Hamrun Spartans are the revelation of the 2007/08 season.

In their first campaign in the top-flight since winning promotion last year, few had imagined that the Reds would leave such an impact in the championship so far.

The club's decision to keep faith with the same group of players that won the Division One championship was a blessing as their youngsters have now blossomed and producing impressive performances.

Sunday's 3-0 victory over neighbours Pietà Hotspurs was Ham-run's ninth successive positive result in the league. Victory lifted them to a dizzying third place.

Marco Gerada, the Hamrun coach, attributed his side's surge up the standings to the attitude of his players. They matured into a solid outfit, he said, that can counter all kind of opposition, as was the case against Pietà.

"I have only words of praise for this group of players. What we have achieved so far is fully deserved," Gerada told The Times yesterday.

"I took over in June and since then I could notice that the players are always willing to train hard... now we are reaping the benefits of their efforts.

"Against Pietà, we had Evano Briffa, a key player in our tactical set-up, sent off in the opening 20 minutes.

"That setback could have easily derailed the team. Instead, it inspired the players to fight for each other and after taking the lead we were never in danger of losing the points. We were focused and in control till the end."

Gerada said that the club's decision to bank on their youngsters with a few additions of experienced players was a wise move.

"I think our healthy position in the standings takes added significance when one considers that the team is based on the same group of last year. We have only added three players to our squad and now the team is flourishing steadily," Gerada said.

"The quality of our play has also been impressive. The fact that we have lost only one match against the so-called 'big teams' says a lot of the high level of performance we're delivering.

"However, the good thing about all this is that we still have ample room for improvement. We believe we can get more from our youngsters. They can express their talent even further and that can only bode well for the future of the club."

The weekend results, which saw victories for Valletta, Floriana, Marsaxlokk and Hamrun, did not bring about any significant changes in the race for places in the Championship Pool.

Valletta are currently leading the way with 28 points... four ahead of Floriana who have a game in hand. Seventh-placed Birkir-kara, on 19, can get back in the top six if they beat Pietà Hotspurs next weekend.

Looking at his team's chances, Gerada reckoned that given the tight situation in the standings there's still a long way to go.

"At the start of this season, I thought that 26 points would have been enough for any team to make the Championship Pool," Gerada said.

"But, this time things look more complicated as most of the teams seem to be on the same level. Our victory over Pietà was very useful but we have achieved nothing as yet.

"There are five more matches to go and we must win as many points as possible, starting from Sunday's match against Msida. Victory is a must at this stage for us to stay on track and avoid the Relegation Pool."

Transfer rumours

The January transfer window re-opened last week and the rumour mill has already linked various players with moves to different clubs. Asked whether the Spartans will be reinforcing their ranks Gerada said: "I cannot rule out anything at this stage.

"We know we are adequately equipped for the rest of the season but in the past few days we've been thinking on adding an attacking midfielder to the squad. However, things are still at a preliminary stage.

"We have no plans of making big changes. I'm pleased with the group and besides we have two or three U-18 players who are showing great promise.

"This club wants more home-grown players in the squad and I have every intention of keeping that trend going. That is the only way for Hamrun to regain past glory."