Hibernians are one of the most successful clubs in Maltese football.

However, up to 1960, they had failed to win a major honour. It seemed that a spell was cast on this club which would never be broken.

The hoodoo was finally broken in season 1960-61 when the Paolites captured the league title after a tough battle with Valletta.

Since then, Hibs have won all honours that the local game could offer. In addition, they are the only club, apart from Valletta FC, who have never tasted the bitter dregs of relegation.

Hibs’ luck was bound to change sooner or later.

At the end, success will always come to those who persevere and Hibs’ great day finally arrived in the penultimate match of the 1960-61 season. Their supporters went mad with joy as Italian referee Gennaro Marchese blew his whistle for the end of the match against Valletta.

Hibs won a great game 2-1 with goals from Jimmy Mizzi.

The scenes at the end of the match were indescribable as hundreds of Hibs supporters raced onto the pitch to cheer their heroes. Many wept with joy as the championship went to Paola for the first time since the club’s formation in 1931.

It was also the first time the championship went to the south of the island since the triumph of St George’s way back in 1917.

Their belated hour of success, was not only a merited one but it also opened the way for further success.

From then on, Hibs never looked back. Before long they had established themselves as one of the top four clubs in the national league. Before that, however, there was still one more disappointment.

With the 1961 under their belts, Hibs looked forward to the FA Trophy.

With the top three teams avoiding each other in the first round, the semi-finals offered a feast of good football.

The pick of the semi-finals was undoubtedly the clash be­tween Valletta and Hibs. The Paolites, fresh from their league success, faced City’s challenge with confidence.

Yet, 210 minutes of keen, hard football produced only one goal in favour of the Paola club.

Hibs thus reached their fourth final and moved a step closer towards making 1960-61 a really memorable campaign.

Floriana could only beat St Patrick 1-0 in the other semi-final. This goal, however, was enough to take the Greens through to yet another final.

Despite the hot weather, the big crowd present for the final was not disappointed. The game was far from a classic but the run of play was such as to maintain the interest throughout the 90 minutes.

A Pullu Demanuele goal after four minutes put the Greens on the path to victory.

Hibs pressed hard for the equaliser but Ġużi Alamango made two fine saves and then full-back Johnny Privitera inadvertently lobbed his own goalkeeper as Floriana made sure of victory.

For the 11th time in their illustrious history, Floriana had won the FA Trophy.

In 17 post-war seasons, the Greens won the knock-out 10 times, thus underlining their dominance of the game in Malta during that particular period.

Of course, it was a dominance they shared with Sliema Wanderers. The situation, however, was on the point of changing once and for all.

Hibernians were obviously disappointed with their performance in the FA Trophy but their victory in the championship race marked the start of a new era for the club.

A new spirit swept the south of the island and ambitious plans were laid to lift the club to the top of Maltese football.

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