Top-flight sides face Div. One opposition

The draws for the first two rounds of the 2008-09 FA Trophy competition were held at the Centenary Hall yesterday.

Six Premier League teams, including former winners Hibs, Floriana and Ħamrun Spartans, and the 10 Division One clubs will contest the opening round with the eight winners advancing to the next stage.

The first round will feature no all-Premier League clashes as the top-flight teams were seeded but such scenario is likely to emerge in the second round. The pairings for the second round were also determined yesterday.

Hibs, back-to-back FA Trophy winners in 2006 and 2007, will take on neighbours St George's while Floriana meet Dingli. The top three teams in last season's Premier League, namely champions Valletta, Marsaxlokk and Sliema Wanderers, and Birkirkara, the FA Trophy holders who finished joint-third with Sliema in the league table, will enter the frame at the quarter-final stage.

Joe Mifsud, the MFA head, presided over yesterday's draws along with general secretary Joe Gauci and Mario Cassar, on behalf of Maltco Lotteries who have renewed their sponsorship of the MFA's KO competitions for another three years.

Dr Mifsud told reporters that the MFA's Executive Committee have agreed that, in the event that the FA Trophy is won by the league winners this season, the losing finalist will inherit the right to compete in the UEFA Cup which, from next season, will be renamed the UEFA Europa League.

The MFA president also announced that the Executive Committee have endorsed a proposal to allow the winners of the Gozo FA Division One league to compete in the U*Bet FA Trophy from next season, provided that Gozo FC are not in the Premier League or Division One, in which case they will qualify automatically to take part in the MFA's top KO competition.