All’s well that ends well.

That’s certainly how all those connected to Birkirkara felt on Saturday evening after the Stripes put on a spirited showing to capture their fifth FA Trophy success after overpowering champions Hibernians 2-0, courtesy of goals from Mauricio Mazzetti and Rafael Ledesma, in a largely one-sided final.

Birkirkara’s strong performance was a tribute to the character of their players who had endured a difficult campaign, haunted by memories of their painful defeat in the title showdown against rivals Valletta the previous season.

Coach Paul Zammit had good reason to be happy after Saturday’s final as his tactical strategy, carried out to perfection by his players, made the champions look like an ordinary team, but the victory did little to dispel speculation about his future with Birkirkara.

Paul Zammit has another year left on his Birkirkara deal.

At the post-match news conference, Zammit stressed that his contract with Birkirkara has another year left to run but intimated that a decision on his future will be taken at a meeting with top club officials.

“I have another year left on my contract,” Zammit replied when asked if he intended to stay on as Birkirkara coach.

“In the coming days I will have a meeting with the club’s administration to see if we are still on the same wavelength for next season.”

For his part, Joe Zammit confirmed that he was stepping down as Birkirkara president after four years at the helm.

He also revealed that Birkirkara are looking at ways to strengthen their administration.

“Now that the season has ended, we need to elect a new committee,” Zammit said.

“We felt that the club’s Annual General Meeting should be held immediately after our last game. In fact, this year’s AGM will take place this Thursday, only five days after the FA Trophy final.

“June will be a very busy month for us. The majority of our players will be away until June 17 due to international commitments with the senior and U-21 national teams.

“On May 28, the administration of Birkirkara FC will undergo significant changes which are essential for a number of reasons.”

Earlier, the Birkirkara chief had expressed his delight at winning the FA Trophy for the first time during his presidency.

“After a lapse of seven years, we have finally won the FA Trophy again,” Zammit said.

“This cup means a lot to me and, as president of Birkirkara FC, I’m delighted to have had the opportunity to win this honour.”

Coach Paul Zammit heaped praise on his players for their committed and disciplined approach in Saturday’s final.

“From a tactical point-of-view, we had to be very aggressive in all zones,” Zammit said.

“This approach entails a lot of hard work because all the players must press relentlessly in their area.

“When you are playing against a strong team like Hibernians, you can’t allow them to receive the ball in the final third.

“Tactics are important but if we didn’t have players who are prepared to work together for the same objective, we wouldn’t have managed to produce this type of performance.”

Paul Fenech, the Birkirkara captain, was relieved to have ended a difficult season, also on a personal level, on an uplifting note.

“The season was not easy for us,” the 28-year-old Malta midfielder, who recently signed a new three-year deal with Birkirkara, said.

“Unfortunately, the league was disappointing for us but we could not have concluded the season on a better note.

“In the championship, we were the only team that gave Hibernians a rough ride in direct matches but you can’t detract from their merit as they deserved to win the title.

“But, the character shown by all the Birkirkara players in the FA Trophy final was just incredible.”