Melita 1
Galea 80
Floriana 2
Coronado 27; Nwoko 66
Igor Coronado was withdrawn with 18 minutes remaining but the Brazilian had done enough to give Floriana a solid platform after crowning another lively showing with a clinical finish that gave his team an early lead.
By the time man-of-the-match Coronado made way for Mark Spiteri, Floriana were 2-0 up and seemingly coasting to an easy win over a toothless Melita side but a late goal by the returning Julian Galea shook the Greens out of their comfort zone.
Melita did try to mount a late rally in search of an equaliser but Floriana survived some anxious moments to preserve their one-goal lead and give coach Iain Brunskill his first win since succeeding Stephen Azzopardi.
Floriana deserved their win as they were the brisker side for long stretches but their failure to convert their superiority into more goals almost returned to haunt them.
Brunskill will have been delighted with the way his players applied themselves in their first Relegation Pool match as their efforts ensured that Floriana ended a winless run of eight games and, more importantly, eased their worries.
With Sacha Borg and Gary Roberts serving a one-match ban, Brunskill will have been heartened by the news that Coronado and Brooke Farrugia were available .
Brunskill deployed his team in a 4-2-3-1 formation with Udo Nwoko and Steve Pisani providing the width and Coronado pressing forward through the middle.
A pre-match boost for Melita was the return of Galea, the club captain, who had been sidelined for several weeks with a fractured arm.
Karl Vella Petroni joined coach Patxi Salinas in the stands as both were ruled out by suspension while Jorge Veloso was out, injured.
The return of his chief playmaker encouraged Salinas to ditch his conservative 4-1-4-1 strategy in favour of a more adventurous 4-4-2 with Galea joining the front duo of Luke Micallef and Daniel Cabanillas in attack when the Amateurs pushed forward.
A swift Melita counter-attack had Floriana on the backfoot after six minutes as Micallef sped towards the byline down the right before crossing for the advancing Galea who volleyed wide.
Floriana’s reaction saw them gain an edge, possession-wise, but they could only muster a couple of half-chances as Melita weathered the pressure.
On 17 minutes, Farrugia blasted over from just outside the area after picking up a half-clearance by the Melita defenders.
The Amateurs were caught out at the back when Farrugia’s lofted pass found Pisani unmarked outside the penalty area but the on-loan Hibs winger took a heavy touch and Ivan Tufegdzic cleared the danger.
In next to no time, Floriana broke the deadlock. Their goal came from a familiar source as Coronado raced through to reach Clyde Borg’s pass and finished with panache, ramming a low shot past Guillermo Garcia and into the corner of the net.
A few minutes after Floriana’s opener, Melita won a free-kick in an inviting position but Cabanillas sent his shot high and wide.
But the Greens continued to show the brighter ideas. Six minutes from half-time, Owen Bugeja sent Carl Tremarco scurrying into the box from the left but the midfielder’s cross-cum-shot was overhit.
Early in the second half, it was Floriana who should have extended their lead when Pisani found himself in abundant space in the box but he hesitated before hitting a low cross that was cut out by Garcia.
The game offered little entertainment for much of the opening 20 minutes of the second half as scrappy football was the order of the game.
Floriana maintained a foothold and, on 66 minutes, they all but wrapped up their win with a second goal.
There were glaring gaps in the Melita box as Farrugia dragged the ball back to Nwoko who beat Garcia with a curling shot.
Melita were almost gifted a route back into the game when Kane Farrugia’s miscued backpass rolled wide of the near post.
Two goals down, Melita needed a quick goal to resurrect their hopes but they were unable to work up a head of steam. Nigel Rizzo tried his luck with a shot that flew wide of the near post.
With 10 minutes remaining, Melita reduced the arrears. A long ball into the penalty box undid the Floriana defence as George Gribbon headed towards the goalmouth and Galea poked the ball home.
Floriana would have restored their two-goal lead but for a fine save by Garcia who parried away Nwoko’s swerving drive after the latter had been sent through by Thomas Paris.
At the other end, Cabanillas lashed wide after getting on the end of Galea’s cross.
Melita: G. Garcia-6, M.R. Sierra Camacho-5.5, G. Gribbon-6, I. Tufegdzic-5, M. Borg-5, J. Galea-6.5, M. Martin-5, A. Caruana Scicluna-5 (71 J.P. Attard-5), N. Rizzo-5, L. Micallef-5, D. Cabanillas-5.5.
Floriana: T. Warner-5.5, T. Cilia-6, K. Farrugia-5, O. Bugeja-6.5, C. Tremarco-6, T. Paris-6.5, C. Borg-6.5, B. Farrugia-6.5, U. Nwoko-7, S. Pisani-6, I. Coronado-7 (72 M. Spiteri-5.5).
Referee Fyodor Zammit.
Yellow cards Pisani; Borg; Warner; Caruana Scicluna; Bugeja.
BOV player of the match Igor Coronado (Floriana).