A feeble challenge from a weak Valletta side was brushed aside by league leaders and defending champions Sliema Wanderers last Saturday as the Blues extended their lead at the top of the table to four points over the same citizens.

Apart from that lead, Sliema now have a definite psychological edge over Valletta, apart from having also seen the other two challengers, Hibernians and Birkirkara, losing further ground in the title race.

The latter two clubs were held to draws by Floriana and Marsaxlokk respectively and have now seen the gap between them and Sliema extended by a further two points, to eight and nine respectively.

Mathematically, they are still in with a chance, but I just cannot see Sliema losing three of their remaining six matches and both Hibernians and Birkirkara winning all their encounters till the end of the campaign!

At the other end of the table, Msida St Joseph made a bold step towards securing their Premier League place for next season after a convincing 2-0 win over Lija Athletic.

The top match of the week was the Sliema-Valletta top of the table clash. Before the start, Sliema had been enjoying just a one-point lead and one was expecting Valletta to offer a strong challenge to topple Sliema from their leadership.

Yet, a super Sliema side overcame a feeble Valletta challenge with a certain amount of ease which made the Blues’ performance easily the best of the season.

It was obviously the first time also this season that I saw the Sliema defence in such dominant mood against a title challenger. They were so dominant that Valletta rarely threatened, except, perhaps, on one occasion.

But the Blues had two trump cards – a vastly superior midfield sector and their blotting Gilbert Agius out of the game.

In the first instance, Sliema had Noel Turner, Lubos Pernis, Stefan Giglio and Joe Brincat in excellent form and they were also given a frequent helping hand by Danilo Doncic and Alex Muscat, the latter often involved in some dangerous overlaps on the right flank.

Valletta had little to offer in reply. The defence was shaky whenever the Blues attacked strongly, especially when Ivan Woods had the ball at his feet. Woods crowned a good performance with another two goals, confirming that he is by far the most improved youngster in the Premier League this season.

With Sliema in such a dominant mood at the back and in midfield, Valletta were forced to play a defensive match and Massimo Grima rarely could venture forward as he had been doing recently.

On the whole, it was a very weak side presented by Valletta to face the Wanderers, though admittedly, they were the same players who had amazed every local football enthusiast with their performances so far this season.

They now certainly have to forget this defeat very quickly to get prepared for next Saturday’s clash against rivals Birkirkara who, together with Hibernians, will now make a strong challenge for the second place, in the hope of securing a place in next season’s UEFA Cup.

If Valletta are to remain the only challengers to Sliema, considering that there are still six matches to go, then, the citizens are forced to win Saturday’s clash.

Birkirkara missed the chance to continue challenging for the title in their last two matches – against Sliema and Marsaxlokk – when they lost four points which had appeared to be already in their pockets with just a few seconds remaining for the end of those two matches.

These last two matches were a huge disappointment for the Stripes who have now seen their dreams vanishing once again into thin air. As has been the custom in the past few years, they now will look towards a Trophy win to save their season.

The Stripes are still labelled as one of the best teams, if not the best, in the competition. Stephen Azzopardi has a very valid squad with a mixture of young and experienced players. Yet their failure to score the real goals that matter and avoid suffering them in the most crucial moments in some of their matches has been their real downfall this season.

Of course, they had several injuries to key players to contend with, but it is a fact that the defence, in particular, left much to be desired this season.

Marsaxlokk just did not rob anything on Saturday. In actual fact, justice was made when they scored that last-gasp equaliser and it was encouraging for the side to have recovered from a Chucks Nwoko blow, who had headed Birkirkara in the lead with just five minutes to go.

Marsaxlokk had a good performance during which they created the best chances and could have shocked their more quoted opponents earlier.

On Sunday, the Paolites also ran out of steam as they were held to a one-all draw by Floriana. Like Marsaxlokk, for the Greens, this was their first point in a Championship Pool match and they now look forward for better times in the remaining matches.

Both Hibernians and Floriana, the same as Birkirkara and Marsaxlokk, will now be hoping to stage a late recovery in the season to be able to make headway in the Trophy.

It is the only remaining competition, apart from the runner-up place in the league, where the clubs can secure a UEFA Cup place next season.

What I have said about the Stripes earlier, also applies to Hibernians. Even if the Paolites had to beat Sliema on Saturday in their final first round match, they will still have a huge mountain to climb to get back into any sort of reckoning for the title.

In the Relegation Pool, Msida made a step forward in their aim to sidestep the Big Drop, as they overcame Lija Athletic 2-0.

It was a convincing victory for a superior Msida side which was only thwarted from obtaining a huge scoreline by some spectacular saves by Lija goalkeeper Simon Agius, who already seems to be a top target for some of the clubs for next season.

Following this defeat, Lija remain firmly anchored to the bottom position on just seven points, five behind Msida, four adrift of Pieta and just one point below St Patrick. Four matches remain to be played.

Best player

Jeffrey Chetcuti (Sliema W.)

Some may have been of the opinion that ‘veteran’ defender Jeffrey Chetcuti was on the way out, especially after his move from Valletta to Sliema before the start of last season.

But the international defender confirmed on Saturday that he is still one of the island’s best players with a superb performance.

He orchestrated the Sliema defence in such a way as to keep Valletta at bay – limiting the citizens to just three feeble shots at goal.

Chetcuti was in inspiring form. He led the side from the back and was evidently in command from start to finish.

Of course, Chetcuti, who will be 31 next month, still has a lot to offer to Maltese football.

Best coach

Edward Aquilina/Hugh Caruana (Sliema W.)

My pick this week is evident – the Sliema duo of mentors who annihilated Valletta in such a way as to become clear favourites for the title with more than one round to go.

It was evident that Aquilina and Caruana made their homework well in advance. They were aware that limiting Gilbert Agius to just a few runs in midfield would procure no real damage to their defence.

They succeeded to plan the match in a way that their players managed to keep Gilbert not only under strict control, but also away from the penalty area, where he usually is most dangerous.

Sliema’s emphatic victory on Saturday goes on to show the mentors’ abilities in turning the tide in their favour at the most crucial moments of a season.

Now the Wanderers can play with much more tranquillity in the second round.