Under the guidance of Marco Grech, in the absence of the suspended coach Marco Gerada, Hamrun Spartans easily disposed of bottom side Mqabba, winning 3-0 with plenty to spare.

The Spartans displayed considerably more inventiveness than their opponents and the final scoreline suggests the gulf between the two teams. They now join Hibernians and Marsaxlokk on the 16-point mark as they remain unbeaten in five matches.

Hamrun however, had to deal with some tactical problems of their own. Their defence missed the injured Precious Monye, with Timotic and Roderick Fenech their two central defenders. On the half hour, defender Attard was also injured and had to be substituted by Debattista, the latter also forced to leave the pitch shortly before the hour, to be replaced by Galea.

Mqabba were worryingly vulnerable at the back, conceding three more goals following four against Msida the previous week.

A vibrant Hamrun start saw them earn a number of corners and free kicks which none proved productive until they were awarded a penalty on 21 minutes. Bonnici’s powerful shot on a loose ball was blocked by Calleja inside the area and the referee severely penalized the Mqabba’s player handling. Stefan Sultana tucked away the penalty to give the Spartans a deserved lead.

Hamrun kept the initiative, with Briffa their hard worker in midfield. His pass to Spiteri put him wide on the right but his cross was deflected into a corner. Then keeper Calleja saved comfortably Spiteri’s header and Timotic failed to put his header on target.But before the half was over, Hamrun doubled their lead, with a neatly timed headed goal by Roderick Fenech on his brother’s corner.

Hamrun remained territorial masters for the second half and sealed the issue with a third goal past the hour. Alfred Effiong ran in well to connect on Briffa’s deep through pass from the middle, splitting the entire Mqabba defence and steering the ball past the helpless keeper.Hamrun could even increase the score in the late stages, but efforts by Effiong and Spiteri were held out by the post. However the match had long been over as a contest.