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All Within Our Reachby Jonathan Spiteri30/03/2010 A tense week reached its emotional climax last Sunday afternoon, as the wait at that stage had become unbearable. When looking at the attendances of both sets of supporters, one would have easily grasped it was the ones in white who were expecting a triumphant afternoon at the expense of their lesser rivals. It was the yellow & red part of the enclosure though that made all the noise during and after the match, as they pushed the team to a solid performance that saw Birkirkara containing wave after wave of Valletta attacks. Our lads were brave, tactically disciplined and hungry for success, three things which apparently our opponents lacked. There were also a few occasion were luck did not turn its back on us, as it usually did in these kind of clashes. The scenes of joy as soon as the final whistle was blown were indeed justified. 
The resilience shown by the team when coming back from 3-1 down to earn a draw against Tarxien was again evident, this time throughout the whole ninety minutes. This attitude has been constant during the whole season, and on the few occasions the players went into a match not with the right attitude, we ended up on the losing side. In my opinion, the level in the Premier League has increased due to the fact that even smaller teams are being well drilled by their respective coaches, and most of the times the outcome of a match is not that obvious. You have to be 100% focused each minute of every game in order to achieve results, and this is something Mr Paul Zammit will never stop preaching about. We felt it was only fair that this time the player to be interviewed would be our match winner, Trevor Cilia. We asked him what Mr Zammit’s words were before, during and after the direct encounter with Valletta: “In pre-match sessions, Mr Zammit first of all made sure we all understood the strategy which we were going to use against Valletta. Then from a tactician he turned into a motivator, telling us that we are strong enough to beat our more quoted opponents and that our teamwork, together with our determination, can have the better of their individual qualities. During half time he asked us to stick to our game plan and encouraged us further. The post match team talk then obviously found us in a jubilant mood, but after congratulating himself with us for this important victory, our coach was quick to remind us that there is still a long and hard way to go, and that we should focus on one game at a time!” 
Besides playing for the club, Trevor is a pure Birkirkara fan, and we know that one of his dreams was to score an important goal against arch rivals Valletta: “I was overjoyed when I realised I had scored such an important goal, in such an important match against such opponents! All this made the feeling a really sweet one.” It was surely sweet for all Birkirkara supporters present at the National Stadium, which seem to be on the increase together with the level of enthusiasm in Valley Road: “First of all I would like to thank all those supporters who have been supporting us since kicking off the season. I also would like to thank those who have not been attending matches recently, for various reasons, but have now started to turn up again. We are glad that one of our main objectives this season, that of luring the yellow & red crowd back to the stadium, is being achieved. I am sure they are not being disappointed this time. Still I believe that there are many former regular followers that need to be convinced to come over and give us the necessary support.” Trevor then mentioned our group: “I have immense respect to all those forming part of the Birkirkara Ultras group. They have been fantastic all season, and have always given the team, and also me personally, great support. I would like to encourage many youths who have our team at heart to join these brave lads, as they are an example of what ‘being passionate towards your football club’ means! They are already doing a great job, but the larger the number is always the better in these cases.” After last week’s match the players were greeted in front of the Club premises by many supporters. They were given a well deserved warm welcome, with Mr Zammit being carried various metres on supporters’ shoulders! How can this enthusiasm affect the team? “It was pleasant to see al those people greeting us as soon as we arrived il-Wied. This filled us players with great courage and a sense of belonging. The crowd showed that they are appreciating our efforts, and that means a lot to us. Only time will tell whether this enthusiasm will lead to excessive pressure on our shoulders or not. Under the guidance of our coach we will move onwards game by game. We are aware that if we win the next four matches we will be crowned champions, but on the other hand we are also aware that complacency has led even world class teams to miserable results!” Finally we asked Trevor what he thinks the most three ingredients necessary for landing on the title: “First of all we need to work hard without thinking about anything but our next match on schedule. I believe teamwork plays a vital role in achieving any kind of success, being football, a career etc. Support always gives us players that extra motivation, and hopefully we can see a larger crowd against Valletta. Finally, unity between the whole Birkirkara clan, be it the committee, coaching staff, players and you supporters is essential, especially at this crucial stage. We feel we have a united dressing room, which could be the key to our success!” 
Some people are saying that the trophy quarter final against Valletta is not as important as the upcoming league matches, and maybe we should rest a couple of regular players. In my opinion though, this is just another chance to prove ourselves, and this game should be taken with the same attitude as the one we have just played. Our major concern is that of picking up an injury or two during this match, then having to do without them during league matches. Still this is no excuse not to put in a valiant effort to go through to the semi-finals. I am sure Mr Zammit would agree with this. It’s going to be rough, as Valletta will surely want to make amends to their last defeat immediately! We still believe in our lads though, and if we were able to beat them once, why not twice? COME ON YELLOWS!! |