Ħamrun pound Sliema with first-half blitz

Ħamrun Spartans 3
Pereira 30; Mawete 41, 45
Sliema Wanderers 0

Ħamrun Spartans' three-goal blitz in the opening period propelled the Reds to the sixth place in the Premier League yesterday after a much-needed and richly-deserved victory over Sliema Wanderers.

On the other side, Sliema continued to struggle for consistency and after unexpectedly losing this match, they must now be looking nervously over their shoulders at a chasing pack increasing in size, all eyeing a Championship Pool berth.

The Spartans' elevation to sixth position is quite remarkable given the precarious state they were in when these two teams last met in Autumn.

At that time, the 5-0 drubbing handed out by Sliema had condemned the Spartans to a fourth league defeat of the season and ensured they remained rooted to the foot of the table with zero points.

However, the transformation since has seen Stephen D'Amato's side regain composure and is now within sight of a top six place.

The Wanderers' fans who braved the miserable January weather in the hope of a repeat of the goalfest of last October, were to be sadly disappointed that this time they finished on the receiving end.

Sliema were unrecognisable from the team that beat Valletta 3-1 and Tarxien 4-2 in their last two outings. There were signs of vulnerability in defence, the midfield lacked cohesion, allowing the Spartans the freedom of the pitch. And, with Marcelo Pereira dropping deep to cause problems at every given opportunity, the 'hosts' were able to create scoring opportunities at will.

One would be tempted to ask: will the real Sliema finally stand up?

Is this the same well-oiled machine that had the better of champions Hibs and Valletta and looked credible challengers for the title? Or is this team the misfiring engine that had spluttered to a shock upset to Msida just before Christmas?

But as bad as Sliema were, Ħamrun were good. Jonathan Holland patrolled the midfield with purpose, Pereira was in a class of his own, Manolito Micallef a constant menace down the right and Joao Battista Mawete produced a perfect display that left the Wanderers stunned.

Sliema's Josef Mifsud and Clifford Gatt Baldacchino passed fitness tests and were handed a starting role in defence. With Ryan Fenech suspended and Jean Pierre Mifsud Triganza injured, coach Stephen Azzopardi opted for two upfront with a diamond midfield that featured Pedrinho in centrefield and Mark Scerri providing extra cover.

D'Amato turned to Mawete as a lone striker ahead of a fluid trio of Pereira, Gaetan Spiteri and Micallef.

In the opening exchanges, Roderick Fenech won a personal duel with Sliema's Julio Alcorse when the defender twice thwarted the Argentine striker when he was through on goal. When Alcorse finally outsprinted Fenech on 12 minutes, the defender recovered in time to clear off the line.

It took the Spartans a while to get a handle on the game but they were quick to break on the counter. Micallef supplied Pereira who opened the scoring with the deftest of touches on the half-hour mark.

Eight minutes later, Pedrinho escaped the attentions of Mark Anthony Bonnici on the left flank and his cross found Ivan Woods but his finish was blocked by Ħamrun keeper Ivan Casha.

Yet, Ħamrun doubled their lead on 41 minutes when Mawete swept home a cut-back by Pereira who pounced on a mishit clearance by the Sliema defence.

Mawete then made it 3-0 just before half-time when he rose high to power a firm header home.

The second half was always going to be a case of damage limitation for Sliema. They did occasionally string a move together that ensured the Ħamrun defence was not completely redundant.

The most noteworthy was Clayton Failla's shot that flew over the bar soon after the restart. There were only brief forays into the opposition half as Ħamrun had enough grit to hold Sliema at arm's length.

Ħamrun Spartans: I. Casha-6, M.A. Bonnici-7 ('88 A. Attard), R. Fenech-7, M. Micallef-7.5, D.A. Cucciardi-6.5, M. Pereira-8 ('90 M. Mifsud), G. Spiteri-7, M. Hrubsa-6.5, J. Batista Mawete-7.5, J. Holland-6.5 ('68 M. Barbara-5), C. Camoin-6.5.

Sliema Wanderers: S. Agius-5, A. Muscat-5, I. Azzopardi-5, J. Mifsud-5 (80' I. Ciantar), M. Scerri-5 (71' N. Turner), C. Gatt Baldacchino-4.5 (46' J. Mintoff-5), I. Woods-6.5, L. Dronca-5, J. Alcorse-5.5, P. Calcado-6.5 , C. Failla-5.

Referee: Esther Azzopardi.

Yellow cards: Failla, Calcado, Bonnici.

BoV player of the match: Marcelo Pereira (Ħamrun Spartans).