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FIRST TEAM
Monthly Reviews 2002/03
 
November pain
December 01, 2002

 

Play has now shifted to the Sannat Ground, to allow for the resurfacing of the Gozo Stadium. The Blacks started this month playing catch-up because of their postponed fixture with Zebbug. The wins against Victoria Hotspurs 2-0 and Xaghra United 3-2 were a must for them to stay in touch with the Youngsters. The problems evident early in the season came into view at various points in these two matches. It took a perfect strike from Errol Grima to break the deadlock against Victoria Hotspurs. Then the Blacks failed to make sure of the result until midway through the second half. Against Xaghra United, Errol Grima was finally pushed infield from his wide position. The move yielded immediate results. The poor defensive performance in this match was alarming. Not only was the marking inexistent, but the three-man defensive line was given little cover by the midfield.

Instead of dropping their heads and feeling sorry for themselves, Xewkija drew inspiration from their early season near misses and developed a self-belief that with a little luck and some concentration they could challenge. They started the month by beating Xaghra U. Then they stunned Nadur with a 1-0 win. The same Tigers beat Zebbug for their third win on the trot. 

Ghajnsielem went into the second round opener against Nadur with a view to deliver the second punch of a devastating 1-2 combination. Nadur had other plans. There were plenty of alibis, however, for the Blacks' 0-3 disappearing act. Errol Grima was missing through suspension. Frank Buttigieg missed the match due to injury. Dione Lautier started the match in poor physical condition and was substituted at half-time. Loreto Scicluna was felled fifteen minutes into the match and had to be substituted. Matthew Portelli crashed out horrendously in the second half and he too had to be replaced. With their win, the Youngsters have everyone back on their bandwagon. 

Still reeling from the shock and in even worse shape on the injury front, the Blacks went down 3-4 in a roller coaster affair with the Tigers. The Blacks had Grima back in the side for this match, but lost Cremona (injury) and Joseph Attard I (red card) in the second half.

These two losses, the Blacks' first of the season, have forced the Club into a reality check. Maybe the squad is not strong enough to win the title. The runaway train has been badly derailed in the space of six days. It is not yet December and the prime objective of this ambitious campaign already looks compromised. The Club has been let down by the team's defensive performance. The Blacks committed too many technical and tactical mistakes at their end. The alarm bells that had sounded in the 3-2 win over Xaghra were squelched by the hooray of victory, and as a result went unheeded in the two following matches to a disastrous effect.

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Typical Lineup & Scorers
1. Sammy Attard  
2. Brian Meilak  
3. Joseph Attard I  
4. Loreto Scicluna (c)  
5. Martin Cremona  
6. Matthew Portelli  
7. Joseph Buttigieg  
8. T. Belhaj/V. Dimitrov  
9. Alloysius Ihebulu  
10. Errol Grima  
11. Dione Lautier  
     
  Top Scorers  
  Alloysius Ihebulu 3
  Errol Grima 2
  Tarik Belhaj 2
  Dione Lautier 1


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

     

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