Wounded Stripes count on Buttigieg to stop Sliema

Out of the title race and in danger of missing out on a top-three position, Birkirkara are in desperate need of a quick fix.

Their hopes of preventing season 2006-2007 from going down as annus horribilis now rest on the shoulders of John Buttigieg.

Regarded as one of the most talented defenders in our football history, Buttigieg accepted to take on his first coaching job at senior level on Tuesday. Birkirkara worked overtime to get Buttigieg and clean up the mess caused by their botched experiment of drafting in Dutchman Jan Artz to work alongside Stephen Azzopardi, their former mentor who severed his ties with the club last week.

Still reeling from the 6-1 humiliation to leaders Marsaxlokk, their third defeat in a row, Birkirkara know that only a victory or a creditable draw against rivals Sliema Wanderers (kick-off 2 p.m.) will soothe their fans' growing frustration.

On the other side of the coin, Sliema will be determined to spoil the coaching debut of Buttigieg, a former Wanderers player, with another victory that would narrow their gap on Marsaxlokk to three points before the latter's clash with Msida tomorrow.

Michael Galea, the Birkirkara captain, who is back in the frame after suspension kept him out of the last two matches, is hopeful that better times beckon his team after the trials and tribulations of late.

"The past three to four weeks have been very difficult for the club, the fans and the players," Galea told The Times.

"It's the worst crisis Birkirkara have been through since I joined them. In a matter of weeks, we suffered three successive defeats and had two coaching changes.

"At present, we are doing our best to put the recent disappointments behind us and look forward to the remainder of the season with optimism.

"Our situation is precarious but as the old clichè goes, in football you're always judged on your last game.

"Getting back to winning ways is going to be difficult because Sliema are on a good run but we need to go into this match believing that we can do it."

The inertia displayed by most of the Birkirkara players in their 6-1 rout to Marsaxlokk prompted suggestions of wholesale changes in the line-up today.

Selection of the first team is now the sole prerogative of Buttigieg who will have paid a great deal of attention to the attitude and form of his players before picking his starting XI.

At least, Buttigieg is boosted by the return of striker Galea and the recovery from injury of left-back Lino Galea. Matthew Calascione is out after undergoing a knee cruciate operation earlier this week.

For Michael Galea, the appointment of Buttigieg is an important move by the club.

"The appointment of John Buttigieg as coach represents a key development for Birkirkara," he said.

"News that Buttigieg has signed a contract until 2009 helped to clear all the uncertainty surrounding the team's coaching position.

"This may be Buttigieg's first job as coach of a Premier League club but he certainly needs no introduction in local football circles."

Galea painted a rosy picture of Buttigieg's early days as Birkirkara mentor.

"Our first impressions of his work as coach are extremely positive," the Birkirkara skipper remarked.

"He is anxious to kick off this new adventure but in his first four days as coach, he has worked a lot on tactics, especially in defence.

"It's been a very fruitful experience so far but I believe it would be wrong to assume that things will change overnight.

"Going by recent performances, a number of players are not in top form. One thing is sure though... we are determined to reach our target of gaining a berth in a European competition and produce a strong challenge to win the FA Trophy."

If Birkirkara are eager to rediscover some of their old sparkle, Sliema are deadset on staying on the winning trail.

"Our level of consistency has improved significantly in the past few months," Sliema midfielder Roderick Bajada said.

"Spirits are high at present but it's imperative that we remain fully focused. Birkirkara may have fallen on hard times but they still have one of the strongest squads in the Premier League."

Selection problems

Ray Farrugia and Ronald Vella, the men currently holding the reins of Sliema, have no choice but to tinker with the team that inflicted a 2-0 defeat on the erstwhile high-flying Valletta last weekend.

The Sliema mentors must make do without the versatility of Sharlon Pace, who has impressed in the midfield holding role. In midweek, Pace received a one-match suspension after he collected his fourth yellow card last Saturday.

Defenders Ian Ciantar, Mauro Di Lello and Alex Muscat are still on Sliema's casualty list but veteran midfielder Joe Brincat appears to have recovered from a hamstring strain and could earn a recall to the squad today.

Claude Mattocks is in the final stages of his rehabilitation from a calf injury and could also be named in Sliema's 18-man squad.

Trailing Marsaxlokk by six points, all games at this crucial stage of the season are win-or-bust for Sliema but Bajada is unperturbed by the pressure that comes from chasing the title favourites.

"On paper, Marsaxlokk should win against Msida on Sunday," Bajada said. "We have a difficult fixture against Birkirkara but we're taking it one game at a time.

"We have already come a long way from the difficulties we encountered early on in the season. The arrival of the new coaches had an uplifting effect on the team as illustrated by our positive run of results.

"At the moment, we are second in the standings but I don't agree with suggestions that it's very difficult for us to win the league.

"We believe that the title race is still open. I think we have already surprised a few people by climbing from seventh to second.

"Of our eight remaining matches, two are direct clashes with Marsaxlokk. In football, nothing is impossible."

Previous results - Sliema Wanderers vs Birkirkara 3-3, 1-0.