1978-79 - Third Division moves to Manoel Island

The Third Division league in 1978-79 was played at Manoel Island.

The old Navy ground was hardly conducive to good football but, as the old saying goes, beggars can't be choosers. The Malta FA needed to have more grounds to complete their competitions and Manoel Island was available. However, it was surprising that, despite the primitive conditions of the ground, the championship was well-contested that season.

The surface of the old ground was levelled before the start of the season but the strong winds which usually blow across the ground from all directions made the venue unsuitable for competitive football.

The spectators had no shelter from the wind and rain and many followers of the Third Division league preferred to stay at home and watch football on television rather than face the fury of the elements during the wintry months.

For the more interesting encounters, however, one could always see a fair-sized crowd crossing the bridge on Saturday and Sunday mornings.

That season the league was split into two sections.

In Section A, the protagonists were Gżira United, St Andrew's and Siġġiewi and in Section B the fight for promotion was restricted between Melita, Sta Venera Lightings and Żejtun Corinthians.

Section A was settled more or less when Gżira beat Luqa 1-0 in their second round encounter.

The relegation issue, however, was more open with the other five teams contributing to a rather exciting finale. It was only towards the end of the competition when Ta' Xbiex defeated Naxxar 4-2 that the latter threw in the towel.

In Section B, Żejtun dominated from start to finish.

They were only beaten once. Early in the season, 'bogey' team Tarxien Rainbows beat them 1-0 but after that early hiccup, the Corinthians never looked back and kept on winning one game after the other.

Żejtun and Gżira met in the section decider. This was undoubtedly the best match of the season as far as the Third Division was concerned. The old ground played host to one of the biggest crowds since the old Navy days.

The game was a hard-fought affair with both teams doing their best to win. There were no goals, however, and the game had to go to extra time when Żejtun finally broke the deadlock and scored the vital goal which gave them the championship.

The knock-out competition that season saw the welcome successful run of one of the lower clubs in the category. Ta' Xbiex finished second from bottom in their section but in the cup competition, they were a changed team altogether.

In the first round they surprisingly beat the Rainbows 4-1 and in the quarter-finals they claimed another important scalp when they ousted Melita 2-1 in a nail-biting encounter.

The semi-final draw paired Ta' Xbiex with Naxxar. The latter were relegated, so, on paper, this should have been the easiest match in the series for the seasiders.

Naxxar stood firm but still went out as Ta' Xbiex won 1-0.

Ta' Xbiex had reached the final for the first time in their history. Their opponents were neighbours Gżira United. Ta' Xbiex tried their best to beat their more-experienced opponents and gave the Maroons a very good run for their money but class told in the end.

Gżira emerged victorious 2-1 to somewhat ease their disappointment at missing out on the championship.