Hibs’ goalkeeper Mario Muscat showed resilience in the face of adversity, producing a sound display in the 1-1 draw against Valletta just hours after flying from the UK where his newborn son is receiving medical treatment.

Not for the first time in his long career, Mario Muscat earned the plaudits after his performance went a long way towards securing Hibs a point in their top-of-the-table clash with Valletta on Saturday.

For the umpteenth time, Muscat’s fine showing was greeted with shouts of ‘Mario, Mario’ from the Hibs faithful but these were no ordinary circumstances for the veteran goalkeeper.

While football followers had been eagerly awaiting Saturday’s clash, Muscat’s build-up had been anything but straightforward.

The past four weeks have been very difficult for Muscat, his partner Isabel and their families after doctors discovered that the keeper’s newborn child, Jaiden, had a serious heart problem.

Jaiden underwent surgery at Mater Dei but, a few days later, doctors told Muscat that his son was to be flown to the UK to have another delicate operation at London’s Great Ormond Hospital.

Muscat has spent much of the past three weeks by his son’s bedside but, heartened by the latest medical bulletin following the operation at Great Ormond, the 35-year-old decided to make himself available for Saturday’s match.

“It was a very hard decision,” Muscat told The Times from Great Ormond Hospital.

“I hadn’t trained with the team for three weeks but the club never put any pressure on me to return.

“As the signs are more positive after the latest operation, I discussed with my partner whether I should fly back to Malta to play in this important match.

“I felt I had a duty to play and this is why I made the decision to come.”

Muscat landed on Friday, played on Saturday and headed back to England on Sunday.

Looking back on the game, Muscat was satisfied with the drawn outcome.

“All in all, it was a good result for us,” he said.

“I don’t want to make any excuses but we had three key players missing and that’s something when playing a strong team like Valletta.

“Valletta were slightly better but I think we deserved a point for the effort put in by all our players.

“We may have had a penalty at the end but we’d have stolen the points had we scored because Valletta didn’t deserve to lose.”

Putting personal hardship to one side, Muscat turned in a typically confident performance, making a string of solid saves in the second half as City turned up the pressure.

“It’s not easy for any player to be involved in such an intense game after missing training for a number of weeks,” Muscat said.

“I’m still training everyday here but I’m concentrating mainly on keeping myself in good shape.

“My experience saw me through, it helped me to cope with this situation.”

Saturday’s stalemate kept Valletta six points clear but Muscat is satisfied with Hibs’ progress.

“There’s satisfaction to be had from our position in the table and the team’s results,” Muscat said.

“We have only lost one game and even so, it was not like our performance in the defeat to Balzan (2-3) was disastrous.

“We’ve done well as a team. Although we’re six points behind Valletta, we’ve matched their scoring tally, 38, and only conceded one more.

“These statistics show that we’re not far behind. Moreover, we’re the only team to have inflicted a defeat on Valletta in the last two seasons.

“If we make some additions to the squad this month, we can sustain our challenge for the title.”

Rivalries in football can border on hatred and there’s perhaps no other Maltese player who has been taunted by rival fans as much as Muscat has in the last few years.

However, he has been touched by the messages of support and solidarity he received from his friends, fans and officials of other clubs during this difficult time.

“To be honest, everyone has contributed towards making our lives easier,” Muscat said.

“And it’s not just our friends in football who have been very helpful.

“I want to thank our families and close friends for their help. The same applies to the supporters and committee of Hibs. There were also officials of other clubs who have contacted me not only to express solidarity but to offer their help.

“I take the opportunity to thank everyone, especially Puttinu Cares, the medical staff at Mater Dei, including surgeon Chris Fearne and Professor Victor Grech, and the staff at Great Ormond. We also want to show our gratitude to the Maltese Embassy in London and the Community Chest Fund.

“Everyone has been so supportive. We’re going through a difficult time and I hope that no parent experiences what we’ve been through in the last few weeks.

“Although you emphatise with other people who are suffering, you never think it’s going to hit you but when it does, it’s very hard to come to terms with it.”

The next game for Hibs is the derby against Tarxien on Saturday.

Muscat doesn’t know whether he’d be able to play, stressing that Jaiden’s health was his top priority.

“We don’t know when we will get the all-clear to return to Malta, we’re just taking it on a day-by-day basis,” the keeper said.

“There has been improvement in our son’s condition and that’s what matters most. We’re looking forward to reuniting with our families and getting back to a normal life.”

Premier League statistics

Scorers, red cards

Balzan Youths: Bright 5, Pedrinho 5 (1 pen); Ciantar 3; Tasic, Camilleri, Farrugia, Grima, Forace, Bernardes.
Own goal: Camilleri (vs Ħamrun).
Red cards: Pedrinho (vs Qormi, vs Mqabba), Francica (vs Hibs), Forace (vs Tarxien), Ciantar (vs Valletta).

Birkirkara: Avila Perez 8; Cilia 4 (3 pens); Grech 2, Pereira 2, Vella 2 (1 pen); Buhagiar, Zerafa, Muscat, Fenech.
Red cards: Decesare (vs Mosta), Grech (vs Qormi), Avila Perez, Bajada (vs Mosta), Decesare, Pereira (vs Hibs).

Floriana: Caruana 5, Grabowski 5; Woods 4 (2 pens); Micallef 3; Cassar 2, Mintoff 2; Odwong, Farrugia, J. Borg, Darmanin, Sodje.
Own goal: Everton (vs Tarxien).
Red cards: Amamoo (vs Sliema); Bartolo (vs Birkirkara).

Ħamrun: Ribeiro 6; Grima 4, Shields 4 (1 pen); Luis Silva, Sammut, Toneto Porcari, Agius, Polli, Calabretta.
Own goal: Bugeja (vs Floriana).
Red cards: Agius (vs Balzan), Polli (vs Birkirkara), Sammut (vs Balzan), Borg (vs Qormi).

Hibernians: Edison 17 (1 pen); Failla 9; Cohen 3; Caruana 2, Pisani 2, Soares 2; Anizoba, Herrera, Dias.
Red cards: Pulis (vs Valletta), Dias (vs Birkirkara).

Marsaxlokk: Obiefule 10; Deanov 4; Farrugia 2, Lattes 2; Kokavessis, Campagnoli. Red cards: Templeman (vs Hibernians), Brincat (vs Qormi).

Mosta: Zammit 4 (1 pen); Martin 3, Mvondo 3; Aboulezz, Arilson, Borg.
Own goal: Buhagiar (vs Birkirkara).
Red cards: Ossok (vs Hibs), Tisbi (vs Qormi), Martin (vs Tarxien).

Mqabba: Mazzitelli 7 (1 pen), Mamic 7 (1 pen); Azzopardi, Briffa, Potezica, Bonnici, Timotic.
Red cards: Mazzitelli (vs Marsaxlokk), Mamic (vs Hibs), Timotic (vs Hibs).

Qormi: Farrugia 9 (4 pens); Jorginho 8 (2 pens); Nwoke 4, Bello Osagie 4; Bartolo, Sciberras, Bondin.
Red card: Duff (vs Birkirkara).

Sliema: Mitev 8 (4 pens); Lima 4; Bajada 4; Jorge 3; Mifsud Triganza 2, Ani 2; Scerri, Frendo, Galabov.
Red cards: Scerri (vs Hibs), Grech (vs Floriana), Mitev (vs Marsaxlokk), Mifsud (vs Hibs), B. Muscat (vs Birkirkara).

Tarxien: Bueno 6 (1 pen), Ricardo 6 (1 pen); Anonam 2, Galvao 2, Carabott 2; Everton.
Own goal: Pereira (vs Birkirkara).
Red cards: Anonam (vs Mosta), Costa (vs Balzan), Suguino (vs Valletta), Ricardo (vs Mosta).

Valletta: Denni 8, Effiong 8; Barbosa 6 (1 pen); Zongo 5; Mifsud 3; Pace 2, Borg 2, Briffa 2, G. Agius 2.
Red cards: G. Agius, Borg, Fenech (vs Hibs).

	P	W	D	L	F	A	Pts
Valletta	16	13	2	1	38	12	41
Hibernians	16	10	5	1	38	13	35
Floriana	16	10	3	3	27	13	33
Sliema	16	6	8	2	26	19	26
Qormi	16	7	2	7	28	27	23
Birkirkara	16	7	2	7	22	22	23
Balzan	16	6	3	7	22	25	21
Mqabba	16	4	4	8	19	27	16
Ħamrun	16	4	2	10	21	37	14
Mosta	16	3	4	9	14	28	13
Tarxien	16	4	1	11	20	36	13
Marsaxlokk	16	3	2	11	20	36	11

Next fixtures
Friday: Tedesco Stadium – 18.00 Ħamrun Spartans-Mosta; 20.15 Birkirkara-Marsaxlokk.
Saturday: National Stadium – 14.00 Floriana-Qormi; 16.00 Tarxien-Hibs.
Sunday: Hibs Stadium – 14.00 Balzan-Sliema; 16.00 Valletta-Mqabba.