A tedious match produced a pulsating finale as Hibs and Floriana traded two goals and two red cards in the final 10 minutes.

Needing a victory to pull clear of the batch of teams vying for a Championship Pool berth, Hibs and Floriana failed to back their winning ambitions with a top performance.

Scoring chances proved hard to come by as the two teams displayed plenty of graft but little craft.

Shorn of a host of key players, most notably Serbians Darko Krsteski and Zoran Levniac and young forward Christian Caruana, Floriana knew that they had to roll their sleeves and fight for every ball if they were to avoid a third successive defeat.

Danilo Doncic's Greens were not found wanting in terms of fighting spirit and their efforts were rewarded in stoppage time when Trevor Cilia buried the ball home at the far post to cancel out Clayton Failla's late breakthrough for Hibs.

Failla's opener came just minutes after Nigerian Uzeh Edafe was sent off for the Paolites after his raised elbow left Floriana captain Christian Cassar with a cut on his forehead.

Numerical equilibrium was also restored in terms of the amount of players who finished the game as Floriana were also reduced to ten men deep into stoppage time after substitute Mark Gauci was expelled for tripping Edmond Agius.

Hibs' scorer Failla and Mauro Brincat, the Floriana midfielder who was voted man of the match, agreed that the 1-1 draw was a fair outcome.

"All considered, I think the result was fair," Failla, 21, told The Times.

"After taking the lead with only two minutes of the game left we thought we had the points in the bag but they hit back with a stoppage-time equaliser. That's football."

In the lead-up to Saturday's match, Hibs were seen as having an edge over Floriana on the back of a brisk performance in the 2-0 defeat of Birkirkara. However, their display last weekend represented a drop in the standards they had set in the previous game.

"Our performance last weekend was certainly not as good as when we beat Birkirkara 2-0," Failla admitted.

"That said, I also think that Floriana are a better team than Birkir-kara at the moment and they made it hard for us to repeat the showing we had in our previous outing."

Winners of the pre-season Super Cup and Euro Challenge Cup, Hibs were regarded among the early favourites to win the Premier League title this season.

The Paolites are still fancied to produce a strong challenge but their no.1 priority must be to ensure their presence among the top six as early as possible. Failla is bullish about Hibs' prospects.

"The Championship Pool... we will get there, I'm quite sure about that," the Malta U-21 speedster said.

"Only a few points separate the first seven teams in the standings, so there is fierce competition, be it for the Championship Pool or for the top positions in the league.

"Valletta and Sliema have been regarded as favourites for the title since the pre-season but you cannot rule out the likes of Marsaxlokk, Birkirkara and Floriana.

"Hamrun are also in the running. I think this is one of the most interesting leagues for years."

An acid test awaits Hibs in the shape of Valletta who have taken maximum points from their last four matches. Describing Valletta as "the team to beat", Failla is looking forward to Saturday's clash.

"Valletta are the team to beat at present," he said. "This is going to be a very important game. Victory is a must for us to narrow the gap on Valletta as well as to boost our title bid."

Positive feelings

Floriana must also be feeling positive about their chances of reviving their challenge for a top-four finish after Cilia's equaliser gave them their first point in three matches.

"Neither team deserved to leave empty-handed," Brincat said.

"I thought we were the better team and had we taken the two scoring chances we had in the first half, the result might have been different."

Brincat, 23, is hopeful that the draw against Hibs will give Floriana the psychological tonic they so badly need after their struggles of late.

"Our difficult period started with the game against Hamrun," Brincat, who joined Floriana from the Spartans three years ago, said.

"On that occasion, we were lucky to take a point as our performance on the day left much to be desired.

"We played much better against Birkirkara but we finished on the losing end (3-2). Then came the derby which was a bad experience for us because we lost heavily that day.

"Coming from two defeats, we just couldn't afford to lose against Hibs.

"I hope that this draw helps to raise spirits in our camp ahead of Sunday's clash with Mqabba. On paper, we're favourites but we have to be concentrated because matches are won and lost on the pitch."

Brincat has been one of Floriana's top performers this season, showing signs of recapturing his former sparkle after a cruciate knee injury threatened to shatter his hopes of living up to his high reputation with the Greens.

"I'm pleased with my performances so far," Brincat said.

"People always mention the injury I had but that is in the past now. I'm always looking ahead and willing to do more to help the team."

Like Failla, Brincat is upbeat about his team's chances of making the Championship Pool.

"There is little between the teams in terms of points and the race for the top four positions promises to be a close affair. There's also a big question mark over which four teams will finish in the Relegation Pool.

"I am pretty sure that Floriana will be in the Championship Pool.

"We have retained our presence in the upper part of the standings and a win over Mqabba on Sunday would take us closer to the leading positions."