The National Stadium will be a cauldron of fire this afternoon as Valletta and Floriana will battle it out for the final honour of the 2010-11 season when facing each other in the U*Bet FA Trophy final (kick-off 5 p.m.).
Valletta are determined to retain the FA Trophy for a second year running as it would propel the team to a treble, having already won the Super Cup and the Premier League this season.
But sporting foes Floriana will be equally eager to win this contest to finally put an end to a long wait for a domestic title. In fact, the last time the Greens won a major honour was way back in 1994 when they beat Valletta 2-1 in the FA Trophy final.
That was Floriana’s fourth victory over the Citizens in seven FA Trophy finals. However, the task of repeating that feat is anything but easy as the Greens will come up against a Valletta team so superior and dominant this season.
The Citizens clinched the title unbeaten and in their last four meetings with the Greens they claimed two wins and two draws, conceding just one goal in the process.
That impressive run of results has instilled a huge dose of tranquility in City coach Jesmond Zerafa who said he is approaching the final under no extra pressure despite the importance of the occasion.
“This may sound strange but for me it’s just another football match,” Zerafa told The Sunday Times.
“Sure, there is great hype surrounding this match but for us it’s business as usual. I’m blessed to have a very experienced team with a deep know-how on such vital matches... actually some of them do relish such occasions.
“This is going to be another tough match as cup finals are always difficult irrespective of your opponent. These matches are completely different to league fixtures as everything is decided at one go. But I’m confident, we can win this one as well and give the fans something more to celebrate on.”
Zerafa has a wealth of experience when it comes to cup finals as the former winger was involved in four similar contests when he wore the Valletta shirt way back in the 1990s.
He collected his first FA Trophy medal in 1991, in a 2-1 win over Sliema Wanderers, but the following year Valletta got beaten 2-1 by Ħamrun Spartans in a tense final replay after having drawn the first match 3-3.
Zerafa again lined up for the Citizens in the 1994 final upset to Floriana but made up for that when he helped the team to a 1-0 win over Ħamrun, Danilo Doncic netting the winner in extra-time.
“I don’t really have fond memories of that particular 1994 final but I hope this time there will be a different ending to the story,” he said.
Zerafa can bank on a full compliment today as he is boosted by the return to fitness of skipper Gilbert Agius who missed the team’s hard-fought semi-final victory (1-0) over Tarxien Rainbows last Sunday.
Floriana, on their part, cannot field their strongest formation as Serb forward Dragomir Draganov is out injured while Ivan Woods (knee) and Pablo Doffo (hamstring) are not 100 per cent fit.
Coach Michael Woods knows this is no match like the others but he still believes that Floriana have enough incentives to topple City from their perch.
“Valletta are the best team in the league and it won’t be easy for us to beat them,” Woods said.
“But, this final is of huge importance as Floriana have an opportunity to win their first major honour in many a year. The team is in good form as we showed some great consistency in our last few matches. So, I’m expecting the boys to maintain this positive momentum for the final.
“There is a lot of hunger for success among our players as for many of them this is also their first chance to taste success in their career. Players like Manolito Micallef, Christian Caruana, Tyrone Farrugia, Duncan Pisani and Christian Cassar have never won the FA Trophy before so they should be motivated more than the others to help the team to victory.”
Woods has a somewhat mixed record in this knock-out competition.
The former Hibs and Malta defender failed to win the FA Trophy during his playing days but was part of the Paolites’ technical staff in the back-to-back Trophy finals when serving as no.2 to coach Robert Gatt.
In fact, Gatt and Woods led Hibs to successive finals in 2006 and 2007 when Hibs beat Floriana 1-0 and then had the better of Sliema Wanderers 2-1 after extra-time.
“I didn’t have too much luck with this competition as a player but I’m looking forward to change that trend and win it for the first time as coach.
“The players are all focused on this final and the atmosphere in the group is excellent. We know there are great expectations at the club so I’m urging my team to double their efforts and give the fans something to celebrate for. They deserve it.”
Last 10 finals
2001: Valletta vs Birkirkara - 3-0
2002: Birkirkara vs Sliema Wanderers - 1-0
2003: Birkirkara vs Sliema Wanderers - 1-0
2004: Sliema Wanderers vs Marsaxlokk - 2-0
2005: Birkirkara vs Msida St Joseph - 2-1
2006: Hibernians vs Floriana - 1-0
2007: Hibernians vs Sliema Wanderers(aet) - 2-1
2008: Birkirkara vs Ħamrun Spartans - 2-1
2009: Sliema Wanderers vs Valletta - 3-3 (Sliema win 4-3 on penalties)
2010: Valletta vs Qormi - 2-1