It was a special moment to see two former footballing maestros in Malta’s dugout directing tactics, which led the national team to a 2-0 win over Georgia on Wednesday night.

John Buttigieg, whiter haired, but as astute as ever, seemed cool, calm and collected, showing the same attributes which made him a cut above as a player.

Nimble footed Carmel Busuttil took a more hands on approach, directing more of the play from the touchline occasionally, albeit bespectacled and as in tune as ever.

It is not uncommon for football teams to up their game on the appointment of a new coaching staff, but Wednesday night was special.

It was special for those who remember the skills of Busuttil and Buttigieg at their best and it was good to see them get off to a winning start. It is obvious that the two are striving for more organisation within the team setup and it is also very clear that they are urging the team to play with pride.

Of course, nothing should be taken away from the players with Michael Mifsud performing to the top of his ability, ably assisted by the whole team and in particular the supply of balls in from the wings.

Sadly, the crowd in Ta’ Qali was not a patch on the stadium’s glory days in the mid 1980s, but those who braved the hot and humid evening were vocal in their support and the noise belied the sparse crowd.

Malta will never be world beaters at football. We occasionally pull off a great victory here and there, as against Hungary and this week against Georgia, but for us, a good measure of success is obtaining draws against the bigger teams.

Of course, we must also mention that the under-21 side scored two penalties to secure a 2-1 away win in Albania under the leadership of Edwin Camilleri. It was a memorable night for Maltese football enthusiasts.

The supporters have every right to demand 100 per cent commitment from the squads and by and large, the team responds – especially when there is good support. But they should not get carried away either. Some months back, Malta had a very good result against Turkey. The support was phenomenal, as was the performance of the team. But in the next match against Moldova, the crowd was expectant. Perhaps overly so. Malta fell behind and the crowd really got on the team’s back. In the end, Malta clawed back two goals and lost 2-3. But it was a spirited comeback.

It goes back to what we said earlier. The Malta fans are not stupid. They do know the team’s limitations. But what they do not like is when the players allow their shoulders to slump and just ride out the 90 minutes. It is indeed odd that the players seem to raise their game for the high profile matches, but underperform against teams of our own caliber.

The new Malta team was not an overhaul. The backbone of the team includes stalwarts such as Said, Chetcuti, Mifsud and Agius. But the performance they put in was workmanlike with flashes of skill and confidence. We do not expect miracles of the teams, but we really do hope that they can continue in a rich vein of form.

Well done to the players, well done to the staff and on their debut, a very special well done to John Buttigieg and Carmel Busuttil. Their return to the national side has touched many.