Without even kicking the ball, Marsaxlokk were crowned Maltese champions for 2006/2007 last Saturday as main challengers Sliema Wanderers could only draw 1-1 with third placed Birkirkara, handing the Southseasiders an unassailable lead.
Marsaxlokk went into Sunday’s match against Msida SJ in festive mood, cheered by their numerous colourful supporters, although coach Talbot still fielded his best team and only made some changes in the second half.
Without breaking sweat, the new champions won 4-0 with plenty to spare against demotivated opponents with sights set on the FA Trophy semi-final.
Marsaxlokk have finally managed to win the league title for the first time in the club’s history after five consecutive seasons in the Premier League.
Their success came as no surprise, although perhaps they clinched it in an easier manner than originally anticipated. From the very start, Marsaxlokk were portrayed as title contenders and handed the tag of favourites, rightly so because they assembled a very competitive squad, made up of some of the best local talents, with a good blend of youth and experience, mostly internationals. To this they added the expertise of Brian Talbot as their coach.
Losing the first game against former champions Birkirkara was perhaps not the best of starts to a campaign that promised to be memorable, but as the season unfolded, both Birkirkara and Sliema Wanderers showed lack of consistency and Marsaxlokk immediately took their stranglehold on the championship.
Even after the first phase, with the points halved, Marsaxlokk still enjoyed a healthy lead, hard to be cut by the rest of contenders. Moreover,the Southseasiders strengthened their squad with further signings, like Justin Haber, Peter Pullicino, Udo Nwoko and Samir Garci.
Almost always looking unified, coherent and full of promise, and well served in every department, Marsaxlokk showed the consistency of champions, basking in their superiority as they managed an unbeaten streak of 21 matches (18 wins), until they were finally beaten by Sliema Wanderers in the first round of the Championship Pool.
By then both Sliema and Birkirkara had recovered some ground, albeit too late in the season. The Wanderers emerged as the only serious challengers for Marsaxlokk’s title aspirations only recently, although more theoretical than practical.
But lacking the resilience of the leaders, the Wanderers’ slim hopes were dented these last two weeks with consecutive draws against Valletta and Birkirkara.
Marsaxlokk have shown in the process that they fully deserve this season’s success. The team has the ingredients of a championship winning side, with the best attack (averaging 2.7 goals per match) as well as the best defence (conceded only 26 goals in as many matches), making it a most memorable season.
Following a rather turbulent season for the club, Sliema Wanderers should perhaps be happy to settle for second best. In truth, they never looked capable of matching Marsaxlokk’s strength in depth and they should now focus fully on the upcoming second honour of the season – the FA Trophy.
However they should improve on current form, especially as their striking force has been waning in the last two outings. Alexandar Madzar is performing below par, not looking that sharp in front of goal. He had scored six goals for Sliema in the Championship Pool but failed to find the net since his side’s 4-1 win against Marsaxlokk – that is in the last three games.
Valletta beat Hibernians, in what looked like a dress rehearsal for their coming FA Trophy semi-final tie, for the first time this season and moved closer to third spot, only two points adrift of Birkirkara.
Although Valletta are still in contention to win the Trophy, should they finish third and Sliema eventually win the honour, they would be granted a UEFA Cup berth. That applies also to Birkirkara, currently in third place.
Hibernians’ only hope of European participation next season is by winning the Trophy outright.