In 1968-69, Floriana and Valletta started the season with high expectations.
Floriana lifted the Independence Cup and the Scicluna Cup after 2-1 and 2-0 victories over Hibernians and Sliema Wanderers respectively while Valletta won the last edition of the Cassar Cup with a 2-1 victory over the Wanderers.
Therefore, in the first half of the season, it seemed that the neighbours were to fight neck-and-neck for the top honours of the season.
The fortunes of the two old rivals, however, dwindled as the campaign progressed and they had to surrender the league title to Hibernians and the FA Trophy to Sliema Wanderers.
There was very little else to play for that year except the Christmas Cup. Both teams, therefore, made an extra effort to win the Yuletide competition.
Christmas 1968 was a particularly busy period with the Progressul and Milan tourneys.
The MFA, however, found time to stage the Christmas Cup. The quarter-finals were sandwiched between the two tourneys and this created a congestion of fixtures.
This, coupled with the extraordinary high entrance fees which the MFA imposed for the Christmas period, kept the public away from the stadium.
In the quarter-finals, Gzira United and Valletta made short work of the poor challenge put up by Hamrun Spartans and Birkirkara respectively. Gzira won 3-1 and Valletta 2-0.
As expected, the Hibs-Sliema clash was the most exciting tie of the competition. From the first kick up till the final whistle, the action swung from side to side like the beat of a pendulum.
Hibs scored first. Sliema equalised and then took the lead. Hibs got back on level terms and then grabbed the lead themselves. It was now non-stop action as Sliema, once again, equalised, forged ahead in extra-time and then increased their lead to 5-3.
I remember that game as if it was yesterday. It was 120 minutes of breathtaking football, hardly ever seen before at the stadium.
The semi-final between Valletta and Gzira was also one to remember. It ended in a 2-2 draw after extra time and it had to be decided by penalties. The score was 6-5 for Valletta when Toninu Camilleri stepped forward to take the last kick for Gzira. Hearts stopped beating as Camilleri punted the ball over the bar.
Floriana beat St George's 2-0 in the quarter-finals and the Greens then eliminated Sliema 1-0 in the semi-final. It was, therefore, a 'derby' final between Valletta and Floriana and taking in consideration the pique and rivalry between the two teams, it was bound to be a keen encounter.
Floriana raced to a 2-0 lead but Valletta were not beaten yet. They reduced the arrears and, with the game swaying their way, they forced Floriana back in defence.
Urged on by their fans, Valletta went all out for the equaliser. Floriana, however, did not yield an inch. Play became rough and tempers rose when Curmi was fouled in the Greens' penalty area.
The cry of 'penalty' echoed around the stadium but the referee deemed otherwise.
The infuriated City supporters' shouts of 'penalty' were met by boos and whistles from the Greens. They lost their temper and converged on their rivals. Barriers were thrown aside. Stones and bottles rained on the pitch and a full-pitch battle broke out on the stands between the police and rival supporters.
It was a sad end to the final which, perhaps, hastened the demise of an otherwise interesting competition.
For the record, Gzira beat Sliema 2-0 in a play-off for third place.