Swallows seek to prolong stay

Dingli Swallows have set their sights on establishing themselves among the big boys of Maltese football after winning an historic promotion to the Premier League last May.

The Swallows are in the top flight for the first time since the club was established 51 years ago and now they want to prolong their stay for more than one season.

This summer, Dingli invested heavily to assemble a valid squad and lured to their fold no less than 12 players. Among the new acquisitions are the likes of Andre Rocha da Silva, Dino Cachia, Haruna Doda and Renato Conceicao who all boast experience in the Premier League.

Last Saturday, they made their first appearance in the top flight when they played against Tarxien Rainbows but lost the match 4-1.

According to coach Jesmond Zammit, the team still needs time to adapt to its new surroundings.

"Playing in the Premier League is a new experience for our club," Zammit said.

"The level of competition is far higher than in Division One and our team needs time to adjust. One has to keep in mind that we have several new faces in our squad who have yet to gel as a unit.

"We must be patient and I'm confident that we can produce a good challenge this season and avoid the lower places in the standings."

The format of the championship will be different this season following a ruling by the MFA board to investigate corrupt practices earlier this week that threw Vittoriosa Stars out of the Premier League and the MFA opting for a nine-team format.

With the possibility of only one team going down, or none altogether, Zammit said that in that scenario Dingli will use this season as a learning curve for future campaigns.

"It's still too early to say what's going to happen but if we're guaranteed a second year in the Premier League we'll make sure not to let this occasion slip from our grasp.

"We have several players who never played at this level before and it would be a useful learning curve for them."

Famalco Group are the main sponsors of Dingli this season along with Kwik Mix Limited, Sullivan Maritime, SVS Leisure, Poligas and Errea.