Hibs in seventh heaven

Floriana 0
Hibernians 1

Hibernians are in seventh heaven! Confronted by a determined and confident Floriana side in the FA Trophy final, the Paolites drew on their reserves of resilience to eke out a 1-0 victory.

A goal by Nigerian striker Haruna Doda two minutes from the end of the first half settled this combative showdown between two teams bent on ending the season with a flourish.

The stakes were indeed high yesterday with the coveted FA Trophy and a ticket to the UEFA Cup awaiting the winner. These significant perks went to Hibs who landed the KO for the seventh time but how they were made to scrap hard for their success.

After a difficult season in which they seriously flirted with the prospect of relegation, Floriana again made a mockery of their lowly finish in the league with another gutsy display.

Hibs also made a rich contribution to an entertaining final, running themselves to a standstill especially in the second half when the Greens raised the pressure bar in their bid to revive their chances of landing their 19th FA Trophy success.

No wonder the Hibs players and their numerous admirers celebrated wildly at the final whistle.

A loud cheer pierced the Ta' Qali air when Essien Mbong, the Hibs skipper, hoisted the U*Bet FA Trophy in front of delirious fans.

Hibs coach Robert Gatt had confirmed the 11 players he sent out in the semi-final 1-0 defeat of Birkirkara.

Doda and Andrew Cohen struck up a two-pronged attacking partnership with Irish winger David Williamson retaining his free-to-roam role on the right.

Surprisingly in the light of his lively performance in the 2-0 semi-final victory over Sliema Wanderers, young midfielder Christian Caruana was omitted from Floriana's starting line-up.

A scan of Jan Artz's selection demonstrated an inclination towards the more experienced elements of Floriana's squad as striker Adrian Mifsud, who sat out the semi-final due to suspension, and defender Ian Ciantar were restored to the first team.

Ten minutes into the game, Trevor Cilia floated over a cross from the right, the ball soaring over the stationary Hibs defenders and into the path of Manolito Micallef. The latter failed to capitalise on the slack marking inside the Hibs box as his miscued volley bounced wide of the far post.

Hibs had struggled to make much of an attacking impact in the opening 20 minutes. Their first glimmer of a chance came after 21 minutes when Cohen's central grounder was neutralised by Simon Agius, the Floriana goalkeeper.

Cohen was in evidence again three minutes later. Making a powerful surge into the Floriana area, Cohen looked odds-on to score when catching Williamson's swerving cross on the run but his first-time effort blazed over the crossbar.

On the stands, the attention of the Floriana supporters had for some time been taken by the sight of a man being attended by medics after falling over from the perimeter wall.

An encouraging applause broke out when the injured fan was carried away on a stretcher and into the waiting ambulance.

On the field of play, Hibs' share of possession grew after Floriana had made the better start. Essien Mbong's low strike finished wide of the near post.

Ten minutes from the end of the first half, Eviparker's twisting run down the inside-left channel threatened to unlock the Hibs defence but goalkeeper Mario Muscat came to their rescue by pushing away the Nigerian's central effort.

Within moments, Floriana launched another menacing raid on Hibs' fort. A cross by the energetic Micallef evaded the advancing Muscat and a sea of Hibs defenders but the task of directing the ball towards goal from a tight angle proved too much for Riad-Mynel Gango-Rtsa. His rising shot finished well over.

From the possibility of forging ahead, Floriana found themselves one goal behind two minutes from the end of the first half.

Hibs' breakthrough originated from a fine interchange between Williamson and Terence Scerri, who had only been on the pitch for no more than a minute after coming on for the injured Edmond Agius. Fastening to Williamson's chipped pass inside the area, Scerri's strike came off the post but the loose ball rolled kindly towards Doda who buried it home.

Hibs began the second half with Doda operating behind the striking duo of Cohen and Scerri.

Six minutes into the second half, Cohen might have extended Hibs' advantage when he dodged past Ciantar and pulled the trigger but Agius diverted his ball away and Gango-Rtsa cleared before the surging Doda could inflict further damage.

The game now ebbed and flowed with both teams creating a good scoring opportunity apiece.

Floriana came close to an equaliser 11 minutes into the second half when Mifsud prolonged the ball towards Eviparker who swivelled before firing a powerful shot that was repelled by Muscat.

In no time, Hibs pushed forward on the counter, Scerri swinging a cross over to the far post but the sprinting Doda glanced the ball wide.

Artz then summoned Caruana from the bench and threw him in the fray instead of Oba in the hope that his young midfielder would use his renowned craft and intelligent movement to make the most of the sprightly running of the likes of Mifsud, Cilia and Eviparker in the final third.

Hibs had Nigerian Mbong revelling in an anchoring midfield role while Williamson had his defensive duties increased after Agius's exit.

When Eviparker dallied past Aaron Xuereb, the alarm bells rang for Hibs but luckily for them, the end-product from the Floriana forward was off target.

As the minutes trickled by, Floriana increased their pressure. The Greens should have restored parity when, with 15 minutes of the game remaining, Eviparker produced a brilliant curling shot which brought an equally excellent response from Muscat.

Cohen could have put Hibs' mind at ease when his teasing cross-shot arched towards goal but Agius touched it over the bar.

On the terraces, the two sets of supporters continued to exchange taunts but certain chants suggested the presence of Valletta and Birkirkara fans among those cheering for the two finalists.

Five minutes from time, the Greens fans were incensed when referee Lorry Sammut ignored calls for a penalty after Cilia went down when challenged by Roderick Baldacchino.

A while earlier, Scerri was on the end of a Hibs counter-attack but his lob ended high.

Floriana: S. Agius, R.M. Gango-Rtsa, I. Azzopardi, M. Caruana, C. Caruana, M. Micallef, T. Cilia, A. Mifsud, I. Ciantar, R. Oba ('58 C. Caruana), A. Eviparker.

Hibernians: M. Muscat, P. Pullicino, A. Pulis, A. Xuereb, D. Camilleri, D. Williamson ('80 J. Pearson), E. Mbong, E. Agius ('42 T. Scerri), A. Cohen, C. Failla ('64 R. Baldacchino), H. Doda.

Referee: Lorry Sammut.

Scorer: Doda 43.

Yellow Cards: Azzopardi; Cassar; Eviparker; Micallef.