Valletta lived up to their galactico billing after running away with the 2010/11 BOV Premier League title. Kevin Azzopardi assesses the performance of the coach and players who contributed to the Citizens’ amazing success in going through a whole season unbeaten.

• Jesmond Zerafa (coach) 8/10

Silenced the critics who argued that he lacked the experience to lead a club of Valletta’s stature.

Shown himself to be an inspirational leader and motivator as the Whites won the title without losing a game.

Handled a star-studded squad impeccably, never allowing himself to be influenced by reputations when selecting his team.

• Andrew Hogg 7.5/10

Endured a somewhat shaky start to the season but recaptured his best form to play a very important role in Valletta’s title success.

A spectator for long periods during games as Valletta dictated the tempo but kept his focus to pull off some crucial saves. A very good season for the Malta keeper, pro-bably his best since joining Valletta from Pietà four years ago.

• Jonathan Caruana 8/10

My pick as the best Premier League defender. Settled quickly at Valletta after his switch from Hibs.

Has all the attributes of the modern-day defender, strong, athletic and comfortable with the ball at his feet.

His forays from the back under-lined his confidence in his technical abilities but he’s also not afraid to put his head in where it hurts.

• Steve Borg 7.5/10

The most-improved player in the Valletta squad.

Began the season on the peri-phery of the first team as he played no part in the 3-0 opening win over Vittoriosa but quickly forced his way into coach Jesmond Zerafa’s thinking. Tall and powerful, he was a towering figure in the centre of defence but also did his job well when asked to fill in at right-back.

• Ramon 6/10

Tipped for a starring role in the heart of Valletta’s defence, the Brazilian found it hard to reproduce the form that earned him such a good reputation during his spell with Qormi.

His red card in the opening half of the first-round derby with Flo-riana summed up his difficulties as he couldn’t get to grips with Ivan Woods.

• Ian Azzopardi 7/10

Struggled initially to cope with the pressures of playing for a title-challenging side after his move from Sliema but improved as the season progressed.

His experience and positional sense served him in good stead.

Had to curb his attacking instincts to provide extra cover at the back but made it hard for opponents to penetrate down the left flank.

• Roderick Briffa 8.5/10

Mr Versatile was instrumental in Valletta’s title success.

Long regarded as the most skilful player in local football, he has done justice to his talent by finally achieving the consistency that eluded him in the past. A thorn in the side of opposing teams with his overlaps down the right or through the middle. A contender for the Footballer of the Year award.

• Edmond Agius 7/10

Looked set for another season on the fringes of the first team but defied the odds by claiming a regular berth in midfield.

Combative and resilient, he provides an effective shield to the back four thanks to his work ethic and tactical discipline.

Also dangerous going forward as his tally of five goals demonstrates. Revelation.

• Jamie Pace 7/10

One of Valletta’s most influential midfielders in the first half of the season. A pillar in front of defence with his immense work-rate and astute movement while his occasional incursions from the middle added impetus to Valletta’s attack, especially when he got into a shooting position.

An injury disrupted his progress but still had a positive campaign.

• Gilbert Agius 8/10

Another remarkable season for the ageless City captain. Took a while to get going as injuries limited his first-team appearances in the first two rounds but came good at the most crucial stage of the season, the Championship Pool.

His sublime footwork and eye for a telling pass proved instrumental for City, especially in key victories over Birkirkara and Floriana.

• Ryan Fenech 6.5/10

Served notice of his enormous potential with an excellent brace on his City debut against Sliema.

Added quality to Valletta’s squad as his athleticism, tech-nique and acceleration gave their midfield a new dimension. Not easy to settle straightaway after joining City in January but still left his mark with a string of vibrant displays. A star in the making.

• Kevin Sammut 6.5/10

Enjoyed a bright spell, especially in the October-November period but struggled for consistency thereafter. Looked most at ease when playing in a wide midfield position as this allowed him to run at defenders and drift infield.

Scored five goals in all but fell down the midfield pecking order in the home straight.

• Denni 7.5/10

Overcame a difficult start to establish himself as one of the most creative elements in Valletta’s team.

Quick and agile, the Brazilian was the man with the X-factor for the champions as his ability to run at defenders and flit into dan-gerous positions made him almost impossible to mark. Eased up after Valletta secured the title.

• Terrence Scerri 6.5/10

Started well, banging in a hatful of goals in the first few months to underline his reputation as one of the country’s leading strikers.

His strong physique and bursting runs made him an awkward client for opponents but looked increasingly jaded and short of pace in the final months.

His decline cost him top spot in the scorers’ list but still finished as Valletta’s leading marksman.

• Ian Zammit 5.5/10

Used mostly as an impact player from the bench but found it hard to break into the team.

The solo goal against Floriana is the highlight of his season.

• Omonigho Temile 6/10

A pacy winger who had an encouraging start but grew in-creasinly erratic as the season moved on. His finishing was not up to standard.

• Andrade 5/10

Brought in to add flair and firepower to Valletta’s attack, the Brazilian generally failed to live up to expectations.

• Dyson Falzon 6/10

Produced some good performances on the wing but not enough to earn him a sustained run in the team.

Loaned out to Ħamrun Spar-tans in January.

The focus was on Valletta and their eagerly-anticipated title celebrations on Saturday.

Their fans marked the winning of the club’s 20th league title in typically flamboyant fashion, creating a colourful atmosphere at the National Stadium before flocking to the capital.

Republic street rocked to the chants of ‘Forza Valletta City’ and ‘Lil tal-Belt ħadd ma jista’ għalina’ as the decorated float carrying the Valletta players, coaches and club officials slowly moved towards the Law Courts where it was greeted by thousands of ecstatic fans.

Earlier in the evening, Valletta had accomplished another remarkable feat as a 2-2 draw with Tarxien Rainbows ensured that they finished the league campaign unbeaten.

After clinching the league title with three games to spare, Valletta sauntered through their final three matches but they managed to preserve their record with three successive draws.

Terrence Scerri put the champions ahead after converting a penalty on 14 minutes but Tarxien equalised through Ricardo Costa four minutes from half-time.

Edmond Agius restored Valletta’s advantage a minute later but the Rainbows made it 2-2 early in the second half, Daniel Mariano Bueno scoring with a glancing header.

The stalemate was welcomed by both teams as Valletta fulfilled their unbeaten aim and Tarxien Rainbows secured a morale-booster before their FA Trophy semi-final against the champions on Saturday.

On Friday, Floriana sealed the runners-up spot with an emphatic 3-0 victory over out-going champions Birkirkara.

The Stripes needed to win their final league match to leapfrog their opponents into second place but they were swept away by Floriana’s three-goal blitz inside the opening 35 minutes.

Midfielder Joseph Borg hit two goals between the 16th and 27th minutes and Dragomir Draganov increased Floriana’s lead 10 minutes from half-time.

It is the first time since 1994 that Floriana have finished second in the Premier League. Their win on Friday will also have lifted their confidence ahead of the FA Trophy semi-final against Bir-kirkara on Sunday.

Marsaxlokk ended their league campaign on a winning note after beating Ħamrun Spartans 6-3.

The hero for Marsaxlokk was Nigerian striker Alfred Effiong who came off the bench to hit a quickfire hat-trick in the closing stages and secure the award as the 2010/11 Premier League top scorer with 17 goals.

The Spartans looked on course to gain their first win over Marsaxlokk this season when Dyson Falzon and man-of-the-match Gaetan Spiteri put them 2-0 up by the 37th minute but goals from Clive Brincat and Ryan Darmanin brought Marsaxlokk on level terms.

Spiteri scored his second of the game to edge the Spartans in front but Malcolm Licari levelled at 3-3 before Effiong’s late show decided the issue in favour of the Blues.

Premier League statistics

Scorers, red cards

Birkirkara: Lattes 9, Galea 9 (1 pen); Fenech 5; Cilia 4; Vella 3, Babatunde 3, Kumbrevicius 3; Tabone 2 (1 pen); Vukanac, Borg, Agius, Scicluna.
Red cards: Agius (vs Floriana), Fenech (vs Ħamrun Spartans).
Floriana: Nwoke 13; Woods 9 (4 pens); Draganov 5; Farrugia 4; Caruana 3; Mecerod 2, Cassar 2, Borg 2; Dzhorov, Darmanin, Agius, Said, Micallef, Doffo.
Red cards: Farrugia (vs Tarxien), Paris (vs Sliema), Bugeja (vs Valletta), Doffo (vs Tarxien Rainbows).
Ħamrun Spartans: Spiteri 14; Shields 6 (1 pen); Grima 5, Pereira 5; Falzon 4; Anizoba 3; Fenech 2 (1 pen), Mangion 2; Kokavessis, Agius, Chipev.
Red cards: Hrubsa (vs Floriana, vs Valletta), Bonnici (vs Floriana), Ryan Fenech (vs Floriana), Chipev (vs Floriana).
Hibernians: McManus 7 (1 pen.); Cohen 6 (1 pen), Herrera 6; Pisani 2, Pulis 2, Kristensen 2, Caruana 2; Clarke, Farrugia, Pearson, Fairbairn, Hart, Taki (pen).
Own goal: Micallef (vs Vittoriosa).
Red cards: Pulis (vs Ħamrun); Fairbairn (vs Vittoriosa).
Marsaxlokk: Effiong 17 (2 pens); Alcorse 5 (1 pen); Darmanin 5; Guerreiro 4 (1 pen.); Templeman 3, Licari 3; Raimy 2, Sciberras 2; Kokavessis, Deanov, Brincat.
Own goal: Decesare (vs Birkirkara).
Red cards: Alcorse (vs Valletta), Mamo (vs Floriana), Galabov (vs Vittoriosa), Raimy (vs Valletta).
Qormi: Mifsud 7; Josue 6 (4 pens), Frendo 6; Mallia 3, Bello Osagie 3, J. Farrugia 3 (1 pen); Borg Olivier 2; Bjedov, Chetcuti, Camilleri, Bondin, Karamonolis, Van-delannoite.
Own goal: Gauci (vs Hibs).
Red cards: Bondin (vs Ħamrun), Hojung (vs Vittoriosa Stars), Bartolo (vs Floriana), M. Farrugia (vs Marsaxlokk)
Sliema Wanderers: Mifsud Triganza 13; Lima 8 (2 pens), Obiefule 8 (1 pen); Lachkhem 3; Barbara 2, Scerri 2, Ciantar.
Red cards: Mintoff (vs Birkirkara), B. Muscat (vs Vittoriosa), Lima (vs Valletta), Bajada (vs Vittoriosa).
Tarxien Rainbows: Bueno 11; Sergio 10 (2 pens); Cristiano 8 (1 pen), Ricardo 8; Caruana, Everton.
Own goals: Pearson (vs Hibernians); Kang (vs Qormi).
Red cards: Bueno (vs Hibernians), Grioli (vs Marsaxlokk).
Valletta: Scerri 16 (5 pens); Denni 11 (1 pen); Sammut 5, E. Agius 5; Briffa 4; Fenech 3, Zammit 3, G. Agius 3; Falzon 2, Pace 2, Andrade 2; Temile, Borg, Caruana.
Red cards: Ramon (vs Floriana), Falzon (vs Ħamrun), Pace (vs Birkirkara), Denni (vs Floriana), Borg (vs Birkirkara).
Vittoriosa Stars: Ewurum 7, Jorge 7; Edison 6 (2 pens); Grech 2; Micallef, Campagnoli.
Own goals: Gauci (vs Hibs), Mifsud (vs Sliema).
Red cards: Campagnoli (vs Valletta), Edison (vs Birkirkara, vs Sliema), Mifsud (vs Valletta), Grech (vs Ħamrun).

Next fixtures - FA Trophy semi-finals
Saturday (National Stadium)
5 p.m. Tarxien Rainbows vs Valletta
Sunday (National Stadium)
5 p.m. Birkirkara vs Floriana