Premier League quartet pursue cup glory

The race for FA Trophy glory this season has diminished to involve only four teams after last weekend's quarter-finals.

Valletta and Birkirkara, the leading Premier League contenders, will be joined in the draw by two fellow members of the Championship Pool, Floriana and Hamrun Spartans.

Although Valletta and Birkirkara are regarded as favourites to lift the FA Trophy, Floriana and Hamrun will also fancy their chances of ending their trophy drought.

Three of the four quarter-finals produced an identical 2-1 scoreline. Valletta needed a late Gilbert Agius goal to overcome Hibernians, back-to-back winners of the FA Trophy in the last two years.

Floriana and Birkirkara took the same route to the last four as both fought back from a goal down, the Greens edging Old Firm rivals Sliema and the Stripes seeing off Marsaxlokk.

On paper, Hamrun had the easiest path as they faced Dingli Swallows, the only Division One team left in the competition.

For a short spell in the first half, it looked as a surprise was on the cards as Dingli seized the lead through Jeremy Agius but Gaetan Spiteri scored twice either side of half-time to put the Spartans in the driving seat.

"When Dingli scored, we were stunned but I encouraged my team-mates not to lose heart to turn the game around," Spiteri, who went on to notch a hat-trick in a 3-1 win, said.

"We may have been over-confident but to a certain extent, their goal was a blessing in disguise in that it helped to focus our minds."

Promoted to the Premier League as Division One champions, Hamrun have already attained their target of a place in the Championship Pool but progress to the last four of the FA Trophy will have evoked memories of the years when the Spartans were at the forefront of the fight for domestic honours.

"The Championship Pool was our main objective but now that we've reached the semi-finals, the FA Trophy has taken on added importance for us," Spiteri said.

"Anything is possible in football."

Spiteri had gone eight league matches without a goal before Saturday's spree. The lithe striker might have hit half-a-dozen but for a post, a save by the Dingli goalkeeper and a goal-line clearance.

"In the Championship Pool, we didn't create many scoring chances," Spiteri said.

"After eight matches without a goal, I was pleased to net a hat-trick in the Trophy. I guess the first goal increased my self-confidence. The prospect of gaining a place in the semi-finals gave us added motivation."

Spiteri had a forthright answer when asked to name his preferred opponent in the semi-finals.

"Given the choice, I would pick Floriana because in my view, their level is close to ours. Valletta and Birkirkara are challenging for the title and their form of late has been very good."

Veteran forward Agius stole the attention with his 87th minute winner for the Citizens but earlier, it was Frank Temile, his young attacking team-mate, who lit up the stadium with an exquisite move and clinical finish to give Valletta the lead on the stroke of half-time.

"I'm very happy that we won the tie against Hibs as it meant that Valletta are still fighting for the double," Temile told The Times.

Temile's delight was enhanced after a fine goal on his return to first-team football. Suspension had kept him out of the title showdown with Marsaxlokk the previous week.

"I was disappointed to miss out on the Marsaxlokk match," Temile said. "It was a very important game but I want to say thank you to my team-mates because they fought back to turn defeat into victory.

"Coming back into the team, I was keen to do well. I'm glad that I maintained my scoring run and I want to thank God for everything."

Temile stressed that the onus was on Valletta to stay focused and keep playing well to stay on track for the double.

"All teams want to win the Trophy," Temile commented. "This is a target for us as well and we will do our best to win it. As for our chances of a double, things are looking good but we haven't achieved anything yet. We need to remain concentrated and continue to work hard."

If Temile has been the main inspiration behind Valletta's charge, Jean Pierre Mifsud Triganza has done likewise for the resurgent Birkirkara.

Mifsud Triganza's time at Birkirkara has been dogged by injuries but the former Floriana forward has not only fought his way back into the team, he has been plundering the goals with unerring regularity since regaining full fitness.

On Sunday, Mifsud Triganza struck 20 minutes from time to cap Birkirkara's fightback against Marsaxlokk.

"Up to a few months ago, few expected Birkirkara to be fighting on two fronts," Mifsud Triganza claimed.

"We had to battle hard to secure a place in the top six but we have improved significantly since then. It's a combination of many factors, namely the new signings making a greater impact, more fighting spirit and better teamwork."

The boldness and fluidity of Birkirkara's performance on Sunday can only have galvanised their rising self-belief.

"We got a difficult draw because Marsaxlokk are one of the strongest teams in the league but we felt confident about our chances of beating them," Mifsud Triganza added.

Quizzed about his own transformation from a bit-part, injury-prone striker to a leading figure in Birkirkara's attack, Mifsud Triganza said:

"I'm enjoying my best spell at Birkirkara. I had a terrible time with injuries. I spoke to the coach and we have worked on certain things in training. I've been training hard to reach the level where I want to be... but it's paying off."

Mifsud Triganza reckons that avoiding Valletta in the semis would improve Birkirkara's chances of making the final.

"All teams are difficult at this stage but I think our chances would increase if we get Floriana or Hamrun," Mifsud Triganza said.

Dream showdown

Mifsud Triganza is not the only one who wants to avoid Valletta in the semis. Floriana striker Ryan Darmanin, who has emerged as the Greens' most reliable marksman this season, dreams of a showdown between the two rivals.

"My wish is that Floriana won't be paired with Valletta now as we'd rather play them in the final," Darmanin said.

Having been second best to Sliema in the first half, Floriana looked down and out when Etienne Barbara propelled the Blues but Darmanin produced a goal out of nothing to inject life into the Greens' erstwhile lacklustre display.

"In the first half, Sliema held the initiative but that was to be expected as they had the wind behind their backs," Darmanin said.

"I played as a lone striker in the opening half as caution was a priority for us but after the change of ends, we reverted to our usual game and tried to hit Sliema with counter-attacks.

"This approach worked against Sliema this season as we have not lost once to them in three league matches. We felt confident of getting another good result and we managed to do it again."

Darmanin declared himself upbeat about Floriana's chances of adding to their 18 FA Trophy titles.

"I believe we can go all the way in this competition," Darmanin remarked. "There is no reason why we shouldn't be positive, especially now that we're in the semi-finals."