Season 1986-87 was one of the best in the history of Ħamrun Spartans.
Their domination of the championship was such that by the end of the first round the title race was already as good as over. The Spartans ended their commitments with a record nine-point lead over their nearest rivals.
Before the start of the season, Valletta, Żurrieq, Hibernians and Rabat were all regarded among the possible contenders for the title.
Ħamrun, however, brushed aside all opposition and midway through the second round, the only interest left was the fight for a place in the UEFA Cup competition.
With the honours destined to go to Ħamrun, it was the relegation issue that kept a flicker of interest. Except for Valletta, all the other teams were, at one time or another, involved in the struggle for survival.
Żurrieq and Hibernians were the first to pull themselves out of trouble. At the end of the first round, Sliema Wanderers were still embroiled in the dogfight, but then they went through a complete transformation.
In the second round, Sliema gained nine points from five matches to steer themselves clear of troubled waters.
Floriana's story was contrary to Sliema's. After a creditable first round, they fell to pieces in the second. One defeat followed another until, by the last round of matches, they found themselves on the brink of relegation.
It was only thanks to an indifferent performance by Sliema in their last match that they made sure of their Premier League status and condemned Rabat to the First Division.
Poor old Rabat, nothing went right for them. After four glorious years in the Premier League they had to swallow the bitter pill of relegation. Twice winners of the league championship and holders of the FA Trophy, they seemed destined for big things, then disaster struck.
Internal trouble reared its ugly head and the team's spirit was broken. Rabat lost key matches in the first round that, in other circumstances, they would have won hands down. In the second round, they seemed to be settling down but, after going down to Ħamrun and Sliema, relegation became inevitable.
Yet, Rabat were no pushovers. They were as good as any team in the top flight. This they proved in their last league match when, although already relegated, they thrashed Hibs 4-0.
The Spartans extended their winning streak into the FA Trophy.
Once again, they met very little opposition on their way to the final, although it has to be said that they were given a scare by Gżira United in the first round.
The Maroons' best days were long gone. They were a team in crisis having just been relegated to the Second Division. Yet, against Ħamrun they rose to the occasion. The Spartans were all over them but somehow Gżira held on to a 0-0 draw.
The extra half-hour, however, was too much for them. Their legs gave way and goals by Barry Gallagher, Michael Degiorgio, Leo Refalo and Joe Zarb took the Spartans to the quarter-finals.
Ħamrun's next opponents were none other than old rivals Valletta. A balanced game was anticipated but the match did not live up to expectations as the Spartans won the match rather easily 2-0.
The same thing could be said of the Spartans' semi-final encounter with Floriana. The game promised a lot but on the day the Spartans were streets ahead of their opponents, winning a one-sided affair 4-0.
Ħamrun's opponents in the FA Trophy final were Sliema. The game was played on a Sunday morning, a decision that did not go down well with the public.
The game itself was a huge disappointment as it offered very little goalmouth action.
Ħamrun were always superior and it was not much of a surprise when they moved into a 2-0 lead.
In the second period, Sliema made a reaction. They increased their efforts and even managed to score a goal but Ħamrun's supremacy was evident. They contained their opponents' fury to emerge victorious 2-1.
To Ħamrun went the FA Trophy and Sliema were left with the consolation of being the only club to score a goal against the Spartans in the KO. It was not much but they didn't deserve more.