Unión Esportiva Cornellà is a Spanish football club that was formed following a merger on April 29th 1951; which is located in Cornellà de Llobregat, in the south west of the Barcelona metropolitan area.
Fútbol Club Cables Elèctrics had been formed on April 15th 1923 before being renamed Fútbol Club Cornellà in 1931. The club merged with two other clubs in 1951; Atlètic Padró and Acadèmia Junyent to form UE Cornellà.
The team started out playing in Segunda Regional before winning promotion to Primera Regional in 1955-56. Cornellà spent the 1965-66 campaign in the Segunda before returning to their top level regional status.
Catalan football was reorganised for the 1970-71 season; with Cornellà being placed in Segunda Regional; which had become one of numerous sixth tier divisions in Spanish football. The team won their title and were promoted to the Primera.
In 1977-78 the fifth tier and top regional league became Regional Preferente; where the team competed until being demoted at the conclusion of the 1981-82 campaign. Cornellà would remain at the second level of Catalan football until winning promotion in 1995-96.
Their time in the Segunda Regional wasn’t wasted, as the club set up l'Escola de Futbol Cornellà in 1985. The system would go on to produce many young players to not only represent the club, but to go onto careers around Europe.
By now the highest level of regional football had been renamed as Primera Catalana. Cornellà remained there for three seasons; winning promotion through the play-offs to the fourth national tier Tercera División in 1998-99.
Cornellà were relegated from Grupo V in 2001-02, but regained their status at the first time of asking by way of a Primera Catalana title win. Yet again the Tercera División spell lasted three seasons.
It took the team two seasons before another Primera Catalana championship returned the club to the fourth tier in 2007-08. The goals of Enric Gallego in 2012-13 led the side to a runners-up berth. Cornellà went out in the first round of the play-offs to Deportivo B.
Cornellà were not to be denied in 2013-14 as Óscar Muñoz banged in the goals as the team won the Grupo V Tercera División title. CD Izarra were defeated in the play-offs, as the club reached Segunda División B for the first time.
The club also qualified to play in the Copa Del Rey of 2014-15 were wins against Real Jaén, Zamora CF and SD Leioa saw Cornellà reach the Round of Last 32; where the superstars of Real Madrid won the tie 9-1 on aggregate.
A fifth place finish in Grupo 3 of the Segunda División B of 2015-16 saw Cornellà qualify for the Copa Del Rey for the 2016-17 season. Extra time home victories over San Sebastián de los Reyes and Extremadura UD before Hércules CF ended the run.
UE Cornellà will play in Segunda División B Grupo 3 in the 2017-18 season.
My visit
Saturday 20th January 2018
It was Saturday lunchtime on my first full day in the city of Barcelona and its environs. The sky was blue, and I was already having a wonderful time, having had a sightseeing walk and calling in to visit the grounds of CD Can Vidalet and UE Sant Ilfedons.
The Linea 5 Metro took me to Cornellà Centre from where I walked downhill through the pedestrianised Rambla de Josep Anselm Clavé; following more and more blue and white scarfed football fans as I went, before stopping off.
My destination was the RCDE Stadium for the match between Espanyol and Sevilla at 1pm. I was ahead of time and required the loo; so, I decided to pop into a well populated bar and grab a bottle of beer while I was at it.
I was delighted to see that there was a darker Voll Damm on offer. It tasted very nice, but strong. I was more than a bit shocked to find out that it was 7.2%! It certainly put a smile on my face as I walked the rest of the way.
The gates to Camp Municipal de Cornellà were open, as in common with the visits to the previous two grounds. A decent crowd was assembled to watch the action on the main pitch; no doubt boosted by some Espanyol fans awaiting their game and using the bar and café.
The match between UE Cornellà and CF Vilanova Getru in Grupo 1 of the Preferent Cadet league had reached half time just after I arrived. The game ended in a 4-1 home victory.
There was also football taking place on the far side on the smaller sided pitch. I headed round as I took my various photos. A shocking challenge took place from two visiting players on a Cornellà junior. It really was atrocious, but I couldn’t help but burst out in laughter. It was maybe the beer?
Camp Municipal de Cornellà was dominated by a curving cantilever seated stand down the side next to RCDE Stadium. The rest of the ground had flat hard standing access around the pitch, but no seating or raised areas.
It had been my intention to visit the stadium again the following evening, for the match between UE Cornellà and CD Alcoyano, but gaining early access had now opened up further options in a city full of them.
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