Busy week in the north

There were no league games last weekend due to the League Cup Final in which Benfica beat Gil Vicente 2-1.  Olhanense took the opportunity to give a number of fringe players a work out against Portimonense in a training game at the Algarve Stadium which ended 0-0.  On Monday, Olhanense are away to Académica (Coimbra) and next Friday travel to the far north to take on SC Braga who are battling for a UEFA Champions League place.  The Olhanense Expat Supporters Group has been admitted as an affiliate member of the UK based Football Supporters Federation in recognition of their efforts in welcoming foreign fans to the Algarve.  Last July, over 600 Brighton fans visited Olhão for a pre-season friendly. Also in the news this week is former Olhanense player and manager Paulo Sérgio. Now manager of Scottish club Hearts, he led his team to a famous 2-1 cup semi-final win over Celtic to set-up a mouth-watering final against fellow Edinburgh rivals Hearts. This is the first time that the capital’s two teams have met in a Scottish Cup Final since 1896.