Sliema’s Andrea Pisanu (left) steers clear of Terrence Agius, the Pietà midfielder who has joined Balzan. Photo: Paul Zammit Cutajar

Amid the hype surrounding the clubs’ endeavours to recruit new players during the January transfer window, starting on Monday, the focus of local football enthusiasts switches back to on-field matters as the BOV Premier League resumes after the Christmas break with a six-match programme.

While the situation looks pretty straightforward at the top, given that Hibernians are starting the New Year with a healthy 15-point lead over Valletta and Birkirkara, there is little bet-ween the rest of the teams with only eight points separating Balzan, in fourth, and Pietà Hotspurs who ended 2014 second bottom.

The last three weeks have been anything but plainsailing for the Hotspurs.

A six-month ban to Noel Coleiro looked to have thrown their season into disarray but this week they received a boost with the news that the MFA Appeals Board had overturned the coach’s suspension.

The board concluded that Coleiro had not actually headbutted Floriana winger Steve Pisani at the end of the match between the two clubs last month.

Now that the Coleiro saga is over, Pietà will be looking to step up their relegation fight but suspensions, injuries and the departures of three players have undermined their resources ahead of their difficult match against Sliema Wanderers.

Coleiro was reluctant to talk about the ban and the club’s successful appeal but bemoaned the difficulties hampering his team going into tomorrow’s clash at the Tedesco Stadium (kick-off 2pm).

He said: “We are missing too many players.

“Rafael Xavier and Nikola Tasic have left, Terrence Agius has been transferred to Balzan and Malcolm Licari is out for the rest of the season due to injury. To complicate matters, Leo-nardo Fortunato and Gabriel are suspended for this game.

“We have various promising youngsters at the club but it becomes very tough when you lose so many established players at the same time.

“Okay, never say never and sometimes when the team is depleted, the players show more character and play with more aggression.

“But, realistically-speaking, there is a gap between Sliema and us in terms of technique and experience of the players available.”

Coleiro is also concerned about the fitness of captain Christian Grech who is doubtful.

With the Hotspurs embroiled in a relegation struggle, the prospect of having their head coach barred from the touchline for the rest of the season would have further jeopardised their chances but Coleiro revealed that he would have resigned had he received a hefty ban.

“I had made it clear to the club that if I was going to be out for a long time, I would have left my post so they could find a replacement,” Coleiro said.

“It would have made no sense to stay on knowing that I couldn’t lead the team during games.

“I’m a man of principle.

“A one- or two-match suspension would have been acceptable but I have to say that I’ve already been punished unjustly after serving a ban against Hibernians.”

Seventh in the table, Sliema are also hungry for points as they look to distance themselves from the relegation zone. On the other hand, defeat tomorrow would allow Pietà to move to within two points of Sliema, thus compromising the latter’s position.

While acknowledging the importance of the match, Sliema coach Stephen Azzopardi said it feels like the New Year marks the start of the season for him and his team as he has only been in charge since October.

“In a way I’m feeling like the season is just starting for us as I’ve only been with the team for a month-and-a-half, given that there were two breaks during this period,” Azzopardi said.

“The table is important but I’m still working to introduce my ideas and I need more time to gauge the progress of the team since I began my work here.

“As far as the league is concerned, every game is like a direct encounter because most of the teams are on the same level.”

Sliema will have defender Clifford Gatt Baldacchino and striker Michael Mifsud missing, both injured, but Alex Muscat could be available. Azzopardi is confident that Sliema will improve.

“We are recovering our key players and that is very important as we’ve been hit very hard by injuries this season,” Azzopardi said.

“It was always going to be difficult for us to cope with the absence of players like Clifford Gatt Baldac-chino, Alex Muscat and Michael Mifsud. They’re all Malta internationals and for us it was like losing the backbone of the team.

“Hopefully, we can start to show our true potential.

“With regards to our immediate objectives, I’m sure that most coaches will tell you that their aim is to move clear of the bottom positions.

“In many ways, the format of the Premier League has not changed.

“The Championship and Relegation Pools have been scrapped but the teams are still vying to end the second round among the top six or seven and establish a healthy lead over the bottom teams before the points halved.

“The principles are the same.”

On the positive side, Italian defender Stefano Bianciardi has extended his contract with Sliema Wanderers for another two years.

First round: Sliema Wanderers vs Pietà Hotspurs 2-0.