An important feature of the Third Division League in 1958-59 was the way the luck of the draw pitted all the best teams together in Section A.

This fact made Zurrieq's performances all the more remarkable. From the start, it was apparent that the fight for the honours would be restricted to three clubs - Zurrieq, Melita FC and Msida St Joseph's.

Comparing the strength of the two sections, it became obvious that the winners of this pool would have a clear edge over the winners of Section B in the fight for the championship. And so it was!

Zurrieq were by far the best trained and most motivated team. Apart from playing the best football, Zurrieq were consistent and, crucially, they did not lose their temper in vital matches. This was not easy at the Schreiber in those days, when football in this division was still played in the hurly-burly style of the pre-war period.

It was not uncommon in those days that the lesser-gifted players hacked and kicked their opponents and the referees, fearing the reaction of the fans, found it convenient to close one eye, and sometimes both, to these illegal tactics.

Before the start of the competition, Melita were considered to be the chief challengers to Zurrieq in this section. They were a very good side but gave away silly goals which cost them precious points. At the end, they just managed to escape relegation.

It was left to Msida to challenge Zurrieq. The all-important game between the two leaders finished 1-1 but while Zurrieq won all their remaining matches, Msida dropped points in three of their other matches.

In Section B, Birzebbuga St Peter's and Lija Athletics ended the competition on equal points and a decider had to be played. St Peter's won this decider by two clear goals.

Another club that left a good impression in this section was Sta Venera Lightnings. Although at the start of the season the Saints lost three of their best players, Agius, Falzon and Briffa, who joined Hamrun Spartans, they managed to replace them with a number of promising youngsters. In that period, Sta Venera were considered as the nursery club of Hamrun Spartans.

The promotion decider between the two section winners, Zurrieq and Birzebbuga, was by far the best match of the season. It was a keen encounter played in front of a bumper crowd at the old Schreiber Sports Ground. The atmosphere was electric with hundreds of supporters from both camps making their way to the ground from early morning to cheer on their faithful.

Zurrieq seemed to have the edge over their opponents but the Saints never let up.

They expended every ounce of energy in their body in an all-out attempt to win promotion. Zurrieq notched the all-important goal that finally gave them access to Sunday morning football at the Empire Stadium. St Peter's, however, were rather unlucky not to score an equaliser in the latter stages of the game