Struggling teams Qormi and Hibs failed to return to winning ways as their direct encounter finished goalless this evening.
The draw meant that Hibs stayed in the bottom zone, going only one point clear of basement side Vittoriosa Stars, while Qormi also remained in the lower half but joined Sliema Wanderers on the eight-point mark.
Mark Miller chose to ring the changes after his side’s unexpected defeat to Vittoriosa Stars as first-choice players Andrew Cohen and Edward Herrera were dropped from the starting line-up.
The two teams’ mutual need for points to move out of the bottom places looked to be weighing heavily on the players’ minds as the first half of this game lacked creative fare.
Hibs’ Matthew Gauci shot high and wide after receiving from Paul McManus. A swerving left-wing cross from the returning Adrian Pulis unsettled Qormi as goalkeeper Matthew Farrugia spilled the ball after being challenged by McManus but the Qormi defenders cleared.
The match remained drab. The best chance of the first half came Hibs’ way on 33 minutes when Zoran Levnaic crossed towards the centre of the box and McManus shot goalwards only for Qormi defender Jason Vandelannoite to deflect the Scotsman’s effort away for a corner.
Late in the first half, McManus flicked wide from Matthew Tabone’s cross.
Qormi striker Kosta Bjedov fired his shot wide of the near post early in the second half while, at the other end, Vandelannoite thwarted Hibs when blocking Levnaic’s goalbound attempt.
Herrera, who replaced Richie Hart on the hour mark, tried to surprise Farrugia with a lob but the Qormi goalkeeper saved well. The Hibs coach then introduced Cohen for Caruana.
The rhythm of the game improved in the second half but scoring chances remained rare. Qormi’s Abubakar Bello Osagie summoned a volley from outside the area but his effort was wide.
With 18 minutes left, Bartolo drifted infield from the left before rifling a strong shot that sailed wide.
Qormi midfielder George Mallia, who had replaced Ho Jung Kang midway into the second half, was forced to leave the field after sustaining an injury. Stephen Azzopardi’s team came close to taking the lead but Bello Osagie’s header from Joseph Farrugia’s corner crashed against the crossbar.
Vandelannoite, Qormi’s Belgian defender, was voted BOV player of the match.