Naxxar Lions seem to have found their feet following an unconvincing start to the 2014/15 BOV Premier League season.

On Saturday, Naxxar chalked up a second successive victory following a narrow 1-0 win over the more-quoted Sliema Wanderers that moved them to 10th place in the standings after several weeks in the drop zone.

The goal that decided the issue came via an own goal from John Mintoff but the result was a morale booster to the Lions as they continue to show progress under the charge of Jesmond Zerafa who has only been in the job for a less than a month after replacing Winston Muscat.

“This result and victory over Sliema shows that we’re on the right way,” Zerafa told Times of Malta yesterday.

“After the fine performance in our previous match against Pietà Hotspurs, the team needed another positive result to show that we’re moving in the right direction and put some consistency in our play. The players were confident and in my opinion we did not steal anything from our opponents.

“I’m happy with the way things are going at the moment but these are still early days and a lot of work remains to be done. So, we have to keep our enthusiasm in order and focus more on hard work at the training ground.

“Honestly, I feel there’s potential in this squad but we’re still far off peak form at the moment.”

Zerafa admitted that the past few weeks were anything but plain-sailing. When he took charge he found a group of players struggling for self-confidence which stemmed from a poor run of results.

“It was easy to notice that the team were lacking self-belief and, inevitably, that left a negative impact on their matches,” the former Malta international explained.

“The situation wasn’t okay but I urged the players to stay calm and be patient, allowing more time for them to settle in a new tactical system which we agreed to introduce.

“Now, I think the players should be commended for their efforts as they look committed and open to put practice into play.

“Our last two matches were very encouraging from different aspects and that makes me more confident that we can continue moving up the standings.”

Naxxar’s decision to appoint Zerafa as their new coach is increasing becoming a good choice as the committee know they had hired someone who is serious about his job and with a regular dose of success over the past eight years.

Zerafa left his mark during his spell at Qormi FC where he led the side to the FA Trophy final and third place in the Premier League in 2009-10.

Naxxar need new players and a long bench to stave off the relegation threat

Last season he was coach when Balzan made it to the Championship Pool.

However, Zerafa’s biggest achievements came with his hometown club Valletta who claimed back-to-back titles in 2011 and 2012 with him on the bench.

The Naxxar coach is not dwelling too much of his past though as he wants to make the Lions a competitive team. His plans could be boosted with a few reinforcements in January.

“This championship has so many teams with the same potential and talented players,” Zerafa said.

“Hibernians are doing great at the top and Birkirkara and Valletta are also formidable teams. But, all the others seem to be on an even keel. Given our position in the standings Naxxar’s main goal has to be survival but to achieve that we need more options in the squad.

“There are some areas, particularly in midfield, where we are short in numbers.

“Against Sliema we had defender David Reano playing in midfield as there were none available for selection in that particular sector.

“There’s so many matches left to play... Naxxar need new players and a long bench to stave off the relegation threat.”

Naxxar kick off their second-round commitments against Qormi after the international break and Zerafa is urging his players to maintain their form and beat his former team.

“We need to win our next match to keep the feel-good factor flowing at the club,” Zerafa said.

“Naxxar’s big problem in the first round was failure to deliver in matches of this kind and that explains the whole situation.

“Now a consistent run of results, particularly against teams more or less of our calibre, is key to turn the season around. It’s no easy task but the squad have to keep training hard and understand the tactics well.

“That makes the confidence levels grow and help us reach our goals.”