Hibernians 0
Tarxien Rainbows 1
Grech 85

Tarxien Rainbows ended their 2009/10 league commitments with a flourish when they edged neighbouring rivals Hibernians in a keenly-fought derby that came more into life after the interval.

Ryan Grech grabbed the all-important goal for the Rainbows when he scrambled home the rebound after his penalty was parried by keeper Mario Muscat to earn his team a stunning third victory over Hibernians, the outgoing champions, this season.

More importantly, this success saw the Rainbows leapfrogging the Paolites in the final standings for an excellent fifth place besides a huge injection of confidence ahead of the FA Trophy semi-finals, draws of which will be held tomorrow.

The derby upset rounded up a very disappointing campaign for Hibs, particularly in the Championship Pool which saw them conceding nine successive defeats.

Surely, this club has plenty of planning to do in summer to put the team back among the major contenders for the top honours next season.

Yesterday, both Hibs and Tarxien had several first team players back in the fray.

Hibs coach Mark Miller recalled Muscat and Christian Callejas to his starting XI after missing out on the 2-1 defeat to Sliema Wanderers.

Tarxien, on their part, had Everton Pereira, Steve Sadowski and Manuel Caruana returning from suspension but Andrew Decesare was serving a one-match ban. Brazilian striker Anderson Ribeiro was again missing with a toe injury.

It was Tarxien who created the first scoring opportunity of the match when after 11 minutes they were awarded a free-kick just outside the area. David Camilleri's inswinger was kept out by Muscat.

Hibs' response arrived on 18 minutes. Tristan Caruana's shot from the distance was pushed away to a corner by in-form Tarxien keeper Anthony Curmi.

There was little goalmouth action at both ends with shots from the distance keeping the two keepers on their toes. On 22 minutes, Chris Camilleri saw his grounder drift just wide of Tarxien's goal.

Eleven minutes from the break, the lively Calabretta tried to surprise Muscat with a shot from an angled position but his effort went wide. Mark Tanti then stole possession on the edge of the area but the Tarxien midfielder miscued his shot from a good position.

Five minutes from the break, Triston Caruana combined well with Andrew Cohen just inside the area but his volley flew over.

Denni almost gave the Rainbows the lead on the stroke of half-time but the nippy Brazilian hit wide after dribbling past two Hibs defenders.

The Paolites came close to an opener soon after the restart when Edward Herrera picked Ben Camilleri in the area but his flick finished inside the side-netting.

The Hibs forward was at it again four minutes later when this time he was picked by Cohen but his dipping header was turned round the post by the alert Curmi.

On 65 minutes, Tarxien coach Noel Coleiro withdrew Tanti and roped in Lee Galea as he looked to add more energy to his team's play.

Two minutes later, Grech found himself in ample space in the Hibs area but his effort was palmed away by Muscat. The latter was again in action a minute later when he kept out Denni's shot.

The Paolites were agonisingly close to forging ahead 12 minutes from time. Herrera's drive beat Curmi but in came Ryan Mintoff who cleared the ball off the line.

At the other end, Calabretta beat the offside trap, turned past Muscat and served the unmarked Galea who incredibly fired over in front of a gaping goal.

A scoreless draw looked in the offing but five minutes from time Calabretta dashed inside the box and was upended by Aaron Xuereb.

The referee immediately pointed to the spot and Grech stepped up for the penalty. His first shot was stopped by Muscat but from the rebound the Rainbows midfielder stabbed home the winner.

Hibernians
M. Muscat-6, J. Caruana-6, E. Herrera-5.5, A. Pulis-6 ('87 A. Azzopardi), A. Xuereb-5, C. Callejas-5.5, A. Cohen-6.5, C. Camilleri-6 ('75 D. Sammut), T. Caruana-6, M. Tabone-5.5 ('67 K. Tanti-5), B. Camilleri-5.

Tarxien Rainbows
A. Curmi-7, S. Sadowski-6.5, M. Caruana-6, D. Camilleri-6, G. Calabretta-7 ('89 J. Shead), E. Pereira-5.5, M. Tanti-6 ('65 L. Galea-6), Denni-6 ('90 W. Zerafa), R. Mintoff-6.5, R. Grech-7, J. Grioli-6.

Referee: Paul Caruana.

Yellow cards: B. Camilleri, J. Caruana, Cohen, C. Camilleri.

Missed penalty: Grech (T) 85.

BOV Player of the match: Anthony Curmi (Tarxien Rainbows).