This narrow 1-0 victory over
Oratory Youths handed the Blacks
a record fourth consecutive
title. No G.F.A. club had won
four championships in a row
until that time. We all know
that Għajnsielem went on to lift
the bar higher by winning a
fifth consecutive title. But it
is worth pointing out that no
team has even equalled the
four-in-a-row record to this
very day.
This was also the last match of
the second unbeaten season in
four years which is a feat that
is worth highlighting. The
Blacks were not overwhelmingly
dominant as they were in the
first two championships,
however, much like the third
championship, they put the
pressure on in the home stretch
and their direct rivals cracked
while they kept steady and
brought the championship home.
At the end of the first round
Nadur enjoyed a one point lead
over the Blacks which they
maintained after drawing 1-1 in
the second round opener. Nadur
had total control over their own
destiny from this point on. But
while Għajnsielem went on a four
game winning streak which
culminated with this win over
Oratory Youths, the Youngsters
first drew against the Youths,
to allow the Blacks to draw
level on points, and then lost
to Victoria Hotspurs to concede
to Għajnsielem a two point’s
cushion which they preserved
until the end of the season.
The Oratory Youths match was a
tense affair where the Club had
everything to lose but came
shining through. It was a very
windy day and Għajnsielem pushed
forward in the first half with
the wind at their back. Even
before they scored the decisive
goal, Għajnsielem had numerous
scoring opportunities but they
could not score. In the 25th
minute an angled shot by Nikol
Cutajar fooled everyone and went
in. Just before the interval,
Pawlu
Debono missed a golden
opportunity to add to the score
when he shot high from an ideal
position. In the second half,
aided by a favourable wind, the
Youths tried to even the score,
however the Blacks' defense held
firm. Play took place mostly in
midfield and Francis Cauchi was
rarely threatened. The final
whistle signalled the start of
massive celebrations in
Għajnsielem.
