Marsaxlokk Football Club

SEASON

2002/2003

LEAGUE

League Fixtures & Results
Current Classification
First Phase Classification
FA Trophy

LEAGUE FIXTURES AND RESULTS
FIRST PHASE

Date	Time	Venue	Opponets	Result
Sun 25th Aug 02	17:00	Ta' Qali	vs HIBERNIANS	0-4
Wed 11th Sep 02	18:00	Ta' Qali	vs SLIEMA W	0-1
Sun 15th Sep 02	16:00	Ta' Qali	vs BIRKIRKARA	1-3
Sat 21st Sep 02	16:00	Ta' Qali	vs PIETA H	0-2
Sat 28th Sep 02	16:00	Ta' Qali	vs MARSA	3-1
Sat 5th Oct 02	15:00	Ta' Qali	vs FLORIANA	1-3
Sat 19th Oct 02	15:00	Ta' Qali	vs MOSTA	4-1
Sun 27th Oct 02	16:00	Ta' Qali	vs VALLETTA	3-5
Sun 13th Nov 02	19:00	Cent Std	vs HIBERNIANS	2-1
Sun 3rd Dec 02	20:00	Cent Std	vs HAMRUN S	4-1
Sun 8th Dec 02	12:45	VT Grd	vs SLIEMA W	0-3
Thu 12th Dec 02	19:30	Cent Std	vs BIRKIRKARA	2-4
Sun 22nd Dec 02	12:45	Hibs Grd	vs PIETA H	1-0
Sun 29th Dec 02	12:45	Hibs Grd	vs MARSA	2-0
Sun 5th Jan 03	15:00	V.T. Std	vs FLORIANA	0-2
Sun 12th Jan 03	13:00	Hibs Grd	vs MOSTA	3-0
Sat 25th Jan 03	14:00	Ta' Qali	vs VALLETTA	0-4
Sun 2nd Feb 03	13:15	Hibs Grd	vs HAMRUN S	1-3

SECOND PHASE

Date	Time	Venue	Opponets	Result
Sat 15th Feb 03	14:00	Ta' Qali	vs SLIEMA	0-3
Sun 23rd Feb 03	15:30	V.T. Std	vs HIBERNIANS	0-2
Sun 2nd Mar 03	15:45	Hibs Grd	vs VALLETTA	1-1
Fri 7th Mar 03	20:00	Ta' Qali	vs BIRKIRKARA	1-0
Tue 18th Mar 03	20:00	Cent Std	vs PIETA	2-3
Sat 5th Apr 03	17:00	Ta' Qali	vs SLIEMA	0-1
Sat 12th Apr 03	15:00	Ta' Qali	vs HIBERNIANS	0-2
Sun 20th Apr 03	15:00	Ta' Qali	vs VALLETTA	1-2
Sun 4th May 03	17:00	Ta' Qali	vs BIRKIRKARA	__-__
Fri 9th May 03	17:00	Ta' Qali	vs PIETA	__-__

CHAMPIONSHIP POOL CLASSIFICATION (AS AT 20th Apr 03)

MFA Premier Div	P	W	D	L	F	A	Pts
Sliema W F.C.	26	20	3	3	70	26	41
Birkirkara F.C.	26	17	2	7	60	33	33
Valletta F.C.	26	15	4	7	54	30	31
Hibernians F.C.	26	13	4	9	47	35	28
Pieta H F.C.	26	7	8	11	26	37	18
MARSAXLOKK F.C.	26	8	1	17	32	52	15

RELEGATION POOL CLASSIFICATION (AS AT 19th Apr 03)

Marsa F.C.	22	6	6	10	32	47	16
Hamrun S F.C.	22	6	5	11	30	43	15
Floriana F.C.	22	6	6	10	24	33	14
Mosta F.C.	22	2	5	15	17	56	6

FIRST PHASE CLASSIFICATION

MFA Premier Div	P	W	D	L	F	A	Pts
Sliema W F.C.	18	14	2	2	51	15	44
Birkirkara F.C.	18	13	1	4	46	24	40
Valletta F.C.	18	12	1	5	43	18	37
Hibernians F.C.	18	9	3	6	34	16	30
Pieta H F.C.	18	6	5	7	19	22	23
MARSAXLOKK F.C.	18	7	0	11	27	38	21
Floriana F.C.	18	6	2	10	22	31	20
Hamrun S F.C.	18	5	2	11	25	40	17
Marsa F.C.	18	4	4	10	25	45	16
Mosta F.C.	18	2	4	12	14	46	10

THE FIRST SIX QUALIFY FOR THE CHAMPIONSHIP POOL AFTER THE 1ST PHASE

THE OTHER FOUR TEAMS PLAY IN THE RELEGATION POOL AFTER THE 1ST PHASE

F.A. TROPHY

1st Round, 23/11/2002, Centenary Stadium

MARSAXLOKK vs Senglea

2-0 (H/T 0-0)

Line-Up	Sandro Micallef, Denis Cauchi (Kevin Mifsud), Justin Tellus, Kurt Farrugia, Petr Bartes, Trevor Templemann, Pierre Grima, Roderick Spiteri (Richard Buhagiar), Carmel Formosa, Michael Cutajar (Joseph Farrugia), Johan Zammit
Yellow Cards	--
Red Cards	--
Scorers:	Carmel Formosa 60', 65'
Attendance	--
Marsaxlokk managed to obtain their second victory in their history,in 4 participations in the FA Trophy after beating 1st Division leaders Senglea 2-0. Without setting any houses on fire, Marsaxlokk beat Senglea even if they played without a number of regular players, namely Reggie Cini, Uwa Ogbodo and Roger Walker. It is good to note the return of Richard Buhagiar and the much awaited debut of Joseph Farrugia for Marsaxlokk The first half was a monotonous one with neither team creating any real chances. The only chance for a goal was when Denis Cauchi surprised Sandro Micallef in goal when he headed the ball backwards, but the same Cauchi managed to clear off the line to avoid an own goal. In the second half Marsaxlokk increased their tempo, especially after the introduction of Richard Buhagiar and later of Joseph Farrugia. In fact it was from a perfect Richard Buhagiar pass that Marsaxlokk took the lead when Carmel Formosa had just to tap in an empty net on the hour. Five minutes later it was 2-0 when Joseph Farrugia passed to Johan Zammit who served Carmel Formosa who again had the easiest of jobs to put in an empty net. After the second goal Marsaxlokk just defended their lead and it was Micallef who saved on Aquilina to keep the first clean sheet of the season for Marsaxlokk. PERSONAL NOTE: This was a good win that keeps up the morale for the next games in the league. Let's hope for a good draw to be able to make it even further in the cup this season.

2nd Round, 08/02/2003, National Stadium

MARSAXLOKK vs Msida

4-2 (H/T 1-1)

Line-Up	Ruben Debono, Justin Tellus, Kurt Farrugia (Benneth Njoku), Richard Buhagiar (Darren Vella), Pierre Grima, Roger Walker (Roderick Spiteri), Etienne Barbara, Alan Mifsud, Petr Bartes, Johan Zammit, Carmel Formosa
Yellow Cards	--
Red Cards	--
Scorers:	Own goal 41', Johan Zammit 56', Carmel Formosa 69', Roderick Spiteri 88'
Attendance	--
Marsaxlokk managed to advance to the Quarter Finals of the FA Trophy for the first time after beating First Division leaders Msida 4-2. However the victory was not as easy as the scoreline might suggest, especially in the first half. In fact it was only an own goal that gave us the equaliser just before half time that opened the way for this victory. In fact with only 44 seconds on the clock, Msida opened the score from Nwoke after he dribbed past two defenders and the goalkeeper. From then on Marsaxlokk went all out for the equaliser. After 8 minutes Carmel Formosa passed to Alan Mifsud whose shot was saved by Borg. Msida had a chance to double the score when Jeremy Agius' shot was deflected before it could finish in the net. After 15 minutes Marsaxlokk should have equalised when a Pierre Grima volley hit the crossbar. When it seemed that the score would not change at half time, Marsaxlokk managed to equalise. Buhagiar floated a free kick inside the area and ex-Marsaxlokk defender Delia headed into his own net In the second half Marsaxlokk dominated and after only 5 minutes Johan Zammit's shot was well saved by Borg. This was the prelude for the goal. In fact after 11 minutes Zammit scored from a Bartes corner. Marsaxlokk continued to attack and with 21 minutes to go Carmel Formosa's shot finished at the back of the net. When the match seemed to be as well as over, Msida were awarded a penalty for an Njoku hands inside the box. Jeremy Agius duly converted to renew fresh hopes for Msida. However Msida never really came closer again. In fact it was Roderick Spiteri who put the result beyond any doubt when he scored his first goal of the season. Marsaxlokk could have scored more goals when first Johan Zammit shot just wide when alone in front of goal and then Etienne Barbara hit the outside of the net after dribbling round the goalkeeper. PERSONAL NOTE: A good draw in the next round could see us advance even further. However this win added up to our place in the championship pool confirms that this season is the most memorable season in our history.

Quarter Final, 22/03/2003, National Stadium

MARSAXLOKK vs Floriana

0-2 aet (H/T 0-0)

Line-Up	--
Yellow Cards	--
Red Cards	--
Scorers:	--
Attendance	--
-- -- -- -- PERSONAL NOTE:

Premier Division League 2002/2003 - MATCH DETAILS

25/08/2002, National Stadium

MARSAXLOKK vs Hibernians

0-4 (H/T 0-1)

Line-Up	Reggie Cini, Justin Tellus, Pierre Grima, Benneth Njoku, Denis Cauchi, Roger Walker, Roderick Spiteri (Johan Zammit), Uwa Ogbodo, Carmel Formosa (Trevor Templemann), Petr Bartes, Brandon Zammit
Yellow Cards	Justin Tellus, Reggie Cini
Red Cards
Scorers:
Attendance	1,128
This was a historical game for our club, being the first ever in the Premier League. Unlucky enough for us we not only had 4 players missing (Richard Buhagiar - one match suspension, Joseph Farrugia, Michael Cutajar and Kurt Formosa - not fully fit) but also found Hibs in great form. We were on the receiving end for most of the game and were not for the acrobatic saves of Reggie Cini and some incredible misses by the Hibs attackers, the defeat could have been bigger Hibs began on the attack and in the first half an hour they even had a ball cleared off the line by Brandon Zammit. Our first real chance came on the half hour when Roderick Spiteri released Carmel Formosa who could have done better in front of Muscat. For this miss we paid dearly, as Hibs scored the first goal from the counter attack - Scerri played the ball to Adrian Mifsud in the penalty area who scored with a low shot. Until half time Hibs had an Mbong shot saved by Cini and just before half-time, Scerri shot wide from an ideal position. The second half continued on the same rythm with Hibs attacking and Marsaxlokk trying to defend as best as they could. On the hour Scerri was released by Mifsud who had no difficulty to put the ball in an empty net. Hardly one minute passed and Scerri made it 3-0 after being served by Mbong. Hibs had Kevin Cassar sent off for a second bookable offence on 68 minutes, but it was too late for us to show any sort of reaction. In fact it was Hibs who, with 15 minutes to go, were given a penalty after Brandon Zammit floored Baldacchino and Adrian Mifsud scored the fourth goal for Hibs. From then on Hibs had a couple of good chances which they missed. On a personal note, I must say that it was a very difficult game against a team who already player 4 European games and 2 Lowenbrau games. We need some more time to gel ourselves into a competitive team. Hopefully we will be better in our next game against Sliema. Ejja, Kuragg Boys.

11/09/2002, National Stadium

MARSAXLOKK vs Sliema W

0-1 (H/T 0-1)

Line-Up	Reggie Cini, Justin Tellus, Pierre Grima, Benneth Njoku, Kurt Farrugiaa, Roger Walker, Roderick Spiteri (Carmel Formosa), Richard Buhagiar, Johann Zammit (Uwa Ogbodo), Petr Bartes, Brandon Zammit (Michael Cutajar)
Yellow Cards	Petr Bartes
Red Cards
Scorers:
Attendance	1,398
We should consider ourselves unlucky to have emerged as losers in our first ever encounter against Sliema. Contrary to our first game, we showed tactical discipline which almost enabled us to a surprise result agianst the star-sudden Sliema team. Coach Albert Vella made three changes from last game with Kurt Farrugia, Richard Buhagiar and Johan Zammit beginning instead of Denis Cauchi, Carmel Formosa and Uwa Ogbodo respectively. After only 5 minutes a Richard Buhagiar free kick was tipped over the bar by Akanji. Sliema tried to attack more as time passed and Reggie Cini had to dive to save a Joe Brincat volley. In the last 10 minutes of the first half Sliema were the most dangerous. First Reggie Cini had to save on Massimo Grima after the ball slipped from his hands from an Okoh shot. Then he had to perform a fine save on a Ciantar header. A minute before the break Sliema scored what proved to be the winning goal when Jeffrey Chetcuti shot was deflected into the net from inside the penaly area. Immediately afterwards it could have been 2-0 but Bizu shot high from a good position In the second half Marsaxlokk were being more adventurous with man of the match Brandon Zammit doing all the running to supply the forward line. After 52 minutes Roderick Spiteri's shot went just over and then Johan Zammit could have done better when served by Brandon Zammit, giving the Sliema defense time to repair before any damage could be done. Ogbodo was brought in for the now tired Johan Zammit and almost scored after being served by Njoku, but Akanji blocked well. After 70 minutes Carmel Formosa came in for Roderick Spiteri to try to give more support up front. Three minutes from the end he could have equalised but Akanji saved well. Just before the final whisltle we had the best chance when Roger Walker could only touch the ball in the direction of Akanji from an ideal position. On a personal note: Few expected this display by our team today and this augurs well for the future. We must try to believe more in ourselves when presented with chances in front of goal. Now let's concentrate on next Sunday's game against another title contender - Birkirkara.

15/09/2002, National Stadium

MARSAXLOKK vs Birkirkara

1-3 (H/T 0-2)

Line-Up	Reggie Cini (Sandro Micallef), Justin Tellus, Pierre Grima, Benneth Njoku, Kurt Farrugia, Roger Walker, Roderick Spiteri (Carmel Formosa), Richard Buhagiar, Uwa Ogbodo, Petr Bartes, Brandon Zammit (Johan Zammit)
Yellow Cards	Richard Buhagiar, Uwa Ogbodo
Red Cards
Scorers:	Uwa Ogbodo 74th minute (1-3)
Attendance	1,603
After the great performance against Sliema in midweek, more was expected from our team. The stripes attacked from the start and Reggie Cini had to perform two difficult saves from an Nwoko free-kick and a Calascione shot. These were the prelude of the Birkirkara goal but this came only through a penalty. A useless handsball from Ogbodo inside the penalty area was punished with a penalty which Dronca duly converted after only 10 minutes. This goal conditioned our game but as time passed our team seemed to be settling and had two good scoring chances, first from Ogbodo and then Haber had to perform a desperate double save on Roderick Spiteri. A minute before half time Birkirkara doubled the score - the ever dangerous Calascione found Michael Galea who flicked the ball past Cini. After the break we failed to react to the first-half's double blow and Birkirkara defended without difficulty. Birkirkara scored their third goal on the hour when an Nwoko shot was deflected into the net by the unlucky Njoku. Reggie Cini hurt his finger and had to be replaced by Sandro Micallef. Our attack was given more support when Formosa and Johan Zammit were brought in. Fifteen minutes from time we managed to, at last, score our first Premiership goal. Uwa Ogbodo headed a long cross by Buhagiar over Haber into an empty net. After our goal we grew in confidence but could not break again the Birkirkara defence. This was our third consecutive defeat. Now we have to begin collecting points from our next game if we want to decrease the gap between us and the teams in the middle of the table.

21/09/2002, National Stadium

MARSAXLOKK vs Pieta H

0-2 (H/T 0-1)

Line-Up	Reggie Cini, Justin Tellus, Pierre Grima, Kurt Farrugia (Johan Zammit), Richard Buhagiar, Roger Walker, Roderick Spiteri (Denis Cauchi), Uwa Ogbodo, Carmel Formosa, Petr Bartes (Benneth Njoku), Brandon Zammit
Yellow Cards	Kurt Farrugia, Uwa Ogbodo
Red Cards	Brandon Zammit 79'
Scorers:
Attendance	1,125
We conceeded our fourth consecutive defeat from so many games after a pathetic performance, especially in the second half. This result puts us in a critical position, especially after both Floriana and Marsa also gathered their first points leaving us alone at the bottom of the table, already 3 points behind the others. Coach, Albert Vella opted for a more offensive approach for this game, including Carmel Formosa instead of Benneth Njoku in an otherwise unchanged formation. In the first half we had some good patches of play, but it was Pieta who created the better chances with Reggie Cini immediately called to save on Anatole Debono from close range. Reggie Cini was called again to save on Licari, helped by the crossbar. This was the prelude of the goal. With only 20 minutes on the clock, Ivan Woods collected a long ball from the defence, went round Justin Tellus, before passing to Licari who scored from close range. After the goal we experienced our best part of the game and we were unlucky not to have equalised, first when Formosa flicked past Darmanin with the ball hitting the base of the post and then we had a goal disallowed for an offside. In the second half, one would have expected Marsaxlokk to continue pressing for the draw, but this never materialised. This gave the chance to Pieta to easily control their advantage, and even scoring the second goal when Licari headed home from a Jurilj free-kick. All we could see from then on were our players chasing without success the Pieta players passing the ball. To make things even worse, Brandon Zammit was sent off with 11 minutes to go after harshly protesting against a foul with the referee. One could never excuse such childish behaviour from a player at this level! Two minutes later parity was restored, when Cummings was sent off for Pieta for an off-the-ball incident. Form then on Pieta controlled without difficulty their advantage to leave us still waiting for our first points after 4 games. On a personal note, I must say that with this attitude from the players it will be very hard to survive the drop. We lack motivation and the players in general are not playing as a team. Something has to be done immediately if we want to stand any realistic chance of surviving in our first season in the Premier.

28/09/2002, National Stadium

MARSAXLOKK vs Marsa