Hibernians coach Robert Gatt credited rivals Birkirkara with a good and deserved victory on Saturday, while Stephen Azzopardi said his side’s success this season was the result of less injuries than in the past.

Stephen Azzopardi looked very pleased with this win which put Birkirkara back at the top of the league standings after a considerable span of time.

“There is no doubt about the win and B’Kara’s supremacy. We created a lot of chances and the woodwork and keeper Mario Muscat denied us further goals. The players are sacrificing themselves for the good of the team, They obey tactical instructions and change positions even during the match.”

Azzopardi emphasised his team’s consistency with eight wins from their last nine matches.

He regards the remaining three fixtures less difficult and hopes that Birkirkara will still be at the top by the end of this first phase.

Azzopardi said that the main reason behind his side’s present success is that he has less injury problems than last season and therefore has a larger choice to pick his team. The only deficiency is the lack of a second goalkeeper in the squad.

Azzopardi hails this present Birkirkara team as the best ever under his charge.

On the other hand, Hibs coach Robert Gatt looked disappointed adding that Birkirkara deserved their good win. He looked extremely disappointed with the very few and weak chances Hibernians created during the match.

“If we want to challenge for the title, we must definitely improve a lot. Doda’s missed chance in the second half might have had a different effect on the match’s outcome, but then again it was a poor team performance.”

Gatt said that the gamble on starting the still not fully fit Peter Pullicino failed, although he thought Hibernians were more organised in the second half.

As regards Pulis’ substitution, Robert Gatt confirmed that it was not a tactical one but he took off the defender because he was not playing to the best of his abilities.

However Gatt denied that his team is going through some defensive crisis (conceded two goals against Mosta as well) but there were individual defensive mistakes committed against Birkirkara.