Schembri helps City to halt drought

Edwin Schembri was born in Cospicua on November 2, 1929. He joined Little Rainbows in 1944 and stayed with them up to 1946 when the club from Tarxien amalgamated with neighbours Hibernians.

Schembri soon settled down with the Paolites and not before long he was featuring in a strong youth and reserve side of that period.

A sturdy, but polished, defender, Schembri soon caught the eye of the many connoisseurs who in those days frequented the Schreiber Sports Ground. The Forties and Fifities were the grand old days of the Paola ground. Every weekend it was filled with huge crowds from all over the island, eager to watch their favourite team in action.

Mingled with the crowds there would also be 'scouts' from the top clubs, spying on the progress of the crop of youngsters competing in junior competitions.

There were no nurseries in those days but talent was surely not lacking. Schembri was, therefore, one of many such youngsters each hoping to attract attention and make the grade in top-class football.

Talent, Schembri had in plenty and on April 11, 1948 he made his league debut for the Paolites in a 1-1 draw against St George's.

During this early period in his career he was selected for the MFA squad for the 1948-49 International Youth Tournament in Sicily.

With Hibernians, Schembri played 41 league matches before he was transferred to Valletta in 1951.

Hibs were loath to part with their talented youngster but the bad financial situation of the club forced them to sell some of their best players.

Hibs' loss proved to be Valletta's gain as Schembri soon developed into one of the best defenders of the post-war era.

During his first years at Valletta life was not easy. In those days, the Citizens had a very good team but it seems not good enough to win a major honour. The 'Lilywhites' were always lurking there near the top of the league table but the honours seemed to elude them at the last hurdle.

In 1956-57, Schembri was made captain and under his leadership the team finished runners-up in the league to Sliema Wanderers and reached the FA Trophy final only to lose 2-0 to rivals Floriana.

Still, the team had too much potential in it to be denied for long.

Season 1958-59, at last, brought success to Valletta. They won the championship which had been eluding them for so long.

For Schembri, however, the season was something of an anti-climax. Midway through the competition he lost his place in the team and the captaincy.

In 1959-60, Valletta retained the championship and won the FA Trophy. This time Schembri's reliability was one of the main ingredients behind their success. By now he was getting on in years and although his performances were still valid there were some promising youngsters waiting to grab their chance.

In 1962-63 Schembri decided to retire from top-class football. He could not have chosen a better time to quit the game.

Valletta won the league title and Schembri was named Footballer of the Year. It was a fitting tribute to an honest and reliable man who never played for personal glory but always for the benefit of his team.

After his retirement, Schembri took up management with a certain amount of success but his coaching career was not as successful as that of an active footballer.

Schembri's career

Seasons 1947-51: Hibernians - League 41; Cup 13; Cassar Cup 1; Scicluna Cup 1.

Seasons 1951-63: Valletta - League 149; Cup 22; Cassar Cup 10; Scicluna Cup 1; Olympic Cup 1.