A typical match from the 1940s

The immediate post-war period was one of the best eras in the history of Maltese football. Deprived of their favourite game for four long years, the Maltese welcomed the return of football with their usual infections enthusiasm.

Football has always been an integral part of the life of the Maltese and it was even so in the forties, fifties and sixties.

Sixty years ago, when walking down the street, there was always the danger of being hit by a rubber, rag or paper ball, or charged about by a gang of football-mad youngsters. If the material for making a ball was scarce, then an empty tin or even a stone did just fine!

Besides, on the buses or on the ferry, in the office, workshop, or cafeterias, football was always a favourite topic for discussion. And in places like the Parade Ground at Floriana or the Fortina Football Ground in Cospicua, huge crowds congregated every weekend to watch the youngsters race up and down the pitch chasing the leather ball.

Football was the number one past-time for the Maltese in those days. Irrespective of the importance of the event or which team was playing, a good attendance was always guaranteed.

The presence of the Services in Malta had, by the late forties, already diminished considerably. Service teams, however, were still an important part of the Maltese football set-up.

Matches between Maltese representative XIs and the Services were very popular and used to attract big crowds to the Empire Stadium.

One must remember that in those days, there was no national team coach. Players were picked by selection committees and they chose their teams for important games against foreign opposition on the basis of the contenders' performances in matches against the Services.

One such game was played at the Empire Stadium on February 24, 1946 between the MFA 'B' XI and the Pick Army. Although this was not the full Maltese national team, the game still brought a big crowd to the Stadium.

The picture accompanying this article was given to me by a friend, 'Dindu' Bartolo, who can be seen in the centre of the picture to the right of goalkeeper Doddy Calleja.

The MFA used this occasion to blood some new players into the national team. It was an experimental XI but the team played really well.

However, it was the Army team that dominated the first part of the game. They went ahead after only five minutes when Effie Borg miskicked the ball towards Grant. The Army's inside-right passed to Woods who, unmarked in the centre of the penalty area, found no difficulty to beat Calleja.

The Army continued to press for a second goal but it was the Maltese who scored an equaliser. Calleja shot at goal but Hopkins parried only for the ball to fall to the eager feet of Freddie Andolina who fired home. Three minutes later Dindu Bartolo lifted the ball over the English goalkeeper to put the Maltese 2-1 up at half-time.

The second half started with the Army pushing hard to level the scores but their hopes were shattered when Buttigieg scored the third goal for the locals with a tremendous shot from well outside the penalty area.

This goal inspired the Maltese to go for more goals. They started to move the ball around crisply, forcing the Englishmen to chase shadows.

Calleja scored the fourth goal and although Gregson managed to pull one back for the Army, Buttigieg netted another to give the MFA XI a merited 5-2 victory.

For the record

February 24, 1946, The Empire Stadium, Gżira
Representative match

MFA XI 'B' vs Army XI 5-2

MFA XI 'B'
D. Calleja, G. Preca, E. Borg, Zarb-Mizzi, Attard, A. Bartolo, Gillies, G. Buttigieg, F. Andolina, Calleja, Falzon.

Army XI
Hopkins, Elliot, Reefe, Stephens, Haderoft, Plumb, Hillman, Grant, Mountfort, Gregson, Woods.

Scorers: Andolina; Bartolo; Buttigieg (2); Calleja; Woods; Gregson.