Everyone knows the story of how Ġianni Bencini was coxed by his sons to form the famous amateur club, Melita AFC. There were three of them each one a fine footballer in his own right.
Karl, Victor and George were all Melita products and like their famous father they were mostly reknowned for their sportsmanship and blind loyalty to their club.
George, the protagonist of today's story, was the youngest of the trio and while his brothers were playing for the senior side he was still learning the ropes in the minors and reserves. Gradually, he started to catch the eye of the stadium followers with his clever play at left-back.
Full-backs did not score many goals in those days. The position immediately before and after the war was purely defensive and full-backs hardly ever ventured beyond the centre-line let alone score goals.
George Bencini, however, was an exception. He liked to venture up with his forwards and when the occasion presented itself he could score like the best of them. In fact, he is best known for the two goals he scored for MFA XI against Zabrovresky and against SK Austria in the Christmas Tourney.
In 1946-47, Zabovresky became the sixth Czech club to visit the island. They were not very well known but clubs from that country were always popular with the Maltese. Founded in 1920, the club was one of the oldest at the time.
Zabovresky played seven matches in all but the grand finale of the tour was, as usual, the match against MFA XI.
The great game which the Czechs played against the Combined Services team a couple of days before somewhat dampened the spirit of the Maltese, but, on the day the locals rose magnificently to the occasion.
The National XI reduced the clever Czechs to a mediocre side. The few scoring chances created by Zabovresky could be counted on one's fingers.
The Maltese won a great game 5-1. Maurice DeCesare scored a fine hat-trick, the other goals coming from Pawlu Friggieri and the other from George Bencini.
That was surely one of the best-ever performances of the national team against foreign opposition at the time.
SK Austria, who came to Malta the next year, were a very different proposition from Zabovresky. The Austrians came and conquered everybody with double-figure scores. All that, except the MFA XI.
A crowd of over 25,000 spectators was present at the stadium when SK Austria faced the MFA XI in what was rightly labelled as the top match of the Christmas Tourney.
Those who remember the stadium can well imagine the atmosphere that such a crowd of this size must have created. In such a small ground, the crowd must have seemed enormous.
Nobody gave the MFA XI a chance, but those few brave enough to back Malta must have made a bundle.
It took centre-half Occuirk 22 minutes to open the score for the Austrians. Everyone now expected the usual avalanche of goals but, throwing caution to the wind, the Maltese gnashed their teeth and went into action.
Eleven minutes into the second half, Willie Bennetti headed the ball to Salvinu Schembri who centred into the penalty area. Spale fisted away but only to Bencini who shot knee-high into the corner of the net.
A great roar broke loose from 25,000 throats; a roar which relieved all the pent-up feelings of the Maltese.
It was now anybody's game, but the best chance came to Malta. DeCesare flicked the ball over Melchor's head. The full-back panicked and stopped it with his hand. It was a clear penalty but Scottish referee Peter Craigmyle chose to ignore it.
The end came soon after with the teams still level at one-all.
Sixty years have passed since that faithful day in January 1948 but the Maltese have never forgotten that great performance by our National XI against one of the strongest teams of Europe of that era and, of course, that great first-time equaliser scored by Bencini.