601. An enjoyable trial match which served no purpose

In the fifties, November was always a month of expectation. With the Christmas Tourney lurking on the horizon, football enthusiasts would scan the sports pages for any indication of the identity of the foreign team to take part in the traditional tournament.

The clubs would start their preparations for the event with friendly matches while the MFA organised trial matches against the best Services teams of the moment.

It is true that, by the late fifties, rundowns were already dwindling the strength of the Services teams. However, these shows of strength between the MFA XI and the Services were still valid and they attracted a lot of interest among the patrons of the Empire Stadium.

One such occasion was the trial match played by the MFA XI and the UK Services XI on Saturday, January 2, 1954 in preparation for the tourney game against FK Spartak, of Yugoslavia.

Quite a large crowd turned up to watch this game which was played on a glorious January afternoon.

The MFA selection had a very strange look about it. No players were chosen from Sliema Wanderers and Floriana due to their impending league matches against Valletta FC and Hamrun Spartans respectively.

Still, despite their lack of experience, the Maltese selection gave an excellent account of themselves against a team comprising the best players that the Services could muster.

The 11 men sporting the red shirts of Malta showed better understanding and teamwork than the servicemen who struggled all the way to get going.

The Services' defence seemed weak and was at fault in at least three of the five goals scored by the MFA XI. Early in the game, goalkeeper Eastwood made some daring saves but then made a glaring mistake when he allowed a soft shot by Rapinett to roll under his body.

On the other hand, Lolly Rizzo played well in goal for the MFA XI and was prominent with difficult saves from Charlton and Harburn.

Fullbacks Azzopardi and Borg performed well while Grech, Rapinett, Jones and 'Likku' Saliba clicked well together and produced some delightful football. Centre-forward Freddie Church scored two fine goals to keep the Maltese team on the road to victory.

Both teams found it hard to settle down in the early stages. However, after some first-class goalkeeping by Rizzo, the local selection soon began to find their rhythm.

Following some good work by Grech, Psaila centred perfectly for Church to head home. Then, Psaila himself scored the second goal with a well-taken penalty kick.

Maltese pressure

The Maltese kept pressing for more and in one of their attacks, Wyatt headed past his own goalkeeper. Church scored again a few minutes later but when it started to look like a walkover for the Maltese, Charlton and Harburn reduced the deficit with two excellent goals.

At this stage, Saliba went off injured. Rapinett, however, scored for the MFA XI to make it 5-2 but despite enjoying most of the exchanges, the Maltese could not add to their tally.

Towards the end, outside-left Frank Riding, of the RAF, scored a good goal for the Services to make the scoreline more respectable.

Riding visits Malta quite regularly and he still remembers that game and the goal he scored, quite vividly. Some time ago, he told me that he looks back on his stay in Malta in the fifties with a sense of nostalgia.

At the end, this game served no purpose. The youngsters who performed so well against the Services were dropped for the game against Spartak to make way for Sliema and Floriana players.

The MFA XI played a horrible game against the visitors from Yugoslavia so much so that after the game, there was a huge outcry from the press and public for the MFA to stop pitting the national team against professional club sides.

Who knows, perhaps if the MFA fielded the team that played against the UK Services, then the end-result might have been different.

For the Record

02-01-1954 - MFA XI vs UK Services XI 5-3

MFA XI: Rizzo, Azzopardi, Borg, Jones, Formosa, Grech, Rapinett, Church, Saliba, Dalli, Psaila.

UK Services XI: Eastwood, Bowers, Wyatt, Sexton, Hughes, Hunter, Molyneaux, Charlton, Harburn, Fletcher, Riding.

Referee: F/Sgt Kidd, RAF.

Scorers: MFA XI - Church (2), Psaila (penalty), Rapinett, Wyatt (og). UK Services - Charlton, Harburn, Riding.