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Not Just Another Matchby Jonathan Spiteri11/01/2010 Following last Saturday's win of two goals to nil versus bottom placed Dingli Swallows, we found ourselves sharing first place in the league with Qormi. However, the excitement does not stop here. 
For us avid Birkirkara supporters, similarly to encounters with Valletta, clashes against the Paolites are always hot affairs. In these kind of matches, a win does not only add three points to those earned at that stage, but give a massive boost to the confidence of the whole clan. On the other hand, a defeat might leave us reeling, with the morale six feet under! Luckily enough, our coach, and to a certain extent, our players, is not overwhelmed by these kind of thoughts before a match of this type. He surely acknowledges the importance it might have to the fans because of existing rivalries, and also for the fact that a win against the current champions has become a mirage recently, but for him this is another game where the players should do their utmost in order to bag the points at stake. I am sure that he will not find it hard to motivate the players for this game, but on the other hand he might have one or two concerns. First of all, apart from George Mallia, Mr Zammit is sweating over the fitness of a couple of players, namely Angus Buhagiar and Joseph Zerafa, with the latter almost certain to miss the upcoming outing. The versatility of the players available though should enable him to rotate the positions accordingly. The starting XI should still be quite competitive, with the youngsters on the bench ready for action, if and when required. The other headache for our bright coach is to take off any type of pressure that may result from the league position combined with quality of the opponents. The expectancy from the fans might also be an undermining factor, but I am sure that this time round, the players will be able to transform this element into extra motivation to emerge victorious. They should use the strong current league position to their advantage and not let it work against them. 
Tenacious midfielder Paul Fenech is not surprised with what our team has been able to achieve so far. “The fact that we are top of the league at the moment does not surprise me at all, especially when one considers the quality of football we are playing. Also, I do consider Birkirkara as title contenders. If we keep our cool and follow properly Mr Paul Zammit’s instructions, who in my opinion is the mastermind behind our results, we can challenge till the very end.” When asked what he expects from the match against Hibernians, he replied “This is a massive game for us, especially due to the fact that we will already know the result between Qormi and Valletta, the other two teams aiming high. We are aware of the difficulties a match like this can bring with it, but we also know that if we want to maintain top spot, we have to collect as many points as possible since the points will be halved at the end of this round, thus all the teams will find themselves within touching distance.” Undoubtedly, support does play an important role in this sort of encounters, and Paul thinks that we can be their 12th man: “Your support is essential for us. When we come out of the tunnel, when we turn back and see an empty stand, we feel let down. But when we find ourselves in front of a packed enclosure with the Yellow and Red flags, scarves and banners, we say to ourselves "today we must do our utmost for these supporters". I really hope all Karkarizi get behind the team now, and continue to show us their support until the very end!’ While thanking Paul Fenech for his comments, there is nothing one has to add. See you all there then…COME ON YELLOWS!!! |