Catanha | Resigned | 24 August 2017 | Pre-season | Norberto Alonso Simón | 27 September 2017 |
| Leo | Norberto Alonso Simón | Sacked | 21 December 2017 | 9th | Norberto Alonso $Simón^1$ | 12 January 2018 |

$^1$ Norberto Alonso Simón was re-appointed by Leo in January after initially being dismissed by the new owners.

## League table

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or Qualification |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Boca Gibraltar (C, P) | 14 | 10 | 1 | 3 | 37 | 12 | +25 | 31 | Promotion to Premier Division |
| 2 | Olympique 13 (Q) | 14 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 40 | 8 | +32 | 30 | Qualification to play-off |
| 3 | Bruno's Magpies | 14 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 46 | 18 | +28 | 30 | |
| 4 | Europa Point | 14 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 31 | 18 | +13 | 24 | |
| 5 | Leo | 14 | 6 | 2 | 6 | 30 | 31 | −1 | 20 | |
| 6 | Cannons | 14 | 6 | 1 | 7 | 30 | 53 | −23 | 19 | |
| 7 | College 1975 | 14 | 2 | 0 | 12 | 14 | 48 | −34 | 6 | |
| 8 | Hound Dogs | 14 | 0 | 1 | 13 | 9 | 49 | −40 | 1 | |
| 9 | Angels (E) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Club expelled, record expunged |

## Results

| Home \ Away | BOC | BRU | CAN | COL | EPO | HOU | LEO | OLY |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Angels | | | | | | | | |
| Boca Gibraltar | | 2–1 | 3–2 | 3–0 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 6–0 | 2–1 |
| Bruno's Magpies | 1–1 | | 3–2 | 8–1 | 2–2 | 5–0 | 3–1 | 2–1 |
| Cannons | 3–2 | 3–8 | | 4–2 | 2–3 | 1–0 | 3–1 | 0–16 |
| College 1975 | 0–1 | 0–5 | 2–3 | | 1–4 | 3–2 | 0–3 | 1–3 |
| Europa Point | 0–4 | 0–2 | 3–1 | 4–0 | | 8–0 | 2–0 | 0–1 |
| Hound Dogs | 1–8 | 1–4 | 2–6 | 2–3 | 0–0 | | 1–4 | 0–1 |
| Leo | 0–4 | 2–2 | 8–0 | 3–1 | 3–2 | 4–0 | | 0–6 |
| Olympique 13 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 3–0 | 2–2 | 1–0 | 1–1 | |

## Season statistics

### Scoring

    As of 22 May 2018

**Top scorers**

| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
| - | - | - | - |
| 1 | José Valdivia | Boca Gibraltar | 18 |
| 2 | Robert Montovio | FC Olympique 13 | 14 |
| 2 | Max Bothen | FC Olympique 13 | 14 |
| 4 | Conor Gaul | Bruno's Magpies | 9 |
| 4 | Orlando João | Leo | 9 |
| 6 | Samuel Mescua | Cannons | 8 |
| 6 | Alexis Sanchez | Europa Point | 8 |
| 6 | Tirjon Dos Santos | Leo | 8 |
| 9 | Javier Rivas | Cannons | 7 |
| 9 | Dani $Figueroa^1$ | Leo | 7 |

$^15$ goals for College 1975

**Hat-tricks**

| Player | For | Against | Result | Date |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| José Valdivia | Boca Gibraltar | Leo | 4–0 (A) | 28 September 2017 |
| Robert Montovio | FC Olympique 13 | Leo | 6–0 (A) | 5 November 2017 |
| Yusuf Idali | Bruno's Magpies | College 1975 | 8–1 (H) | 2 December 2017 |
| José $Valdivia^4$ | Boca Gibraltar | Hound Dogs | 8–1 (A) | 3 April 2018 |
| Christian $Nuñez^4$ | Europa Point | Hound Dogs | 8–0 (H) | 16 April 2018 |
| Conor $Gaul^4$ | Bruno's Magpies | Cannons | 8–3 (A) | 22 April 2018 |
| José Valdivia | Boca Gibraltar | Europa Point | 4–0 (A) | 2 May 2018 |
| Conor Gaul | Bruno's Magpies | Hound Dogs | 5–0 (H) | 6 May 2018 |
| Robert $Montovio^5$ | FC Olympique 13 | Cannons | 16–0 (A) | 8 May 2018 |
| Max $Bothen^8$ | FC Olympique 13 | Cannons | 16–0 (A) | 8 May 2018 |

### Clean sheets

| Rank | Player | Club | Clean sheets |
| - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Jordan Perez | FC Olympique 13 | 8 |
| 2 | Alvaro Serrano | Europa Point | 4 |
| 2 | Francisco José Jimenez | Angels | 4 |
| 4 | Javier Gomez Fernandez | Boca Gibraltar | 3 |
| 4 | Tom Hull | Bruno's Magpies | 3 |
| 4 | Carlos Carenote | Leo | 3 |
| 7 | Emmanuel Sanchez | Boca Gibraltar | 2 |
| 7 | Jamie Carlin | Boca Gibraltar | 2 |
| 7 | Stefan Mascharenhas | Cannons | 2 |
| 10 | Albert Chichon | Cannons | 1 |
| 10 | Juan Antonio Perez | College 1975 | 1 |
| 10 | Salva Ballesteros | Europa Point | 1 |
| 10 | Juan Carlos El Abd | Hound Dogs | 1 |
