Our national football team has won back its spurs after recent encounters confirmed that previous results during this European Championship campaign were no freak.

The 2-1 defeat of Hungary, the 1-1 draw in Moldova on Saturday of last week and the minimal 1-0 defeat, albeit through a controversial penalty award, against European Champions Greece last Wednesday are enough to convince any football enthusiast that we cannot be considered any longer as pushovers. This is not to mention the creditable 1-1 draw against Austria in a friendly match in February, organised to celebrate 50 years of international football in Malta.

Such results are very encouraging. Not only, but even the performances have been satisfactory, even if, on some occasions, the team was lucky. But then, even the big teams have their slice of luck on certain occasions. After all, this is part and parcel of the game of football.

These results have brought back confidence in the team and this was showed by the increasing crowds at Ta' Qali every time the national team is playing. Against Hungary there had been around 5,000. Against Austria there was also an improvement. Against Greece on Wednesday there must have been well over 10,000 who made their way into the stadium, considering that the capacity is 18,000.

It is true that there were those who had a complimentary ticket or were admitted free of charge because they were children forming part of the clubs' nurseries.

The MFA must be commended for opening the doors to these children who are thus being able to watch the national team closely and free of charge.

They are also supporters of the national team and, I believe, hat is the right way to encourage more children to take up the game and become more interested in it, in the hope that, one day, they will also be able to wear the national jersey with pride.

Maltese football is enjoying a moment of magic at present. Last Tuesday, even the Under 21 side, under the charge of Mark Miller, produced a magnificent performance in beating the more illustrious Swedish counterparts 2-1 in a friendly at the Hibs Ground.

But as MFA president Dr Joe Mifsud rightly warned during the news conference a day before the Greece match, we must always keep our feet to the ground. I have always passed on a comment made by former national coach Pietro Ghedin before he left Malta. He had said that we must always remember three facts: Malta has been small, is still small and will always remain small in future. That is what Dr Mifsud said last Tuesday.

But despite being small in number, we can be as big as the others in our hearts. In fact, that is what our players in the national squad are doing at present. They are giving their hearts out for the national team and it is no wonder that we have seen such an improvement during the past four years or so.

This improvement had started when the German Horst Heese took charge of the team for a second term and has continued under current national coach Dusan Fitzel who hails from the Czedch Republic. The latter has managed to build a very healthy atmosphere within the squad and he should be given help from all quarters to, at least, maintain the momentum attained so far.

Fitzel now has a good chance of getting his name in the local record books. His team now stands a fairly good chance of emerging from these qualifiers with a record number of points. Malta has attained four points from the matches played so far. Yet there are still many more matches to be played. All Fitzel needs for a record to be set is that the team manages just one more point.

If he can do that with his current crop of exciting players, then it should not be difficult for the MFA to offer him a new deal. Of course, if he is happy to remain here.

It is also obvious that Fitzel’s charges have become aware that they have a big challenge ahead of them. They know that they have to compete seriously if they wish to be included in the starting line-up every time the team plays. To do that, they do not only have to show the coach that they are fit and doing well in the training sessions at Ta' Qali, but also have to perform consistently well during the Championship matches for their clubs.

It will still be an honour for anyone to be selected to represent the country. This should be enough motivation for any player in local football to do his best to be noticed by the national coach, even if the number of players in the national squad is obviously limited to just a few.

Let us all maintain the current interest in the game. Let us all give the game of football the push it needs. The MFA, the coach, the players and us journalists have done our part, and I believe we will continue to do so. Now also the public is responding marvellously as it did on Wednesday by giving its contribution. If we all keep working hand in hand, I am sure we will have more satisfactions in future.