The Balzan FC players and their coaching staff yesterday woke up still pinching themselves after writing a new chapter in the history of their club.

A 3-1 victory over newly-crowned champions Hibernians on Sunday earned the Reds mathematical certainty that they would finish the Premier League season in fourth place which means qualification to the Europa League next season.

It’s a huge transformation for the small village club that only made their first appearance in the top flight in 2003-04.

That year, Balzan were relegated to Division One after losing a decider to Msida St Joseph but regained their status in 2011 and never looked back.

Anton Tagliaferro, the club’s honorary president, has been the main catalyst behind Balzan’s revival in the last few years as the Sydney-based businessman injected enough cash to assemble a competitive squad that can establish itself in the Premier League.

“This is a fantastic achievement for Balzan FC,” an elated Tagliaferro told Times of Malta yesterday.

“We could only reach this objective through the hard work and dedication of many people at our club. They work tirelessly every day to push the team forward.

“Credit also to Oliver Spiteri. He is a committed coach and he has done a brilliant job with the squad this year.

“Since my return to Malta these past few weeks, Balzan won all their four games convincingly, scoring 15 goals and conceding just three. I would like to think that my presence at every training session and pre-match talks has made a little difference,” Tagliaferro added.

“On Sunday, we emphasised to the players that Hibs may already be champions but we have trained hard and worked all week and we still needed the points.

“And the response from the players was outstanding. Our goalkeeper played the last 20 minutes with a shoulder injury and others picked up knocks but they battled till the end and that shows the great team spirit that exists at Balzan at the moment.”

Balzan were involved in a hectic transfer activity in pre-season which saw the side strengthened with some quality players.

In the coming days Tagliaferro said he will be sitting down with coach Spiteri to see which areas in the team needed more options but insisted that there will be no major overhaul.

Balzan FC are always interested in the best players and Ryan Fenech is definitely one player who we are keen on

“I think that we already have a fairly competitive squad so I don’t think that we will be bringing in too many new players,” Tag-liaferro explained.

“We have a good blend of youth and experience at the moment in our squad and they will continue to represent Balzan FC next season.

“Surely enough, we intend to improve the squad ahead of our European commitments in July.

“We all want to see Balzan established among the top sides in the country and I feel that this is just the start towards reaching that goal.”

Valletta midfielder and skipper Ryan Fenech is reported to be among Balzan’s targets in summer.

Tagliaferro said: “Balzan FC are always interested in the best players and Ryan Fenech is definitely one player who we are keen on.

“If possible we want to bring the best Maltese players to our club as they can help us make the next step in our development.”

Tagliaferro reckons Maltese football could take a step in the wrong direction next season if some clubs maintain their position to increase the number of overseas players in the Premier League as it will hamper the future of the ones coming up.

“We have already made it clear that Balzan FC are against the idea of having more foreign players in the Maltese national league,” he said.

“More foreigners means doors closed to a lot of young players and that could also jeopardise the operate of our youth nursery programmes.

“Whatever the decision, Balzan FC will continue to give more importance to Maltese players.

“If other clubs decide to say no to talented Maltese players we will be more than happy to approach those who feel they’re left out and bring them to our fold.”

Tagliaferro also reiterated his stance that the Balzan FC academy remains his priority and vowed to make the football school among the best on the islands.

“My way of thinking has always been that the youth academy has to play a key role and be an integral part in our development process,” Tagliaferro, who runs the AC Milan soccer school in Australia, said.

“I have a strong faith in Maltese players and their abilities. Unfortunately, some people here do not believe in the talent of their children and it’s a pity because we do have some promising lads coming up.

“Last January, we had Juan Corbalan signing a contract with Italian Serie B side Virtus Lanciano and we hope others will follow suit. We’ll continue to provide the guidance and training to our young players to make sure they can maximise their potential.”