First-half goals settle drab match

Pietà Hotspurs 0
Hibernians 2

Two first-half goals, from Julio Alcorse and Terence Scerri, were enough for Hibernians to notch their second win of the season in an uneventful match and ease the criticism that the side was facing in recent weeks.

Starting on a par with Pietà Hotspurs on six points, victory was essential for Robert Gatt's boys as they sought to unshackle the tide of disappointing results that had left them perching precariously at the wrong end of the standings.

The enigmatic Paolites have underachieved so far in the Premier League and only a positive run will ensure that they will be knocking on the door of the Champion-ship Pool come early next year.

With Gatt watching from the stands as he served the first of a two-match suspension, Hibs took the field with a number of familiar faces missing from their line-up.

Defenders Kevin Cassar, Ryan Mintoff and Adrian Pulis were all forced to skip this match through injury. Yet, despite these absentees, Hibs still had enough depth to overcome this hurdle and the encouraging display in midfield contributed towards a convincing performance that will serve as a morale booster when the campaign resumes after the break for the Euro 2008 qualifiers.

Pietà coach Carmel Busuttil had to contend with his fair share of problems.

Midfielder Svetlan Kondev was suspended while influential duo Martin Deanov and Rumen Galabov are still not fully fit. The crisis list was compounded with David Camenzuli's failure to recover from a knock as the central defender was also forced to skip this match.

Trying to regain lost confidence following a 4-0 demolition in their last outing is already a tough-looking feat. Taking to a league match with four regulars missing makes it even more difficult for any team let alone a side like the Hotspurs that flirts with relegation almost each year now.

Pietà's central defenders, Ryan Camilleri and Bernard Sciberras, faced a torrid time trying to curb the relentless running of Andrew Cohen and Scerri and the menacing forays of Argentine Alcorse.

With the white-shirted players swarming the penalty area and pounding Miguel Montfort's goal, it was no surprise that Hibs raced into a two-goal lead inside the first half hour.

Faced with this onslaught, the Hotspurs could only crowd their defence and hope for the best as their opponents' hold on the match slowly abated and this allowed the Blues to operate more at ease.

On 19 minutes, Hibs took the lead. Pablo Doffo fed a free-kick deep in the penalty area where Scerri met the ball and forced Montfort into a partial save. Alcorse was at hand to hit home the loose ball.

Four minutes later, the Paolites struck again. This time Julian Vella was the provider of a low cross towards Scerri who quickly disposed of Montfort with a clever touch that had the ball gliding into the net.

Five minutes from half-time, Hibs nearly notched their third goal.

Cohen did well to avoid the offside trap as he cut across from the left flank and unleashed a scorcher that Montfort only managed to push away. Scerri flashed in on the rebound but his shot hit the woodwork and Pietà escaped unscathed.

After the interval, Busuttil effected a double substitution with Dominic Mifsud and Silvan Ciscaldi given the nod to marshal the midfield. The match failed to lift off however, but, close to the hour, the Hotspurs created a good opportunity in which they could have bridged the gap.

Pulo persisted inside the penalty area and tried to beat Mario Muscat with a shot that the seasoned keeper stopped in style.

On 70 minutes, Montfort did well to smother a long range shot from Doffo who spiked an effort towards the post after the Hotspurs' defence had only manage to half-clear the ball from a free-kick.

Inside the last quarter Pietà were awarded a penalty following a Jonathan Caruana tackle on Pulo in the box.

The decision angered Muscat and the Hibs skipper was cautioned for excessive protests. Then, the highly charged goalkeeper dived to his right to hold out Herrera's penalty and prevent Pietà from pulling a goal back.

Inside the closing minutes, Alcorse's shot on the turn sailed high over the bar as Hibs failed to add gloss to their victory following a drab match that rarely entertained the sparse crowd at the stadium.

Pietà: M. Montfort-6.5, P. Deliminkov-5.5, B. Sciberras-5.5 ('71 S. Grech-5.5), Q. Refalo-5, C. Pulo-6, M. Vella-5 ('46 S. Ciscaldi-5.5), C. Sammut-6, C. Mckay-5 ('46 D. Mifsud-5.5), G. Goodlip-5, E. Herrera-5, R. Camilleri-5.

Hibernians: M. Muscat-6.5, A. Xuereb-6, J. Caruana-6, C. Failla-6, P. Doffo-6.5, T. Scerri-7, A. Cohen-7, U. Edafe-5.5 ('85 J. Xerri), J. Vella-6 ('71 R. Briffa-5.5), E. Agius-6, J. Alcorse-6.5.

Referee: Alan Mario Sant.

Scorers: Alcorse 19, Scerri 23.

Yellow cards: Pulo, Muscat.

BoV Player of the match: Terence Scerri (Hibernians).