A penalty three minutes before half-time from Alex Muscat earned Sliema Wanderers a fourth-round FA trophy tie against Gharghur.

Gathering a pass from Johann Friggieri, Aiden Friggieri turned in the box as he hauled down by Vittoriosa defender Clive Spiteri before the Sliema skipper slotted the ball behind James Mercieca to settle this third-round match.

Michael Mifsud earlier had spurned good opportunities to put Sliema ahead. 

Mifsud first shot tamely when one-on-one with James Mercieca and then he saw the goalkeeper blocking his way. So, without the solid goalkeeping of Mercieca – Vittoriosa would have fallen behind long before they did.

It was a deserved if laboured victory for Sliema on a night when quality was at a premium in front of a sparse crowd of just 288. 

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