Valletta are in seventh heaven. Top of the league and with their title charge very much alive and kicking, the Citizens followed up their superb performance in the friendly against Juventus with a 4-1 mauling of rivals Hamrun Spartans on Saturday.

Argentine striker Sebastian Monesterolo, who beat Gianluigi Buffon, arguably the world's best goalkeeper, for Valletta's equaliser against the Turin giants, took centre stage on Saturday after hitting a treble against the Spartans. But, the man who paved the way for their victory was David Camilleri.

Saturday's match cannot have been easy for Camilleri who was gunning against the team with whom he first came to prominence as a young, talented midfielder, amid unfounded rumours about a possible return to his first love in exchange for Ryan Fenech.

Set against his steady performances in the heart of Valletta's midfield for much of this season, speculation about Camilleri's future certainly lacked credibility, moreso after he fired his team ahead with a curling free-kick after just six minutes of Saturday's meeting with the Spartans.

"After our game against Juventus, it was important to turn our focus back on our league campaign," Camilleri told The Times.

"There was great euphoria in our clan after we beat Juventus on penalties and at times, I felt that we were becoming over-confident. To be honest, I approached the league game against Hamrun with a degree of wariness but we settled down quickly. Scoring two goals inside the first 17 minutes gave us a tremendous boost."

After a somewhat dodgy start to the season, Valletta are now unbeaten in their last nine league matches and have a three-point lead over Marsaxlokk at the top of the standings.

Coming just over a week after their tenacious display against Juventus, Valletta's comprehensive win over the Spartans further underlined their remarkable improvement in the last three months.

Their performance again justified their status as title contenders but Camilleri was not totally satisfied with Valletta's showing.

"Our present form is good and all the players are performing well," Camilleri said. "We played some flowing football against the Spartans but in the second half, we became somewhat careless and there were moments when our passing was sloppy.

"All things considered, I think we played well and certainly deserved to win. No team has beaten Hamrun so convincingly this season. This success should set us up nicely for Saturday's clash with Sliema Wanderers."

A long-time target for Valletta, Camilleri finally got the chance to don the club's white shirt in summer of 2006 after the Citizens reached agreement with Marsaxlokk for his signature.

Since his early years with Hamrun, Camilleri earned a reputation as a skilful and intelligent midfielder whose technique and fine ball delivery made up for his lack of speed.

His first few months as a Valletta player were difficult as Camilleri needed time to find his feet but he has been a fixture in the team since day one of his arrival.

"When coach Paul Zammit approached me about joining Valletta last season, I didn't think twice about saying yes," Camilleri recalled. "Valletta had long been trying to sign me and I also had an ambition to play for them.

"I have a very good relationship with the coach and I'm happy at Valletta."

"In my first season there, I played all the games for Valletta in the league," Camilleri, whose contract with the Citizens runs until 2010, added.

"There was also a time when we got close to joining the chase for the title but we failed to maintain our challenge.

"This season has been a different story. We have a much stronger squad with better players. This has had a positive effect on my game as I feel that by playing alongside better players, I have also raised my perfomances.

"My self-confidence is high and my overall contribution has been quite good so far but we're all doing well. It's a collective effort."

Victor Sciriha's election as president of Valletta in July heralded a period of unrelenting transfer activity at the club as no fewer than nine players were brought in to reinforce the Citizens' squad.

The recruitment of so many players cast doubts over the future of some of the members of the 'old guard', Camilleri included, but the heightened challenge for first-team places spurred him to greater efforts.

Motivation

"I'm not scared of new challenges," Camilleri said. "In fact, I think it's much better to have a higher target to aim for, because if you know that you're going to play every game regardless of how you perform, you can easily become complacent.

"Knowing that there are seven other players in the squad who can easily take my place in the team, gives me greater motivation to keep up a high level of performance.

"Even when I was a young player with Hamrun, there were many big names in the squad but I was determined to show that I am worthy of a first-team place."

At 33, Camilleri is in the home stretch of an eventful career that saw him turn out for some of the best clubs in Maltese football. Apart from Hamrun and Valletta, Camilleri also had spells with Sliema Wanderers, Marsaxlokk and Hibernians.

Having won the league title with Hamrun Spartans and Sliema, Camilleri, who has made 35 appearances for the national team, is eager to experience the thrill of being part of a triumphant Valletta side.

"I won the league with Hamrun when I was still coming through as a player, and another one with Sliema," Camilleri reminisced.

"My target is to help Valletta reclaim the league title."

How does Camilleri rate the Citizens' chances of ending a seven-year wait for the championship?

"If we remain fully focused and maintain a game-by-game approach, I'm confident that Valletta will produce a lasting challenge for the title," Camilleri replied.

"I hope we continue to play as well as we have in the last two months because that would surely bolster our chances of finishing top of the table. What makes me optimistic is the unity in our squad and the commitment of all the players."

Camilleri also acknowledges that the support of the Valletta fans is an important piece of the team's armour.

"I was lucky to play for Hamrun who are definitely one of the best-supported teams in Malta but the Valletta fans are a different breed," Camilleri remarked.

"For the Valletta natives, football is more than just a sport, it's part of their lives. It's hard to find somebody from Valletta who is not keen on football and their team.

"Winning the Betfair Cup after we beat Juventus on penalties triggered a wave of enthusiasm among the City fans, never mind if we capture a major trophy this season."