Season 1933-34 saw the end of the old Empire Sports Ground. The enterprising proprietor of the ground, Carmelo Scicluna, signed a contract with a British syndicate to hold greyhound racing at the Empire.
Extensive alternations were needed and during the summer of 1933, the stadium was pulled down and work began on a new ground.
When the new venue was officially inaugurated in January 1934, the First Division League could finally get under way.
Originally, five clubs submitted their applications to join the league. These were Sliema Wanderers, Hibernians, Qormi St George's, Ħamrun Spartans and Sliema Rangers. However, before the draws were made, the Spartans and Rangers pulled out.
To make matters worse, a dispute arose between Sliema and Qormi over the registration of Pawlu Friggieri which led Qormi to withdraw their application as well. This left the MFA in a very unusual situation as only two teams were prepared to participate in the championship.
Faced with strange and unusual circumstances, the MFA decided to hold the championship in the form of a rubber... three matches played with the team winning most points being declared winner.
The first match of the series was played on January 25, 1934. This match developed into an all-out battle between Sliema's forward line and Hibs' defence. However, it was Hibs who scored first. Mifsud swept the ball into the Blues' penalty area and Turu Theobald seized the chance to bang the ball into the net.
The Wanderers fought back. They launched a raid on the Hibs' box and from the resulting scrimmage, a defender diverted the ball with his arm. DeCesare made no mistake from the spot.
Sliema started the second half on the attack and, after a few minutes, Tony Nicholl flashed the ball past 'Gejta' Azzopardi to give his side the lead.
Hibs, however, recovered from this setback and a few minutes later one of their players was floored in the area and a penalty was given. Amid great excitement, Victor Miller coolly placed the ball in the net to make the final score 2-2.
On the eve of the second match. Hibs received the shock of their lives when they found out that their star defender Sidney Le Count was leaving the island on HMS Bacchus. Despite this setback, Hibs rose magnificently to the occasion.
Displaying their traditional fighting spirit, they beat the Wanderers 2-1 to gain a formidable advantage over their rivals.
Despite their defeat to Hibs, Sliema did not give up hope of winning the championship. A draw in the final match of the series would be enough to give Hibs the title but a victory for the Wanderers meant that a fourth and final game would have to be played.
This was the first big moment in Hibs' history. In just a couple of seasons, the club had risen from an obscure amateur outfit to the top of Maltese football.
All the Maltese were behind them except, of course, those from Sliema.
At this point, however, much to their disadvantage, the competition was interrupted to make way for the Cassar Cup. Thus the MFA, wittingly or unwittingly, gave Sliema a chance to recover.
When the final match was eventually played, it proved to be something of an anti-climax. Sliema won easily 3-0. The team they fielded against Hibs was probably the best they had for many years.
They dropped Sammut from the side that won the Cassar Cup.
DeCesare was switched to full-back and young Ċensu Friggieri was roped in at half-back. This change strengthened the defence and, with their forwards in top form, the team seemed to be unbeatable.
For this match Hibs included Ġuże Alamango, of Floriana, at centre-forward. The ageing stalwart was still a useful player but he did not fit in the side and was completely blotted out of the game by Kelinu Azzopardi.
Sliema's superiority was so complete that the game suffered as a spectacle. Much more was expected of Hibs but they failed to reproduce the form that had made them so popular with the crowds.
Hibs no-show
This result put the teams level on points, making a decider necessary to resolve the issue. A cold shower, however, was in store for the public when, on April 14, 1934, Hibs failed to make an appearance at the stadium for the decider.
At a meeting with the MFA in midweek, the Paola delegate informed the Council that his club could not make up a team by Saturday because several of their players were injured.
Up to the Friday before the game, the Council were still hoping that Hibs would honour the fixture but on match day, the public was informed that Hibs were not playing and that Sliema would instead play against an Amateur XI.
It was a stupid and ridiculous way to end the season. In the circumstances, the MFA, perhaps, could have granted Hibs a postponement. The public certainly thought so.