Balzan wing-back Justin Grioli defending possession against Mosta. Photo: Darrin Zammit Lupi

The Balzan FC players and officials sported a wide grin on their faces on Saturday after finally bagging their first Premier League win in almost three months following a 1-0 victory over Mosta in a bad-tempered match at the Tedesco Stadium which saw three players sent off.

Edison Bilboa Zarate again underlined his importance to Balzan’s cause as the hard-working Spanish midfielder scored the all-important goal with a well-taken finish midway through the first half to lift his team to fourth place in the standings on 22 points, one ahead of Floriana.

Coach Oliver Spiteri must have breathed a huge sigh of relief when referee Mario Apap blew the final whistle as he could finally celebrate a much-needed victory after a poor run of six draws and three defeats.

“Winning the three points was all that mattered against Mosta,” Spiteri told Times of Malta.

I think that after more than half of this year’s championship we have shown that Balzan are good enough to finish just behind the three title contenders

“We came into the match on the back of nine matches without a win and even though we still managed to remain in the top half of the table during this drought, the pressure was slowly increasing on the players and the coaching staff.

“It was a very tough match played in a very tense atmosphere with the players showing signs of nervousness. A series of fouls inevitably hampered the flow of the game.

“But I must praise the players who showed great commitment and teamwork to win a match against one of our direct rivals for fourth place.

“No doubt, this will be a huge injection of confidence for the team and we can prepare for the second part of the season in more tranquil surroundings.”

Balzan’s struggles to win matches lately contrasts sharply with the form shown by the Reds at the start of the season where they had won four of their opening six fixtures, including a dramatic 3-2 success over title challengers Birkirkara.

“I think that at the start of the season our opponents did not see us much of a threat and we were allowed extra space when pushing forward with our strikers scoring precious goals that earned us some positive results,” Spiteri said.

“Inevitably, that made our opponents take a more defensive approach which left us with a difficult task to break them down.

“But still, one good thing that emerged during this poor spell was that we only lost three matches, two against the main title challengers, Hibernians and Valletta.

“The main characteristic in our team has been sheer determination through difficult times and this experience will serve us in good stead to reach our objectives.”

Asked what his main goal for the season was, Spiteri said: “We want to finish in fourth place.

“I think that after more than half of this year’s championship we have shown that we’re good enough to finish just behind the three title contenders but at the same time there is still a lot of work to be done as I’m sure that our rivals will step up a gear at the start of the new year.”

To this aim, Spiteri revealed that Balzan are planning to bolster their squad during next month’s transfer window.

“I think that this season, apart from Hibernians, Birkirkara and Valletta, who are a cut above the others, there is little to separate the other teams in the Premier League,” Spiteri said.

“We are seeing that all the other teams can take points from each other so the level of competition in the second part of the season will be higher. I’m satisfied with the group of players I have at present but at the same time we feel Balzan need to strengthen to stay competitive.

“At present, we have seven players from the youth team in the senior squad so we need to add the numbers and new options which could help our cause in a crucial third round.

“We shall seek to bring over a new striker from overseas and we are also working to sign two Maltese players to add to our pool of defenders and midfielders.”

Spiteri said that it will be important for Balzan to reach their peak at the start of February, in time for the third and final round of the championship which will be decisive to attain their pre-season goal.

“Peak form at the start of the third round will be crucial, more important than in previous years,” Spiteri reckoned.

“With all teams facing each other once, we will be wary that any slip-up could be critical so Balzan need to be ready for what promises to be a final sprint.”