Briffa's gem keeps Sliema in with a shout

Floriana 0
Sliema Wanderers 2
Briffa 36, Anonam 82

After Birkirkara had thrown down the gauntlet by seeing off Hamrun to finish with a tally of 34 points, the onus last night was on Sliema Wanderers to move alongside the Stripes in second place with a win over Old-Firm rivals Floriana in their final league match.

On a high after a four-match winning run, Sliema made it five on the run to end what has been a disappointing season on an uplifting note but how they were made to fight hard for the points by a spirited Floriana side who still have an FA Trophy semi-final to look forward to.

As Sliema and Birkirkara have amassed the same number of points, a decider may be needed if these two rivals are still in contention for a UEFA Cup spot after the end of the FA Trophy competition.

Such scenario would only come about if Marsaxlokk fail to win their impending clash with Valletta and finish third in the league and Birkirkara, who take on the Citizens in the Trophy semi-final on Tuesday, miss out on a place in the final of the KO competition.

Sliema's only hope of European participation next season is via the UEFA Cup as they have shunned the Intertoto Cup.

Nigerian goalkeeper Murphy Akanji and captain Brian Said were absent from Sliema's 18-man squad because of injuries while striker Ivan Woods started on the bench.

Danilo Doncic ended Darko Krsteski's somewhat lengthy exile from Floriana's squad as the Serbian defender, who had been out of favour with the Greens' hierarchy, earned a first-team recall.

Krsteski's availability will surely have been welcomed by Doncic as his defensive resources yesterday were hampered by the one-match suspension imposed on Sunday Eboh and Julian Briffa.

As the two teams jogged out of the tunnel, the Sliema players unfolded two banners contained a thank-you message to Robert Arrigo and John Bugeja, the club's president and secretary respectively who have decided to quit their posts at the end of the season.

Scoring chances were something of a rarity in the opening 20 minutes but Sliema then almost broke the stalemate. Bajada's cross sailed towards the centre of the box where Ian Ciantar directed a downward header but his effort was too central to worry Simon Agius.

Krsteski delivered one of his trademark strong free-kicks from a central position but Henry Bonello effected a routine save.

With nine minutes of the first half remaining, Sliema opened the scoring with a magnificent goal. Matthew Bartolo made headway with a blistering run down the left before squaring to Roderick Briffa who let fly a powerful rising shot from some 25 metres which beat Agius hands down.

Briffa's gem was reminiscent of his stoppage-time scorcher that rescued a point for Sliema in a 2-2 draw with Floriana in the first round.

Floriana might have gained an instant equaliser but Mark Gauci's rising effort from Mauro Brincat's soaring cross rebounded off the crossbar.

In first-half stoppage time, Muscat swung over a cross from the right byline and Bajada let off a rasping drive which came off the post.

Early in the second half, Barbara, latching onto a long ball from Nisevic, pulled the ball back for Muscat whose first-time strike sailed wide of the right-hand post.

Floriana could and should have equalized when Gauci picked out Cilia but the latter's grounder ended wide.

Twenty minutes from time, only a fine save from Bonello denied the Greens an equaliser as the Sliema goalkeeper pushed Pisani's pilderiver over the bar.

Sliema might have wrapped up the points when, with 15 minutes left, Briffa summoned a low shot that cannoned off the post. The loose ball broke to Barbara who fired home but he did so from an offside position and the 'goal' was chalked off.

Eight minutes from the end, Sliema put the result beyond the Greens when substitute Orosco Anonam headed firmly past Agius from Bajada's free-kick.

Floriana
S. Agius-5.5, D. Pisani-7, E. Sevasta-6, D. Krsteski-6.5, C. Ciantar-5.5, C. Cassar-6 ('85 P. Grech), M. Brincat-6.5, J. Borg-5 ('61 J. Brincat-5), T. Cilia-7, M. Gauci-6.5, M. Micallef-6.5 ('85 O. Bugeja).

Sliema Wanderers
H. Bonello-6.5, A. Muscat-5.5 ('67 O. Anonam-6.5), I. Azzopardi-7, B. Nisevic-6.5, M. Scerri-6 ('84 N. Turner), R. Bajada-6.5, M. Bartolo-6 ('74 A. Rocha Da Silva), J. Chetcuti-6.5, I. Ciantar-6, R. Briffa-7.5, E. Barbara-6.

Referee: Marco Borg.

Yellow cards: Borg; Bajada; J. Brincat; Cassar; Chetcuti;

BoV Player of the match: Roderick Briffa (Sliema).