ST ANDREWS 3; NAXXAR LIONS 1

The plot in the relegation issue thickened yesterday as St. Andrews crushed a sorry Naxxar Lions side in a one-side match.

With the Lions’ point advantage over their opponents cut down to two points, the battle between the two sides to avoid relegation will now go down to the wire when a point would have put Naxxar Lions in the play-off match and condemned their opponents. Now St Andrews will meet Qormi as Naxxar take on Sliema Wanderers.

By way of showing their intent to take the game to Naxxar, the Saints fashioned two chances in quick succession inside the first five minutes. In the first instant, Nwoko head wide and minutes later, Oseghale’s diagonal shot hit the side-netting.

Brian Chetcuti’s side kept pushing forward, sensing that once the ice would be broken they could defuse the mental pressure. After nine minutes, Alberto Gallinetta pulled off a fine save to smother away Wisdom’s swerving shot.

It didn’t take long for the Saints to get the ball was in the Naxxar net. A pin-pointed chip from Jonatan Cuestra from the right seared across the box and onto the head of Nwoko and in no time the ball was in the net.

There was no escape for Naxxar again, after 25 minutes, Nwoko beat the offside trap to latch onto Wisdom’s defence-splitting pass before hitting home with a superb finish.

In an isolated raid Josè Godar hit wide on a cross from Vallecillo just before half-time.

It was much the same pattern after the restart as the Saints again went on the warpath. Two minutes into the second half, a good Oshegale move set up Nwoko but his firm header brought a one-hand save from Gallinetta as Andrew Scicluna cleared off the line Cuestra’s rebound.

Past the hour mark, Oseghale put his clan’s mind at rest with a great shot into the low corner after Salomon turned a short clearance into the Nigerian’s direction.

At death, substitute Liam Grech handed Javier Hungaria Rosero’s cross as Vallecillo scored a consolation goal from the spot.