SLIEMA WANDERERS 1
Denni 41

ST ANDREWS 1
Johnson 10

Nine-man Sliema held St Andrews to a 1-1 draw in a nasty, edgy encounter. St Andrews played around 32 minutes with one extra player and yet never showed either the urgency or ingenuity needed to break their opponents down.

St Andrews gave Sliema no time to settle down as Ivan Paz’s soaring cross from a long-range free-kick was met with a glancing header by Michael Johnson to break the deadlock inside the first ten minutes.

It took Sliema a while to get going after falling behind. Denni moved forward and found Mintoff on the right flak who squared for Peter Xuereb who looked certain to score but his low shot was cleared off the line by Johnson. Past the half hour mark, Denni’s run into the box had escaped the attentions of St Andrews defenders, but Jake Galea leapt to his right to palm the ball away for a corner.

The rising feeling was that Sliema would finally crack open their opponents’ tight defence, and sure enough, Sliema soon levelled. Mintoff’s corner landed onto the head of Wisdom. He duly pushed the ball towards Denni who headed into the net.

Photo: Mark Zammit Cordina

St Andrews bent but did not break, and Sarao had to push Paz’s free-kick over the bar before Xuereb left Sliema with ten men after collecting two quick bookings. The Sliema midfielders’ troubles began past the quarter of the hour mark, when he was booked for clattering into an opponent and then three minutes from half-time, he clipped Paz’s legs outside near the half-way line and was sent off.

Although out-numbered, Sliema came close to scoring after the break when Wisdom was first to Mintoff’s right-wing cross but his close-range header finished on the side-netting.

Chances were at a premium throughout the second half but it wasn’t football that dominated the headlines.

Numerical parity was restored 15 minutes from time, when St Andrews’ Ante Bahmaz was dismissed after getting a second booking for hacking down Mintoff.

Everyone was walking a tightrope and sure enough Alex Muscat was given his marching orders when Enmy Pena Beltre tried to go round him but the Sliema skipper lifted his arm to block the Saints winger.

With only 19 players on the pitch, Sliema fashioned a chance as Roger unleashed a free-kick which was tipped over the bar by Galea.

St Andrews may have had more of the ball but Sliema had always looked the more dangerous on the counter. The point did at least move Sliema up to fifth level with Birkirkara.