With a strong squad, excellent team spirit and a serious attitude to the game, Tarxien Rainbow's aim is to stay in the top echelon of Maltese football but also to aspire for a top six position for the first time in their history, Club President Tony Cassar said yesterday.

Speaking at a press conference which also launched the club's new acquisitions for the 2009/10 Premier League season which kicks off tomorrow, Cassar said that the team is ready for the challenges ahead and has learnt much of its lessons from the past season when salvation from relegation was achieved by a whisker.

The President explained that the club had a difficult first phase last season but managed to recover through shrewd changing of players and especially with some outstanding performances from the club's foreigners particularly Mariano Bueno who was also voted the league's best foreign players. He said that the committee, coach and players were all satisfied with the effort put in by everyone to stave off relegation.

Cassar also referred to the creation of Tarxien Rainbows Supporters Club which now had over 60 members and was truly a dream come true for him. He augured that the forthcoming season would see further achievements being reached by the club.

Club coach Noel Coleiro said that this year's preparations were amongst the best he had ever experienced with a training camp being held in Rome for the first time and which was hugely successful. He said that the club had also achieved several positive results during the pre-season with victories against Floriana and Birzebbugia St Peters. He also said that with the new signings, there would be more players fighting for a first team place than before and competition was surely healthy.

Team manager John Vella then introduced the club's new acquisitions which are as follows:

Gianluca Calabretta from Mosta, Ryan Mintoff from Hibernians, Stacey Vella from Msida St Joseph, Kurt Magro from Valletta, David Cassar from St Patrick's and two foreign players both Brazilian, Antonio Everton Pereira and Anderson Mendez Ribeiro.

Tarxien's first match is against newly promoted Dingli Swallows on Saturday at 5pm at the National Stadium.