Ħamrun Spartans acted quickly to appoint a new coach following the departure of Marco Gerada on Monday.

Gerada handed in his resignation after a meeting with the committee following Ħamrun's 3-2 upset to Msida St Joseph at the weekend. Yesterday, it was revealed that Steve D'Amato was handed the responsibility to steer the team away from the bottom places of the Premier League after signing an 18-month contract. D'Amato, 30, was previously coach at Division Two club Melita AFC. The decision to join the Spartans means he will break a seven-year stint at the helm of the Amateurs with whom he won the Division II/III KO last year.

D'Amato was not looking to leave Melita but when the Ħamrun offer came along the committee did not stand in his way. Melita are currently in a mid-table position in the league with five points from three matches. Last weekend, they drew 0-0 with Balzan Youths.

D'Amato was expected to meet his new squad yesterday evening. His top priority at Ħamrun will be to lift the players' confidence before preparing for the next match, a FA Trophy first round tie against Rabat Ajax on November 1. The next Premier League fixture for the Spartans is against Qormi on November 23.

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