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MATCH REPORT
Għajnsielem F.C. started the
2011/12 season with an
Independence Cup tie against
Nadur Youngsters. The start of
the match, which was played
under the lights at the Gozo
Stadium, was delayed
considerably due to a
malfunction of the floodlights
system. This was coach Patrick
Vassallo’s first competitive
match in charge in his second
stint as head coach at the Club.
The first stint happened back at
the turn of the century when the
then young coach led an
all-Għajnsielem team (plus Jude
Madu) from the first division to
the premier division, and to
three cup finals as a second
tier side and one glorious
victory in the Super Cup. The
following season Mr. Vassallo
led the Blacks to their highest
placing in the league since the
glory years, when the Blacks
finished as league runners-up.
The third season ended badly,
when Mr. Vassallo was let go
after a disappointing and
unexpected mid-season defeat for
the title-challenging Blacks.
Now Patrick is back, and his
first task was to rearrange the
team after the loss of Yannick
Ossok (now with Mosta) and
Ferdinando Apap (abroad) in
defence, Franklee Galea (now
with Xewkija T.) and Kenneth
Mercieca (now with S.K. Victoria
W.) in midfield and Mark
Camilleri (now with Xewkija
Tigers) and Thiago dos Santos
(now with Xagħra United) in
attack. The number of foreign or
Maltese players allowed to play
in Gozo has been reduced from
two to one per club. For this
match Għajnsielem played without
their quota of one non-Gozitan
because the international
clearance certificate for their
Albanian striker Arlindo Rustemi
had not arrived in time. The
coach had at his disposal
defender Patrick Camilleri (also
in his second stint with the
Club—he played with the Under/18
and senior sides in the 1995/96
season) and striker Manwel
Cordina both of whom came
through the Żebbuġ Rovers
system. It is worth noting that
Kenny Hili, Ryan Grima and Shawn
Attard went the other way on
loan to Żebbuġ. Back with the
Blacks for another season are
midfielders Jason Portelli and
Alex Simoncic.
Simoncic is a midfielder by
trade, but due to the departure
of Apap and Ossok, and the
non-availability of David
Debattista, Vassallo was forced
to line him up in central
defence along with Camilleri.
Larry Buttigieg and Robert Grima
were the full-backs in front of
goalkeeper Joseph Grech. Jason
Portelli, Charlon Tabone,
Charlon Grima and Joseph
Buttigieg played in midfield.
Larry Debono played off Cordina
up-front.
The match started evenly
balanced, although with so many
newcomers in the side, some of
whom were playing in unusual
positions, the Blacks were
slower out of the gates than
Nadur who have a more settled
side. In the 22nd minute Milos
Stojanovic took hold of a short
clearance and promptly beat
Grech for the opener. Nadur
dominated after the goal. All
the Blacks had to show for their
efforts was a Tabone cross,
which Larry Buttigieg met with a
weak shot that did not trouble
Matthew Muscat in the Nadur
goal. Grech saved two shots from
distance in the second part of
the opening session as Nadur
controlled midfield. The Blacks’
attack was too weak to trouble
Muscat unduly.
For the second half, Vassallo
brought Joseph Attard on for
Debono and moved Simoncic into
midfield and the Blacks started
to play better. Robert Grima’s
shot was saved to a corner by
Muscat. Simoncic’s curler was
also saved well. Simoncic nearly
scored from a free-kick when the
ball deflected off a Nadur
defender. The Youngsters started
to hit on the break and Grech
did well to gather the ball from
two dangerous crosses. Then
Jason Portelli nearly broke away
for Għajnsielem.
Just
when it looked like Għajnsielem
would score they conced an 11th
minute penalty, which was
converted by Anthony Portelli.
The Blacks were rattled and soon
after they conceded a free-kick
on the edge of the penalty area.
Nadur shot high. In the 23rd
minute Paul Camilleri’s cross
from the left was headed in by
Claudio Antunes. At this point
Jonathan Grech came on for Larry
Buttigieg. In the 34th minute
Antunes put the game out of
reach when he scored following a
breakaway.
Għajnsielem made the score
respectable with two well-taken
Cordina late goals. In the 40th
minute Patrick Camilleri sent
Cordina through, after good
defensive work by Simoncic and
Grech. The striker calmly placed
behind Muscat. In the 45th
minute Tabone won the ball in
the Nadur half, served Portelli
who in turn fed Cordina, who
finished well from a good
position.
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