Floriana’s spirited fightback in their 2-1 victory over Qormi was hailed as the triumph of the collective as the high-flying Greens showed character to overcome the double setback of an early goal and the 23rd-minute dismissal of defender Eric Akoto.

When we play against Hibs and Valletta, we will have a better picture of our true capabilities because they are the two most competitive teams- Michael Woods

The manner of their success on Saturday also served up further evidence of the excellent impact Michael Woods has had on the team as the coach’s tactical adjustments, after Floriana went a goal and a man down, sparked their revival.

Early scepticism about Floriana’s ability to keep their place in the upper echelons of the Premier League after their runner-up finish the previous season, has long ebbed away as they are third in the table, two points behind Hibs and eight adrift of leaders Valletta, and already assured of a place in the Championship Pool.

Saturday’s win extended their unbeaten run to eight matches and Woods said the players deserve credit for their commitment and consistency.

“The team is playing with determination and fighting spirit throughout the 90 minutes,” Woods told The Times.

“It’s all down to the tremendous effort of the players. On Saturday, they showed great tactical discipline and that’s why we won the match against Qormi with 10 men.”

Floriana endured a terrible start as they struggled to find their usual passing rhythm while their back four looked edgy every time Qormi pumped long balls towards Abubakar Bello-Osagie and Jorginho.

“The defence was a bit shaky at the start,” Woods admitted.

“I was disappointed with our performance in the opening stages but with 10 players, we improved. I told the players at half-time that sometimes teams play better with 10 men and that was certainly the case on Saturday.

“The players stepped up their efforts as well as their concentration after we went down to 10 men. There’s an excellent spirit in the squad and I’m glad that we have already reached our Championship Pool objective.”

Akoto, a Togo international, was shown a straight red card by referee Chris Lautier for a sliding tackle on Matthew Bartolo midway into the first half. Woods had no qualms about Akoto’s dismissal.

“It was a poor tackle, so the referee’s decision was correct,” Woods said.

Although Valletta and Hibs are seen as the two main contenders for the title, Floriana are also being talked of as potential challengers after keeping in touch with the front runners.

Woods believes that the results of Floriana’s matches against Hibs and Valletta will go a long way towards showing whether the Greens can mount a bid for the title.

“When the points are halved, the situation will be different,” Woods said. “The gap will be smaller but we will see where we are at the start of the Championship Pool.

“It’s important that we remain consistent. When we play against Hibs and Valletta, we will have a better picture of our true capabilities because they are the two most competitive teams.

“One should not write off Birkirkara either as they can be tough opponents.

“I’m satisfied with our progress so far, especially with the commitment and attitude of the players. The unity in our squad is our main strength. All the players are giving their all and the new ones have integrated well.”

Despite enjoying a successful playing career with Hibs and Malta, Woods had yet to prove his worth as a coach when he joined Floriana as assistant to technical director Todor Raykov at the start of season 2010/11.

When the club parted company with Raykov in February, Woods took charge of the team on a caretaker basis initially but, encouraged by the improvement in the team’s performances, the Floriana committee, led by president Johan Said, gave the former St George’s mentor the job on a permanent basis.

Their decision has been vindicated as Woods has kept Floriana among the leading sides in the top flight this term after guiding them to second place and success in the FA Trophy last season.

Although, in the eyes of many, Woods was still a novice when he took charge of Floriana, he was confident that the time was right to make a step-up.

“I don’t like to speak about myself but I had spent seven years as assistant to Robert Gatt (at Hibs),” Woods said. “In my playing career, I also worked with Pietro Ghedin and Brian Talbot and I learned a lot from those two coaches.

“I had already completed the UEFA A coaching course when the opportunity to coach Floriana came about. I was determined to seize the chance. I must say that I’m honoured to be coaching a glorious club like Floriana.

“I’m happy here and I want to thank the committee, fans and players for their support.”

The conclusion of their search for foreign players to team up with the reliable Pablo Doffo has also benefited Floriana as Swedish winger Andre Grabowski has had a very positive impact on the team while Onome Sodje and Akoto also look to have settled in well.

Last month, Floriana also signed Malcolm Licari from Marsaxlokk and Said didn’t rule out another signing if they manage to loan out some players.

Although Woods would welcome further reinforcements, he agrees with the club’s policy to stick to their budget.

“The club has a budget and it has to be respected,” Woods said. “I’m happy with the squad I have. There is still some uncertainty over some players who were going to move on, so we’ll have to wait and see. But, the financial stability of the club is very important.”

Meanwhile, Woods revealed that Nigerian striker Sodje will be sidelined for six weeks as he requires surgery after fracturing his wrist during the 4-0 victory over Marsaxlokk earlier this month.

Premier League statistics

Scorers, red cards

Balzan Youths: Pedrinho 6 (1 pen); Bright 5; Ciantar 4; Tasic, Camilleri, Farrugia, Grima, Forace, Bernardes.
Own goal: Camilleri (vs Ħamrun).
Red cards: Pedrinho (vs Qormi; vs Mqabba), Francica (vs Hibs; vs Sliema), Forace (vs Tarxien), Ciantar (vs Valletta).

Birkirkara: Avila Perez 9; Cilia 4 (3 pens); Grech 2, Pereira 2, Vella 2 (1 pen); Buhagiar, Zerafa, Muscat, Fenech.
Red cards: Decesare (vs Mosta), Grech (vs Qormi), Avila Perez, Bajada (vs Mosta), Decesare, Pereira (vs Hibs).

Floriana: Caruana 6; Grabowski 5; Woods 4 (2 pens); Micallef 3; Cassar 2, Mintoff 2; Odwong, Farrugia, J. Borg, Darmanin, Sodje, C. Borg.
Own goal: Everton (vs Tarxien).
Red cards: Amamoo (vs Sliema), Bartolo (vs Birkirkara), Akoto (vs Qormi).

Ħamrun Spartans: Ribeiro 6; Shields 5 (2 pens); Grima 4; Sammut 2; Luis Silva, Toneto Porcari, Agius, Polli, Calabretta.
Own goal: Bugeja (vs Floriana).
Red cards: Agius (vs Balzan), Polli (vs Birkirkara), Sammut (vs Balzan), Borg (vs Qormi).

Hibs: Edison 17 (1 pen); Failla 9; Cohen 4; Caruana 2, Pisani 2, Soares 2, Anizoba 2; Herrera, Dias.
Red cards: Pulis (vs Valletta), Dias (vs Birkirkara).

Marsaxlokk: Obiefule (now with Mosta) 10; Deanov 4; Farrugia 2, Lattes 2; Kokavessis, Campagnoli.
Red card: Templeman (vs Hibernians), Brincat (vs Qormi).

Mosta: Zammit 4 (1 pen); Martin 3, Mvondo 3; Obiefule 2; Aboulezz, Arilson, Borg.
Own goal: Buhagiar (vs Birkirkara).
Red cards: Ossok (vs Hibs), Tisbi (vs Qormi), Martin (vs Tarxien).

Mqabba: Mazzitelli 7 (1 pen), Mamic 7 (1 pen); Azzopardi, Briffa, Potezica, Bonnici, Timotic, Nwoba.
Red cards: Mazzitelli (vs Marsaxlokk), Mamic (vs Hibs), Timotic (vs Hibs).

Qormi: Farrugia 9 (4 pens); Jorginho 8 (2 pens); Bello Osagie 5; Nwoke 4; Bartolo, Sciberras, Bondin.
Red cards: Duff (vs Birkirkara), Jorginho (vs Floriana).

Sliema: Mitev 8 (4 pens), Lima 4; Bajada 4; Jorge 3; Mifsud Triganza 2, Ani 2; Scerri, Frendo, Galabov, Fenech.
Red cards: Scerri (vs Hibs), Grech (vs Floriana), Mitev (vs Marsaxlokk; vs Balzan), Mifsud (vs Hibs), B. Muscat (vs Birkirkara).

Tarxien Rainbows: Bueno 6 (1 pen), Ricardo 6 (1 pen); Anonam 2, Galvao 2, Carabott 2; Everton; Mayasi (pen).
Own goal: Pereira (vs Birkirkara).
Red cards: Anonam (vs Mosta), Costa (vs Balzan; Mosta), Suguino (vs Valletta).

Valletta: Denni 8, Effiong 8; Barbosa 6 (1 pen); Zongo 5; Mifsud 4; Borg 3; Pace 2, Briffa 2, G. Agius 2.
Red cards: G. Agius, Borg, Fenech (vs Hibs).

	P	W	D	L	F	A	Pts
Valletta	17	14	2	1	40	13	44
Hibernians	17	11	5	1	40	14	38
Floriana	17	11	3	3	29	14	36
Sliema	17	6	8	3	27	21	26
Birkirkara	17	8	2	7	23	22	26
Balzan Youths	17	7	3	7	24	26	24
Qormi	17	7	2	8	29	29	23
Mqabba	17	4	4	9	20	29	16
Ħamrun	17	4	3	10	23	39	15
Mosta	17	3	5	9	16	30	14
Tarxien	17	4	1	12	21	38	13
Marsaxlokk	17	3	2	12	20	37	11

Next fixtures

U*BET FA Trophy (fourth round)
Saturday: Centenary Stadium – 14.00 Marsaxlokk vs Pietà; 16.00 Mellieħa vs Qormi. National Stadium – 14.00 Balzan vs Floriana; 16.00 Sliema vs Valletta.
Sunday: Centenary Stadium – 14.00 Mosta vs Xewkija Tigers; 16.00 St George’s vs Lija Athletic. Hibs Stadium – 14.00 Rabat Ajax vs Hibernians; 16.00 Birkirkara vs Ħamrun Spartans.