Maltese men's football has, for several years, lagged behind other countries particularly at international level. This can be said for both the national teams - where several other nations of our country's size and stature have made steps forward which Malta hasn't - and at club level - where again, clubs from countries of our stature (or even smaller) have made it to European stages that had been a mere pipe dream for Maltese clubs.
The latter, however, changed this week as Hamrun Spartans made history by becoming the first Maltese club to ever reach the league stage of a European club competition.
A comeback win over Lithuanian champions Zalgiris in the Champions League, achieved after losing the first leg 2-0, then winning the second leg by the same scoreline and triumphing in a marathon penalty shoot-out to get through to the next round of qualification in Europe's top tier competition.
It also set up a guaranteed path to the play-offs of the Conference League - which is sure enough where Hamrun ended up after falling to comparative Dynamo Kiev and Maccabi Tel-Aviv. Now Hamrun knew that they had to get past Latvian champions RFS in order to make history.
It wasn't a match-up without some controversy: the home leg was beset by concerns over the state of the surface of the Ta' Qali National Stadium, which was patchy at best, and a late request to shift the match to another stadium was turned down by UEFA.
But Hamrun ultimately prevailed, winning 1-0 and setting up a date with destiny seven days later in the away leg in Latvia. There was a risk that the pressure of the occasion and the potential achievement that they were on the cusp of derailed history: but a 2-2 draw in a match that Hamrun led for long stretches was enough to secure a 3-2 aggregate win, and therefore, history.
Hamrun will now compete in the European Conference League with 35 other teams. They will face teams ranging from Ukrainian giants Shaktar Donetsk to Gibraltar's Lincoln Red Imps - match that the Spartans will surely be eyeing as one where they can write more history.
Hamrun's progression to this stage of European competition could be a watershed moment not just for itself but also for Maltese football as a whole.
While the €3.2 million in prize money that Hamrun are now guaranteed for reaching this stage will have a huge financial impact for the club, their progression will also help improve Malta's UEFA coefficient, which in turn will see financial contributions from UEFA to all clubs also increase.
It also sets a new bar for all other clubs to strive towards, which will in turn - one hopes - improve the standard of Maltese club football, which then has a knock-on effect on the quality of players coming into the national team.
Praise goes to the Hamrun Spartans player, staff, and administration, including Joseph Portelli whose investment in the club is ultimately what allowed this to be possible in the first place - and one can only hope for more history as the competition continues in October.