The past weekend was characterised by two surprise results as Birkirkara and Hamrun Spartans hit the headlines with their wins over the more quoted Sliema and Marsaxlokk respectively.

In another 'top’ match, Valletta lost another two points in a draw with Hibernians on Monday evening while Floriana, as expected, beat Mqabba to remain the only team on maximum points, on top of the standings.

After Msida beat Pieta Hotspurs narrowly on Saturday, it is now Pieta and Mqabba who remain seeking their first points of the new season.

The Greens have not had such a splendid start to a season for many, many years. After three matches, they have a maximum nine points and the side, now under the charge of former City and Sliema striker Danilo Doncic, is bubbling with enthusiasm and confidence.

Of course, they will not be looking back but with a Friday clash against Sliema beckoning, it is evident that they will now start as hot favourites to bag another win on the trot.

However, their performance on Saturday was far from convincing and until they scored those two late goals, it seemed as if lowly Mqabba could produce a surprise result.

But the Premier newcomers finally had to bow down and conceded their third defeat of the season.

On Saturday it was a day to remember for Birkirkara who, despite fielding several new faces from last season’s line-up, managed to produce a good first half performance which gave them a healthy 2-0 cushion by the interval.

The Stripes showed that given time, they could also turn out to be potential challengers for the title. During that first half, they played some pleasing stuff and it was no surprise that they went in for a rest leading 2-0.

Coach John Buttigieg must be credited with this fine victory. His tactical ploy paid rich dividends. The Stripes got what they wanted in the first half and then blotted out Ivan Woods and Etienne Barbara in the second half, making Sliema struggle to try and get past their rearguard.

Which the Blues didn’t. In fact, Birkirkara defended intelligently and it was here that the Dane Ronnie Hartvig, apart from scoring his second goal in this championship, and Bulgarian Emil Yantchev, again came on top against some top opponents.

Sliema once again left much to be desired. In the earlier two matches, they had managed to win despite failing to convince. This time, it was not a case of third time lucky. They had to bow down against a superior looking side which could have added one or two more goals to their tally as well.

On Sunday, Marsaxlokk fell a cropper against a gritty Hamrun Spartans side which came out on top thanks to a goal by Gaetan Spiteri early in the first half.

Brian Talbot’s men were a far cry from last season’s side which dominated from start to finish. After suffering the goal, one expected a stronger reaction from them, but they failed and, at the end, they could have considered themselves lucky to have lost by just one goal.

The Spartans were a healthier looking side and coach Marco Gerada must be credited with this win.

It was a similar case as the Birkirkara-Sliema clash. The Spartans got an early goal and then operated on the break during which they appeared to be much more dangerous against their more illustrious opponents.

The Spartans therefore obtained another three points and they now have already amassed six from a possible nine points, having missed the bus against Sliema in their previous encounter.

Their sixth place target at present seems to be within reach already, but the road is still very long and they have to keep their feet to the ground if they are to be successful.

Valletta and Hibernians shared the points in an entertaining one-all draw on Monday evening.

The match was characterised by the fine performance of four players who are in top form at the moment. Saviour Darmanin and Gilbert Agius of Valletta and Mario Muscat and Andrew Cohen of Hibernians.

The two goalkeepers excelled with some daring saves bordering on the miraculous, while the two midfielders/strikers provided all those present at Ta’ Qali with some magical moments, especially Cohen who scored a fine equaliser for the Paolites near the end.

The leveller, three minutes from the end, meant that Valletta had missed another two points after they had led from the 13th minute through a Stefan Giglio penalty.

After three matches, the much-vaunted Valletta side has obtained only four points from one win, one draw and one defeat. Unless Argentine striker Sebastian Monesterolo gets back to his best form, the citizens will continue to struggle to get the goals that matter, even if he was unlucky this time on a few occasions.

The Paolites just managed to avoid defeat. And that enabled them to avert a crisis, even if after three matches, they are still hovering near the bottom end of the table with just two points from three matches.

But they deserved to take away a point, especially after their second half rally during which they were only thwarted by Darmanin from getting the equaliser earlier.

One thing not nice mentioning, but which left a bitter taste was the argument between Mario Muscat and Adrian Pulis a few minutes before the Paolites scored their equaliser. Pulis must have been taken aback by some comments in his regard from the goalie (and his captain) after a Valletta attack and even gave the impression that he wanted to leave the pitch by moving close to the centre of the field while Valletta were preparing to take a cornerkick! That he did not was due to the intervention of coach Robert Gatt who ordered him back to his place in the heart of the defence.

In the other match at the weekend, Msida St Joseph obtained their first victory of the season on Sunday as they beat Pieta Hotspurs 1-0.

These were a precious three points for the Saints in a direct clash with opponents aiming for the same target – the sixth place in the standings.

For Pieta, it was all gloom, especially after Svetlan Kondev missed that penalty late in the match which could have been their face saver.

Despite everything, the two sides need to pull up their socks and play much better if they are to avoid frustration in future.

Player of the week

Gaetan Spiteri (Hamrun S.)

The Hamrun striker is my pick this week after his excellent performance against the champions in the 1-0 win on Sunday.

His repertoire included the only goal of the match – a winner which meant three very precious points for his side.

That goal moved the club on to the six-point mark, already within reach of their sixth place target.

Spiteri is set to have another good season and should be the main striking force of Marco Gerada’s line-up. His talents were already noted two years ago, but it seems as if he has made more improvement now.

The top scorers

4 goals – Etienne Barbara (Sliema W.)

3 goals – Christian Caruana (Floriana), Ian Zammit (Valletta)

2 goals – Michael Galea (Birkirkara), Ron Hartvig (Birkirkara), Adrian Mifsud (Floriana), Cleaven Frendo (Marsaxlokk)