Deanov settles basement clash

Pieta hotspurs 1
Mqabba 0

A superb goal from a free-kick, taken by skipper and man of the match Martin Deanov on the half hour, landed Pieta Hotspurs their sixth win of the campaign in this basement clash between the two demoted sides this season.

Played in front of an almost deserted stadium, Pieta's win means that they have established a five-point lead over Mqabba with two matches remaining before the curtain falls on the campaign this month.

Pieta and Mqabba squared up for this encounter with only pride at stake and with the ultimate goal of avoiding bottom place in the standings. After 12 years with the big boys and having played a game of Russian Roulette with relegation for many seasons, Pieta failed to pull off another Houdini act as their status had been in the balance for several weeks.

With the more experienced Hibernians and Msida St Joseph completing the quartet of teams fighting to avoid the drop, it was increasingly difficult for Carmel Busuttil's Hotspurs to avoid the drop.

The departure of reliable goalkeeper Andrew Hogg was one of the main reasons why the Hotspurs had such a stuttering campaign. The club may have built a reputation for nurturing several youngsters who came through their youth ranks and are now playing for some of the island's top clubs but the current selection lacked the benchmark of maturity and shrewdness that is required by any club to avoid relegation.

Mqabba will be back in Division One after only one year in the top flight after struggling for weeks on end to bridge the gap with the rest of the other teams.

The team, which was led by Joey Falzon for most of the campaign prior to the appointment of Borislav Giorev, managed a total of three wins including the shock 3-2 victory over Sliema Wanderers.

Midway through the first half, the Hotspurs were forced to substitute Cleavon Cassar who hobbled off the pitch with injury. He was replaced by Carl Pulo.

Shy of the half hour, Pieta opened their account. Psaila tripped an opponent a good five metres outside the Mqabba box. Deanov executed the perfect free-kick as he curled the ball into the top corner of the net to give keeper Kris Calleja no chance.

Seven minutes later Mqabba could have restored parity as Marcelo Perreira cut a low cross towards Marlon Briffa who shot wide after being closely guarded by Rumen Galabov.

Kondev came close to doubling Pieta's lead inside the last five minutes of the first half as he drifted inside the penalty area. However, Mqabba's central defenders Psaila and Gatt Baldacchino closed in to block the player's shot.

A minute before the end of the first half, Edward Herrera cut inside the area and launched a low pass towards Deanov. The wily Pieta skipper let the ball slip by, allowing the unmarked Kondev to flash in and latch on to the cross only to manage a feeble shot that failed to trouble Calleja.

Four minutes into the restart Pieta should have doubled the score as Deanov did well to release substitute Francesco Sulas who propelled the ball over the crossbar from close range.

On 71 minutes, Pieta were reduced to ten men as Pulo was dismissed by referee Sant for abusive language.

The sending-off nearly had an immediate impact on the encounter as two minutes later Briffa chipped a ball towards Perreira in the penalty area but the Brazilian's shot rebounded off the foot of the post.

Mqabba were a sprightly lot and tried to venture forward in search of a late equaliser but the Hotspurs' rearguard, inspired by Galabov, held on.

Close to the final whistle, the hard-working Deanov released Kondev on the right flank but his shot was saved by Calleja.

Scorers: Deanov: 29

Pieta Hotspurs: M. Montfort-5.5, C. Cassar-5 ('24 C. Pulo), S. Grech-5.5, M. Deanov-7, R. Grippa-5 ('46 F. Sulas-5.5), C. Sammut-5.5, S. Kondev-6.5, G. Goodlip-5.5 ('85 D. Gera), D. Mifsud-5.5, E. Herrera-6, R. Galabov-6.5.

Mqabba: K. Calleja-6, M. Bonnici-5.5, A. Busuttil-5 ('46 J. Mintoff-5), I. Donizete Nogueira-5, M.A. Psaila-5.5, M. Briffa-6, F. Silva-5.5, M. Perreira-6.5, C. Gatt Baldacchino-6, R. Briffa-5.5 ('80 D. Zarb), M. Cocks-5 ('87 J. Fenech).

Referee: Alan Mario Sant.

Yellow cards: Mifsud, Psaila, Sammut, Kondev.

Red card: Pulo (Pieta) 71.

BoV Player of the match: Martin Deanov (Pieta Hotspurs).