On the eve of the 1931 semi-final between Floriana and the Worcestershire Regiment, the spell cast on the Cassar Cup by the Services was on the minds of the Maltese.
Could this be the year when the jinx is broken?
The progress made during the season and the results obtained by the MFA in representative matches raised local hopes.
The Services representatives were as strong as ever and, judging by the matches played in the Army League and other friendly matches, the Worcestershire Regiment were firm favourites to win the cup.
Earlier in the season, the Worcesters had beaten Floriana 3-2 in a friendly match but the Maltese were convinced that the Greens would rise to the occasion.
This hope was strengthened when a few days before the start of the competition, Floriana beat the Navy 1-0.
This was a classic game, full of everything that is good in football.
The Navy, especially, played a great game, their players excelling in understanding and passing. Floriana, on their part, showed excellent teamwork and it was this important aspect of the game that earned them a hard-fought victory thanks to a fine goal scored by Nenu Scicluna.
Maltese hopes were dashed, however, when the teams met at the Empire on February 10. The Worcesters, playing at the top of their game, annihilated Floriana 4-0.
The Worcesters scored their first goal after 40 minutes. Jones received the ball from Archer, darted past Scicluna and scored with a hard drive across the goalmouth.
In the second half, Floriana pinned the Regiment in their own half but the ball just would not go into the net. The Worcesters, by contrast, broke away three times, scoring on each occasion. The architect of their victory was centre-forward Jones. He struck the second goal and created the openings for Richards to score the other two.
With the demise of Floriana, Malta's hopes for the cup suffered the coup de grace. The chances of Valletta United beating HMS Revenge and the Worcesters appeared impossible, even for the most ardent City supporter.
Valletta produced a plucky bid to break the Services' monopoly in the cup but at the end they went down to a vastly superior team. Like Floriana, Valletta conceded four goals without reply.
The story of the game was quite similar to that of the other semi-final. Valletta were a goal down at half-time, only to unfold completely in the second half.
Playing confidently and at a very fast pace on a very trying surface, Revenge lasted the game far better than Valletta whose players tired out after the break. At this point the City defenders began to crack under the pressure.
Revenge then hit three more goals to bring to an end another unsuccessful Maltese adventure in the competition.
Charity benefited considerably from the final of the 1931 Cassar Cup. An estimated crowd of between 12,000 and 13,000 spectators crammed every space available inside the stadium, many people finding precarious positions on the walls and the stands of the ground.
During the first half, the ball was kept very much at the Worcesters' end of the pitch, but the Regiment defence held fast until Revenge managed to score a goal from a penalty. The Worcesters hit back immediately making several fine runs, one of which yielded a goal as the first half ended 1-1.
During the second half, although the Worcesters had the wind in their favour, it looked like everyone's game. However, when it seemed as if the game would end in a draw, Revenge grabbed the winning goal five minutes before the final whistle.