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FIRST TEAM
Monthly Reviews 2002/03
 

The season ends on a high note
June 02, 2003


 

In May the Club wrapped up its league commitments with an easy win against relegated side Xaghra United. Ghajnsielem finished as league runners-up for the second time in four years, and for the fourth time since their last championship twenty nine years ago. The Blacks set a Club record for goals scored in a season, 50 in 18 league matches. Having said that this team was nowhere close to the 1969/70 Blacks which scored twenty six goals in just eight league matches, a pace of over three goals per match. Furthermore, the vaunted Blacks forward line came up short in the direct confrontations with Nadur Y. scoring just once in three matches against them. Aloy Ihebulu was Club and First Division top scorer. Ihebulu's 17 league goals also set a Club mark for goals scored in first division league play.

The Club lost in the semi-finals of the Noel Vassallo Cup and the Super Cup, to Zebbug Rovers and Xewkija Tigers respectively. The elimination from these two competitions was extremely disappointing. The Noel Vassallo Cup is sponsored by Club supporter and benefactor, Joseph Vassallo, and it hurts that the Blacks were not the winners of the first edition. The Super Cup had been a competition in which the Blacks had appeared in four consecutive finals. Not to reach the final signals a step backwards of sorts for the Club. There was, however, a silver lining in this gathering mass of dark clouds. The finals of these two cup competitions were held in the week preceding the G.F.A. Cup final, the top cup competition in Gozo. Nadur Youngsters marched triumphantly to all three finals and won the first two. In the process they expended a tremendous amount of physical and psychological energy, not to mention losing due to suspension three key players ahead of the G.F.A. Cup final. The Blacks meanwhile licked their wounds and geared up for one final confrontation with the all-conquering Whites. 

The Blacks started the season by winning the Independence Cup in the hardest possible way because they had to eliminate Nadur, Zebbug and Xewkija before lifting the trophy. Now they were destined to close the season by walking away with the G.F.A. Cup without breaking a sweat. The Blacks scored a total of fifteen goals as they brushed Gharb Rangers and Qala St. Joseph aside on the way to the final. These goals contributed a great deal to the record 77 goals that the Blacks scored in the 29 matches (also a record) that they played over the whole season. The 3-2 win over an under-strength and over-worked Nadur in the final was the twentieth of the season. This too set a new Club mark. Here, however, one should note that in terms of winning percentage, the 1970/71 Blacks remain tops with a 90% winning record (17 wins in 19 matches).

Aloy Ihebulu's total of 27 goals in all competitions was one goal short of Jude Madu's Club record set in 1998/99. Ihebulu now has a total of 48 goals which puts him third on the all time scorers list of the Club behind Vincent Cutajar (75) and Madu (55). His scoring rate of 48 goals in 55 matches is second only to Madu's 55 goals in as many matches. Brian Meilak set a new Club mark for appearances in a season with 28--all starts. He missed out on being the only player to appear in every match when he was rested against Xaghra United in the league with the decisive match against Nadur coming up. Joe Debono became the oldest player to score for the Club (39 years, 7 months and 21 days) when he scored against Qala St. Joseph in the G.F.A. Cup semi-final.

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Typical Lineup & Scorers
1. Sammy Attard  
2. Joseph Scicluna  
3. Joseph Attard I  
4. Loreto Scicluna (c)  
5. M. Cremona/J. Debono  
6. Tarik Belhaj  
7. Frank Buttigieg  
8. R. Mercieca/J. Buttigieg  
9. Alloysius Ihebulu  
10. Brian Meilak  
11. D. Lautier/J. Attard II  
     
  Top Scorers  
  Alloysius Ihebulu 7
  Tarik Belhaj 2
  Dione Lautier 2
  Reuben Mercieca 1
  Frank Buttigieg 1
  Joe Debono 1
  Vince Dimitrov 1
  Loreto Scicluna 1


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

     

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