BoV Premier League highlights

Hibernians bounced back from their first defeat of the season, a 3-2 reverse to Sliema Wanderers, with a 3-2 victory over Marsaxlokk in a nail-biting match on Saturday.

The Paolites rejoined Birkirkara at the top of the table after the latter had moved three points clear of Mark Miller's men with a narrow 1-0 win over the struggling Ħamrun Spartans on Friday. Hibs and Birkirkara have 13 points from six matches.

Up-and-coming youngster Jean Paul Farrugia fired Hibs ahead after 24 minutes but Marsaxlokk, who lost 3-1 to Floriana in their previous match, looked to have turned the game around early in the second half with goals from Brazilian striker Marcelo Pereira and Malcolm Licari.

Hibernians kept going though and, with 16 minutes remaining, defender Adrian Pulis headed home from close range to level the score at 2-2. Terrence Scerri secured the points for Hibs when he sidefooted the ball home seven minutes from time.

Birkirkara had made sure of spending another two weeks at the top of the standings on Friday after scraping past Ħamrun in a drab match. Angus Buhagiar scored the all-important goal on 32 minutes.

The in-form Sliema Wanderers kept in touch with the leading duo with a 4-2 victory over Tarxien Rainbows. Goals from Roderick Briffa, Ivan Woods, Kosta Bjedov and Ian Azzopardi ensured a second successive win for Sliema.

Two goals from Daniel Mariano Bueno before the end of the first half had given Tarxien hope of salvaging a draw after Sliema had surged into a three-goal lead by the 24th minute but Azzopardi's headed goal on 56 minutes put the game beyond the Rainbows.

Champions Valletta broke a sequence of three consecutive draws on Sunday with a hard-earned 2-1 victory over Msida St Joseph. The game's first two goals were scored by players who swapped clubs in the summer as Doding Priso's opener for Valletta was cancelled out by Kurt Magro, who joined Msida on a season-long loan from Valletta.

Captain Gilbert Agius eased Valletta's nerves with a 71st minute header to take the Citizens within three points of Hibs and Birkirkara, the early front-runners, and two behind Sliema.

Floriana have been leapfrogged by their rivals from the capital after the Greens were held to a goalless draw by Qormi who had the better scoring chances in the second half. It was Qormi's second consecutive draw after their 1-1 result against Msida.

Statistics - scorers, red cards

Birkirkara: Galea 2, Mallia 2; Tabone (pen), Mifsud Triganza, Bajada, Fenech, Buhagiar.

Floriana: Anonam 2; M. Briffa, Madzar, Brincat (penalty). Red card - Bugeja (vs Ħamrun).

Ħamrun: Spiteri 2; Ortega (penalty), Cucciardi. Red card - Spiteri (vs Floriana).

Hibernians: Scerri 5; Galabov 2, Failla 2, J. Caruana 2, Farrugia 2; Grech, Callejas, Pulis. Own goals - Micallef (vs Ħamrun); Bonnici (vs Ħamrun); Red card - Mbongo (vs Valletta).

Marsaxlokk: Pereira 2, Licari 2 (1 pen); Alcorse, Said, Mattocks, Barbara.

Msida: Calcado 5 (1 pen.); Aurellio 2; Magro.

Qormi: Effiong 3; Da Silva 2; Farrugia. Red card - Chetcuti (vs Hibernians).

Sliema: Bjedov 3, Woods 3 (1 pen.); Bajada, Severino, Briffa, Azzopardi. Red card - Bjedov (vs Ħamrun).

Tarxien: Bueno 5; Chircop. Red cards: Carapic, Decesare (vs Qormi).

Valletta: Priso 5 (2 pens.); Falzon 2, G. Agius 2; Tolomeotti.

Next fixtures (all National Stadium)
Saturday, Oct. 18: 3 p.m. Floriana vs Hibs; 5 p.m. Msida SJ vs Ħamrun S.
Sunday, Oct. 19: 3 p.m. Tarxien R. vs Marsaxlokk; 5 p.m. Birkirkara vs Sliema.