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In May of
1993, Ghajnsielem F.C. made their return to the First Division, after an
absence of two seasons. This brought an end to a negative cycle that was
set in motion in the late 1970's. In this period the Club never challenged
for the championship and, at the worst of times, was experiencing the
humiliation of relegation to the second division. The 1993/94 season was
crucial in that the team consolidated its status in the top flight. More
importantly, the Club sensed that with a few adjustments it could field a
competitive team that would challenge for honours year in year out. The
2002/03 is the tenth season since that promotion season, and the sixth
season in which the Club has mounted an assault on the elusive sixth
championship. If history serves any lesson, much will ride on the outcome
of the clash this Sunday against Nadur Y. on the fate of this latest
challenge.
1994/95
In this season, the Blacks took everyone by surprise. It had been a full
twenty years since the words "Blacks" and "challenging for
title" were uttered in the same breath. So when Ghajnsielem staked a
joint claim to the pyrrhic title of winter champions with Munxar Falcons
everyone was shocked. The Blacks started that league campaign with a 1-2
loss to the Falcons, and one thought that after the mirage of the just
concluded cup campaign that took the Blacks to two cup finals, harsh
reality had set in and the Blacks would be fighting for survival yet
again. The opposite happened. Ghajnsielem went on an electrifying five
game winning streak that took them past Nadur Youngsters 2-1, Xewkija
Tigers 1-0, Sannat Lions 2-0, St. Lawrence Spurs 5-0 and Victoria Hotspurs
4-3. As everyone who experienced that historic run first hand would
testify, barring the St. Lawrence Spurs romp, each one of those matches
packed enough excitement to warrant a dash to the nearest ECG machine.
Ghajnsielem closed the first round with a top of the table clash with the
class of the league, Xaghra United. A tactical affair this was, and a 0-0
outcome meant that two precious points were lost by both teams to Nadur
Youngsters who were several points adrift at this stage. This challenge
foundered on two quick setbacks. Ghajnsielem opened the second round by
losing again to Munxar Falcons 1-3. This loss stings to this day for the
needless penalty conceded to Munxar that led to their opening goal and for
the penalty miss by Cesar Paiber that would have secured the equalizer for
the Blacks shortly after. This loss meant that the charging Youngsters
could overtake the Blacks by beating them in their next match. Nadur did
just that edging Ghajnsielem 2-1 in a contest that many regard as the true
championship decider for that season. Nadur took an early lead but Ghajnsielem
came back and tied the score through Ardian Zefi. Brimming with
confidence, Ghajnsielem, wearing yellow and green, went for the jugular
and were awarded a penalty. In defiance of team orders, Zefi took charge
of the penalty and shot weakly to Sammy Attard's right. The ball squirted
loose back to Zefi who hesitated, and Nadur cleared the danger. Zefi
infamously claimed later that he thought he would get a yellow card had he
touched the rebound. A Karl Zacchau goal from an acute angle in the second
half shot the Youngsters to victory and set them on their way to the
second championship in their history. Nadur still had to overtake Munxar
Falcons and Xaghra United. Both these teams went into self-destruct mode,
however, and Nadur swept them aside with ease. Xaghra were undone when
their mercurial Pequini earned a fatal second yellow card while
celebrating a goal in the match preceding the vital clash with Nadur. This
ensured a one-match ban. His absence from the Nadur encounter doomed
Xaghra. Meanwhile, the Blacks limped to a fourth place finish managing to
beat only the relegated sides Xewkija Tigers and St. Lawrence Spurs in the
rest of the second round.
1995/96
Many Blacks
supporters thought that Ghajnsielem were 12 yards away from being crowned
champions in 94/95. So with some tinkering here and there, and with a
young team enriched by the first experience of a title chase, those twelve
yards would surely be bridged in 95/96. And so it seemed. Ghajnsielem
opened the campaign like a bat out of hell sprinting to an early lead over
both Nadur Youngsters and Victoria Hotspurs. They achieved this on the
back of goals by two new acquisitions, Tony Borg and Mario Gauci, both ex-Nadur
Y. players and Zefi. Qala St. J. were overcome 1-0, Victoria Hotspurs were
brought down to earth from their victory over Nadur Y. by another narrow
win 2-1. Then the Blacks dropped points to Xaghra United in a 1-1 draw.
But these were the days when the 90th minute struck forty eight hours
after the match. Ghajnsielem lodged a protest regarding the eligibility of
Xaghra's Gordian Ohaegbu. The Nigerian player happened to have a false
international clearance certificate. A no-brainer for any protest board in
the world. But this was the Gozo Football Association. Final determination
of the matter was put off from week to week, until the value of the extra
two points diminished to purely academic value. In order not to forfeit
its Lm200 deposit, Ghajnsielem was forced to withdraw its protest, several
months after the season had ended. But let's harken back to the sequence
of events. On a bitterly cold afternoon, the Blacks beat S.K. Victoria W.
1-0 to close the calendar year 1995 in first place. Sannat Lions were
next. Tony Borg scored one of the fastest goals in Club history and gave
the Blacks an early lead. The Blacks were awarded a penalty. Ardian Zefi
missed. Instants later, Sannat drew level. Ghajnsielem, then squashed
Munxar 4-1, so that mentally counting those famous two points against
Xaghra in the proverbial bag, they still considered themselves ahead of
Nadur on the eve of their round closing match. Protest or no protest,
Nadur dominated the tense match and beat the Blacks 2-0, a score-line that
did not do justice to their superiority on the day. So Nadur firmly stuck
their nose ahead of the Blacks. They teased the Blacks into believing that
all was not lost by dropping two points to Victoria Hotspurs drawing their
next match. At this point, Ghajnsielem did in fact regain control of their
own destiny. They could have won the title by cleaning up in the second
round. This proved to be a tall order. Qala St. J. were brushed aside 4-1.
But then Victoria Hotspurs drove a dagger into Blacks' hearts by holding
Ghajnsielem to a 2-2 draw. Ghajnsielem needed help to catch Nadur again.
None was forthcoming. Reeling from the disappointment of the 2-2 draw, the
loss of Errol Grima's beloved father Charlie and the ghastly sight of that
pariah Zefi striking one of his own, Ghajnsielem drew with Xaghra 1-1.
Mario Gauci scored a staggering six goals in a 6-1 triumph over SK
Victoria W. but no one in Ghajnsielem seemed to care. The Blacks then lost
to Sannat L. 0-1 and Nadur were mathematically crowned champions. The
Blacks completed a double over Munxar Falcons, a season too late, someone
devilishly remarked at the time. Ghajnsielem still had to swallow their
pride one last time by playing sparring partners to champions Nadur in the
final match of the season. The 2-5 reversal and the silky smooth football
played by the Youngsters washed away any talk of yards and penalties this
season.
The
Premier Years
Many had
thought that what Ghajnsielem really lacked in the past two seasons was
modern coaching and training. So Peter Caruana, who has the distinction of
taking the Club to the top and keeping them there for five consecutive
seasons (1969-1974), a feat that has not been repeated by anyone at any
club since, had to make way to coaches practiced at the modern art of
football. This coincided with the disastrous experiment of three seasons
of five-team division football. If it was not bad enough facing Nadur
twice a season, it seemed as if the Blacks were playing them every
fortnight. Each team played every other team four times. The Premier
division was made up of the very cream of Gozitan football: Ghajnsielem,
Victoria Hotspurs, Sannat Lions, Xaghra United and Nadur Y. By today's
count that is 35 first division titles. There was nowhere to run, nowhere
to hide. Ghajnsielem never challenged in the three years in which this
format was kept. Not unless, that is, you throw away the middle two rounds
in the 1996/97 season. Anyone trying to find a redeeming virtue in Dragan
Novcic's reign as head coach of the Blacks would point out that if you
look at the records of the first and fourth rounds for that season,
Ghajnsielem had the best record. Nadur had the best record counting all
four rounds, and they were deserving champions. The illusion that the
Blacks had a team capable of challenging was harder to keep the following
season, when Frank Muscat was in charge of the team. The team finished
fifth in the table, which happened to mean automatic relegation to the
then first division. This does not signal the return to a new negative
cycle by any stretch of the imagination. However, the only claim to
greatness this year was a 4-0 victory over Nadur which went a long way
towards stopping their consecutive championship tally at three, two short
of the Blacks' proud record of five. Xaghra benefited the most and claimed
their sixth title. Little did they do to return the favour for the Blacks'
sporting gesture the season before. The Blacks had then thrown Xaghra a
lifeline by beating Sannat. This had helped Xaghra to maintain their
premiership status. Now Xaghra danced all over the Blacks with the
championship already won and offered little resistance against Xewkija
Tigers, allowing the Tigers to overtake the Blacks and dooming the latter
to relegation. The 1998/99 season was spent in a division where no matter
what the Blacks did they could not become champions of Gozo. To make the
pain of missing the party unbearable, all the traditional powers took a
year off in terms of their commitment to building a formidable side. No
team had an unbeatable array of talent lined up. Patrick Vassallo led the
Blacks to a runaway championship of the lower division and to three cup
finals which culminated with the 6-2 Super Cup triumph over Xaghra United.
Nadur Youngsters were the champions again. But if the season ending Super
Cup was going to be a confirmation of the new claimants to the throne,
someone forgot to tell the Youngsters about it. At any rate, Ghajnsielem felt that
they had come of age, and the season spent setting scoring records against
the G.F.A.'s minnows was a season well spent.
1999/2000
Patrick Vassallo's professed strategy for
title hunting has always been to come from behind. In the 1999/2000, his
team took this philosophy to an extreme. Four games into the league
season, the team was languishing at the bottom of the table with just two
points. 1-1 draws with Victoria Hotspurs and Xaghra United, were followed
by narrow losses to Zebbug Rovers and Xewkija Tigers. The team
kick-started its comeback with wins against Sannat Lions and SK Victoria
Wanderers. When the Blacks went down to Nadur Youngsters 1-2, it looked as
if the season was over. Ghajnsielem's fortunes took a turn for the better
when they opened the second round with a resounding 3-1 win over Victoria
Hotspurs. This brought the Blacks to within a point of the Victoria side.
Nadur Youngsters lost their way and started dropping points all over the
place. Meanwhile Ghajnsielem disposed of Xaghra United 4-0 and Zebbug
Rovers 3-0. The chase was on. But Ghajnsielem needed Hotspurs to trip up
against another team because there were no direct clashes left. Hotspurs
dropped all six opponents like nine-pins, not one team offered serious
resistance. As if the Blacks needed convincing, Ghajnsielem observed
Hotspurs running riot and putting eight goals past Xewkija Tigers, only to
see the Tigers wake up from the dead and tie them 2-2, coming back from
two goals down. This draw widened Hotspurs lead to 3 points. The Blacks
kept hoping and beat Sannat Lions 1-0 and S.K. Victoria Wanderers 4-1.
Hotspurs, however, beat Zebbug in their last match to become champions for
the tenth time in their history. The following day, Ghajnsielem beat Nadur Y. 3-0 to finish as runners-up for the first time since 1976/77.
Many in the Blacks' camp had some recriminations over the squad
experimentations that took place early in the season which cost the team
precious points. However, Victoria Hotspurs validated their championship
by triumphing in the Super Cup final 2-0 over the same Blacks.
2000/01
The moral of the 1999/2000 season was not to drop too many first round
points. Sure enough, Ghajnsielem started the league commitments with two
1-0 wins over Oratory Youths and Zebbug Rovers. A 0-1 loss to Xewkija
Tigers was disturbing because Xewkija was not considered a title contender
at the time and the three points that were dropped were considered as
needlessly thrown away. Indeed, Xewkija's record in the first round was
dismal. The Blacks' schedule was forgiving that season, and the aftermath
of this defeat was brightened by wins over Kercem Ajax 4-1 and St.
Lawrence Spurs 2-0. The Blacks should have kept marching on against a
Victoria Hotspurs side that this season was not the same powerhouse that
held off the Blacks the year before. The Blacks were moments away from
victory when Hotspurs were awarded a questionable penalty. Victoria
Hotspurs scored and the game ended in a draw. As has happened several
times in this period, the Blacks ended the first round with a match
against Nadur. The Youngsters were perched on top of the table. The Blacks
were second but as yet beyond reach of first place. Ghajnsielem stunned
the Youngsters with a 2-0 triumph. The result and the performance signaled
a turning point. The Blacks had defeated the Youngsters in a match that
mattered at last. Nadur behaved like a declining power. The championship
was for the Blacks to lose. Which they did lose. An unthinkable 2-5
drubbing suffered at the hands of lowly Oratory Youths cost Patrick
Vassallo his position as head coach of the Blacks. Teddy Bajada took over.
Thankfully, the Youngsters confirmed that they were in decline by dropping
points to Zebbug and then losing to Kercem Ajax. Ghajnsielem did not take
advantage of this when they could only
manage a 1-1 draw with Zebbug. In the meantime, Xewkija were coming from
behind. They even took the come-from-behind philosopher, Patrick Vassallo
himself, on board. Their comeback took full vigour with a totally
undeserved 2-0 victory over the Blacks. A 7-0 win over Kercem Ajax and a
3-1 win over St. Lawrence Spurs kept the Blacks with a mathematical
chance. Ghajnsielem needed to win their remaining two matches of the
season to win the championship. The last time Ghajnsielem could say this
was in 1973/74. The first of these two vital matches was against Victoria
Hotspurs. A combination of misfortune and sub-par play from the team led
to an ignominious
0-1 loss to the Victoria side. Ghajnsielem's last match of the season
against Nadur Y. put them in an unhappy predicament. A win would give the
title to Xewkija Tigers, their new nemesis. A loss would give the title to
Nadur Y., the auld enemy. A draw would pit the two powers in a decider.
The match ended in a 2-2 draw. The Blacks watched from a distance these
two teams battle it out. Xewkija Tigers emerged victorious to claim their
fourth title.
2001/02
The epilogue to the 2000/01 season was a cup bonanza for the Blacks made
up of the Jum il-Helsien Cup, the G.F.A. Cup and the Super Cup. Teddy
Bajada semed to have the magic wand. So, with a couple of acquisitions,
the Blacks could ride the momentum and break the losing streak in the
following season. This thing about the squad strengthening was an
important caveat. And Teddy Bajada stepped aside when no reinforcements were
forthcoming. Still, after 1-1 draws against Oratory Youths and Sannat
Lions, the Blacks uncorked a four game winning streak that put them four
points clear at the top of the table by the end of the first round.
Champions Xewkija Tigers were dropped 2-1, Victoria Hotspurs were beaten
4-0, Nadur Youngsters were narrowly edged 1-0 and Zebbug Rovers were
overcome 3-0. So Ghajnsielem were winter champions again. This time they
even had points to give away. This territory was again last charted in
1973/74. Speaking of points to give away, Ghajnsielem did not waste time
in doing so by losing to Oratory Youths 1-2. Ever since Bajada had
tendered his resignation, after the first round encounter with Oratory
Youths, Jules Ngangue had taken over as player-coach. After this latest
debacle, Peter Caruana took over once more, putting paid to the notion
that what is wrong with the team is the age of the coach. Although Ghajnsielem
negotiated their way past Sannat Lions 4-2, to maintain their slender
lead, the writing was on the wall. How could the Blacks seriously hope to
win the title when they had succumbed at the first time of asking against
the doormats of the division? The tide had indeed turned and Ghajnsielem
resumed their losing ways by going down to Xewkija Tigers 2-3. Once again,
Ghajnsielem were two wins away from the cherished crown. The Ghajnsielem
faithful watched the unfolding events with a distinct sense of deja vu: the
schedule offered Victoria Hotspurs and Nadur Youngsters as the next two
opponents. But this was no illusion, things were unfolding the same way
for a second time. Ghajnsielem lost to Victoria Hotspurs 1-2 with a
second-half display from some of the players that rivals the shame of past
collapses. No one seriously thought that Ghajnsielem could beat the
Youngsters in the latter's final game of the season to force a decider.
Nadur ran out 4-0 winners and thus sealed their sixth championship and postponed
Ghajnsielem's quest for their own sixth title by at least one year. For
the record, Ghajnsielem beat Zebbug Rovers 4-1 to claim third place,
hardly the spoils that befit this great Gozitan footballing institution.
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