It has been an excellent week for Birkirkara.

A 3-1 win over Sliema Wanderers allied with Valletta’s partial slip-up following a 2-2 draw with Mosta has catapulted Birkirkara five points clear at the top.

The title now is surely Birkirkara’s to lose and tomorrow, the champions will be seeking to clear another hurdle on the path to league glory when they meet the third-placed Hibernians at the National Stadium (kick-off 4pm).

Birkirkara’s bright showings in their last two games have galvanised midfielder Paul Fenech’s belief that the champions are on course to retain the title.

“We are very optimistic,” Fenech told Times of Malta.

“In the early stages of the season, we were winning games but our performances were not always convincing.

“At the end of the day, the result is what matters most but we have raised our performance level in the last few games.

“Almost all the players are 100 per cent fit and that is helping us a lot. Our aim is to stay top and avoid dropping points at this crucial time.”

Out of the running for the championship, the Paolites are now fighting for third place and a Europa League berth but Fenech warned against taking Hibs lightly.

“Hibs are not as strong as they were at the start of the season,” the Birkirkara midfielder said.

“That said, from what I’ve seen, Hibs have introduced some promising youngsters and they are still capable of taking points off any team.

“For us, every game is like a final at this stage of the season.”

A win tomorrow would ensure that the Stripes remain five points clear of Valletta ahead of their direct clash tomorrow week, whatever the result of the latter’s encounter with Balzan this afternoon.

“It’s important as, if we win this game, we will retain the initiative knowing that even a draw against Valletta would keep us well clear, albeit we always go out for the three points,” Fenech said.

Fenech’s tenacious displays in midfield were central to Birkirkara’s title success last season. His consistency also earned him the top individual prize in Maltese football as the nippy midfielder claimed the coveted MFA Footballer of the Year award.

It was always going to be difficult for Fenech to match the heights of last season but he has lived up to the challenge.

“When I won the MFA award last year, I remember saying that it’s not easy to maintain those high stan-dards because when you reach the top, it’s hard to stay there,” he said.

“But with the support of my team-mates, coach (Paul Zammit) and our physio, who looks after my fitness, my performances have been very satisfactory, especially in the last few games.

“I want to stress that this wouldn’t have been possible without the help of my team-mates.

“At the start of the season, I also made a resolution to score more goals and it has paid off as I’ve scored seven in all competitions which is a personal record.”

For a club that has been at the summit for a long time, the least one expects is for the Birkirkara fans to flock to the stadium and back their team but this has not been the case amid an overall decline in attendances.

Fenech is hoping that Birkirkara’s march will lure more fans for their remaining seven games.

“It’s important that the fans come to support us at this crucial time of the season,” Fenech remarked.

“When things are not going well, we accept criticism, especially from our fans, but now we expect them to come and give us an extra push.

“Seeing many fans at the stadium increases our motivation. Attendances are decreasing but, only last month, there was a really great atmosphere at the stadium when we played Valletta.”

Birkirkara coach Paul Zammit is still without midfielder Rowen Muscat, who is recovering from knee surgery, but has no other selection problems.

For his part, Hibs coach Branko Nisevic is missing defender Ryan Camilleri, suspended, and Serbian midfielder Zoran Levnaic who has an abdominal problem.

While admitting that Hibs have had to lower their ambitions after their mid-season wobbles, captain Andrew Cohen insists that their motivation to compete with the best teams is still high.

“We had to adjust our objectives from challenging for the title to fighting for European football,” Cohen said.

“Nevertheless, we always look forward to playing against the top teams. In the last two seasons, we have only beaten Birkirkara once and a win against them would give us a lift.”

Hibs are only one point ahead of the fourth-placed Sliema and four clear of Mosta with the latter two involved in a direct clash today.

Cohen admitted that Hibs are still far from recapturing the excellent form they showed in the first three months of the season but has detected encouraging signs in their 4-2 win over Balzan last weekend.

“We still have a long way to go to regain the levels we reached at the start of the season but the last game has filled me with courage,” he said.

“It was not just the result. We played really well, created chances and scored four goals.”

Although Hibs are going into their clash with the leaders as underdogs, Cohen believes that they can cause a surprise.

“I believe that, if we all play to the best of our abilities, on our day we can beat anyone,” Cohen said.

“We also need luck to be on our side because we’ve been very unfortunate this season.”

Previous results: Hibs vs Birkirkara 1-0, 1-2.