Victoria Hotspurs clinch 11th title

An equaliser scored by Uchenna Anyanwu two minutes from time earned Victoria Hotspurs the point they needed from the last match of the championship against Għajnsielem to claim the 2009-10 title in Gozo.

This direct clash carried huge expectations since the Blacks needed victory to force a championship decider. The match actually lived up to the expectations and attracted one of the largest crowds to the Gozo Stadium in recent years.

This campaign saw the challenge of various teams for the Division One title but, in the end, it was the Hotspurs who prevailed. The main factors that led to their success were undoubtedly a strong squad, good defensive cover and an in-form forward line that scored a tally of 40 goals.

Għajnsielem were worthy contenders. They had a shaky start but despite dropping some vital points against lesser teams, they did manage to keep in touch with the top positions for a major part of the championship.

As expected, the Blacks pushed forward from the early stages and opened the score on 18 minutes following a fine flick by Thiago Dos Santos that surprised the Hotspurs goalkeeper.

The Citizens could have levelled matters on the half hour but Anyanwu incredibly overhit his shot when he came face to face with keeper Joseph Grech.

As the minutes ticked by, the Blacks became more prudent and tried to conserve their one-goal lead. The Hotspurs took control but the closest they went to scoring was on 61 minutes when two consecutive shots by Anyanwu and Nkwankwo were blocked by Grech.

Għajnsielem ran out of breath in the final stages and they also suffered a setback on 74 minutes when substitute Brian Meilak was sent off for a second bookable offence.

With more wind in their sails Victoria now started to believe that they could achieve their goal. Their efforts were rewarded on 88 minutes when Anyanwu was at the right place to head in goal.

The numerous Victoria supporters were in ecstacy and no-one blamed them for their rowdy celebrations as GFA president Alvin Grech and general secretary Joe Bajada presented the trophies to captain Noel Borg and vice-captain Michael Vella.

In another match, Nadur Youngsters and SK Victoria Wanderers shared the spoils in a draw of four goals. Ige Adesina (21) and Ajiba Adesina (75) netted the goals for the Wanderers.

Wanderers' striker Manwel Cordina missed a penalty but still defended his leadership in the scorers list and won the honour with 16 goals. His direct rival, Nadur's Claudio Antunes, scored a brace in this match and also missed a penalty but marred his day with a red card.

Meanwhile, Sannat Lions ended their commitments with a 2-0 win over Xewkija Tigers.

This match did not carry any particular significance as Xewkija were already sure of maintaining their status while Sannat need to figure in a play-off against Xagħra for a slot in the top flight next season.

John Camilleri opened the score on 13 minutes and Nikolai Filipov doubled Sannat's lead on 59 minutes.

Division Two

St Lawrence Spurs marked their championship success with a 2-0 win over rivals Xagħra United in the last match of the campaign.

Xagħra were reduced to ten players after 29 minutes when Josef Galea was sent off for a professional foul.

The Saints opened the score through Jonathan Micallef and Neville Mercieca sealed the issue with a fine strike in the first minute of stoppage time.

In the other match from the last day of the lower category, Oratory Youths and Munxar Falcons earned a point each from a goalless draw.

Munxar were more adventurous as they needed a victory to make the third spot theirs but Oratory defended well and in the end their goalkeeper Franklin Vella saved the point for his side with an excellent save deep into stoppage time following a strike by William Cassar.