The past weekend programme has resolved one issue and has opened wide the battle for the Championship title which could become a very interesting four-horse battle in the early stages of the second phase.

In fact, the only issue resolved is that Msida St Joseph will be playing alongside St Patrick and Lija Athletics in the Relegation Pool.

In this part of the championship, there is still another interesting battle raging as the remaining place will be filled by either Pieta, Marsaxlokk or Floriana. If Pieta had to win their remaining two matches, they would have to hope that Floriana (against Sliema) and Marsaxlokk (against Msida SJ) will lose their last match to book their place in the top six.

Anyway, it was also very interesting at the top where the 10-man Sliema obtained a creditable 1-1 draw against a Hibernians side which messed a great chance of moving closer to the leading duo.

In fact, striker Terence Scerri must be hoping that there would be no repetition of what happened in the last 10 minutes of Sunday’s match where he missed two great chances which could have given his side maximum points.

That is certainly why Sliema emerged from the field with their heads held high and that is also why they were happy with the point obtained, considering they had some players still missing, especially suspended midfielder Stefan Giglio, as well as having had Kris Laferla shown a red card near the end of the first half on the occasion of the award of a penalty to Hibernians.

Without setting any houses on fire, the Blues were still a compact side and even in some difficult moments in the second half, when the defence was put under pressure by the Paolites, they emerged on top thanks to the safe handling of Nigerian goalkeeper Murphy Akanji.

Despite sharing the spoils, Hibernians could also be said to have been happy, though at the end of the competition, they might be ruing the loss of these two points after those missed chances in the late stages of the game.

Robert Gatt’s boys, though missing the services of the suspended Essien Mbong in midfield, again showed that they cannot be ignored as the title challenge will intensify in the coming weeks, especially at the start of the second phase.

The same can be said of Birkirkara who made it clear to one and all that they have not yet thrown in the towel – of course they know that they will be advantaged when the points are deducted by half at the start of the second stage.

But on Sunday, the Stripes were at their best against Valletta and it is not exaggerating to say that it had been a rather long time seeing the Stripes playing with such commitment and determination.

On the other hand, in the circumstances prevailing, Valletta could only play second fiddle. So superior were the Stripes, especially at the back and in midfield, that both Gilbert Agius and the returning Chris Oretan, especially the latter, were only given one realistic chance each to have a pot at goal.

And that was simply not enough on a day when Birkirkara also had Etienne Barbara playing his best match since joining the Stripes, though, on one occasion, he went too far to try and score when passing to his unmarked colleagues would have reaped better dividends.

I am sure Valletta will be able to recover from this partial setback – it was their first defeat after 12 positive results – while the Stripes will give all the other title challengers more food for thought, especially if they manage to get closer after the forthcoming two matches.

Floriana and Marsaxlokk moved a step closer to the Championship Pool on Saturday as the southern seasiders played their best football this season to annihilate an enthusiastic St Patrick wide, while Floriana obtained a point from their clash against Msida.

As already said, the situation now sees Pieta languishing behind and needing two wins from their remaining clashes against Sliema and Valletta as well as seeing Floriana or Marsaxlokk losing their remaining encounter. That would be quite an impressive feat!

Marsaxlokk breathed a new lease of life with the inclusion among their ranks of Cleaven Frendo and Andre Schembri.

It seemed as if it was the much needed injection to some players as it was evident that even Carlo Mamo and Malcolm Licari, not to mention the others, were able to lift their performance well above the ordinary levels they had shown in their previous matches.

I must say that Cleaven Frendo showed his real worth on Saturday. Despite missing some glaring chances early on, it was evident that he was relishing his move to Marsaxlokk crowning his good performance with two great goals, especially the first.

Floriana once again figured in a draw and have now gone four matches without a victory, though they are close to assuring themselves of a place among the top six.

The Greens have missed quite a number of points which would have enabled them to be among the title challengers.

As for Msida, the team is now resigned to its fate. They will have to play in the Relegation Pool and that came about after Marsaxlokk won their match against St Patrick.

Yet, their performance against Floriana, even if they were missing at least five of their regular players through injury or suspension, augurs well for their future.

Of course, they will have an advantage over both St Patrick and Lija when they start the second phase, and although some tough battles are expected, they seem to have enough guns to see the side avoiding relegation at the end of the campaign.

St Patrick failed in their mission to secure a third consecutive victory. The side was simply not in the same mood as in the previous two matches, especially in the second half, when the southern seasiders scored twice with no reply.

Best player

Lucian Dronca (Birkirkara)

Birkirkara’s Romanian central defender is my pick this week after his five-star performance in the match against Valletta on Sunday.

It was a performance reminiscent of his early days at the club where he used to be so dominant at the back.

Calm and elegant, he stopped anything that was thrown at him on Sunday: to such an extent that a high calibre player such as Gilbert Agius was only limited to a couple of actions in the Stripes area.

Thinking of what might have been a few days ago – Dronca was being sought after by some Gozitan clubs – then the Stripes must have done well to resist the temptation of parting company with him.

Best coach

Stephen Azzopardi (Birkirkara)

The Stripes’ beleaguered coach is my choice this week after he led his side to an important and crucial win against Valletta.

It was evident that Azzopardi – and chairman Victor Zammit – managed to motivate the players for this match.

The Stripes needed the three points to remain in the title hunt and they were rewarded for their efforts.

It was not easy for Azzopardi to bring back the team to its present healthy state after so many ‘downs’ in their recent matches.

Considering the fact that they are expected to have Roderick Briffa and Antoine Zahra back in the fold soon after their long term injuries, then it might be a different story in the second phase, even if, at present, their most realistic chance is a place in the UEFA Cup via a second placing.