Hibernians coach Michael Woods believes that the 3-2 victory over Valletta in the semi-final of the U*Bet FA Trophy helped to restore the players’ self-belief after their painful defeat to Birkirkara in the title decider.
For much of the first half of Saturday’s semi-final, Hibs played second fiddle to Valletta but they profited from a series of defining episodes late in the first half, notably the dismissal of City defender Jason Lee Vandelannoite and goalkeeper Manuel Bartolo, to set up a final against Qormi, a repeat of last year’s showdown.
“Last week we had two important games, the league decider and the semi-final,” Woods told a news conference at the Grand Hotel Excelsior yesterday.
“We were very disappointed to lose the championship and our confidence levels were down before the game against Valletta.
“During the week we worked to lift the spirits of the team and I’m pleased that the players showed character during the semi-final.
“We made the most of the episodes that came our way during the game but the team showed tactical discipline in the second half.
“After missing out on the title, our objective is to retain the Trophy and we will give our all to win the final.”
Hibs midfielder Andrew Cohen expressed his satisfaction that his team ended a difficult week on an uplifting note.
“As the coach pointed out, our morale was rock-bottom after the league decider but we have a strong team spirit which helped us to come through a difficult week,” Cohen, who will captain Hibs in tomorrow’s final in the absence of suspended goalkeeper Mario Muscat, said.
“We have had three high-level games in two weeks and the pressure and tiredness have taken their toll.
“We have challenged for the four honours at stake this season as we won the Euro Cup and lost the Super Cup and league decider.
“I hope we will retain the FA Trophy.”
Qormi extended their love affair with the FA Trophy after a 1-0 win over Division One side Lija Athletic propelled them to their third final in four years.
Victor Camilleri, the vice-president of Qormi, hopes that it will be a case of third time lucky for his club this year after they lost their previous two finals, 2-1 to Valletta in 2009/10 and 3-1 to Hibernians last year.
“May the best team win,” Camilleri said.
“This will be our third final in the last four seasons and I hope that luck smiles on us this time around.
“There is great unity in our squad. The semi-final against Lija was a difficult game and we gave our opponents the utmost respect.
“I’m glad that we have reached the final and we are focused to try and win it.”
Camilleri revealed that the Qormi players will receive a bonus if they inscribe their name on the FA Trophy, which has reached its 75th edition, for the first time in the club’s history.
“The money we will collect from the fans plus other contributions from the club’s benefactors will be distributed among the players if we win the FA Trophy,” Camilleri said.
Qormi have had an up-and-down campaign, ending up in the Relegation Pool but captain Matthew Farrugia is heartened by his team’s progress in recent months after they completed their survival mission well before the final day of the season and also advanced to the final of the KO competition.
“We had a difficult start but that was to be expected after all the squad changes last summer,” Farrugia said.
“Important players left the club but in January, we brought two new foreigners (Alfred Effiong and Moises Avila Perez) who have had a positive impact on the team.
“Coach Jesmond Zerafa also deserves credit, without detracting from the merits of the previous coach (Stephen Azzopardi).”