In the 1970s, football in Malta went into decline.

After the glorious years of the 1960s the game started to lose its sparkle and the attendances began to dwindle.

In the first couple of seasons of the 1970s, however, the interest in the local game was still high and including in the lower divisions.

The 1971-72 season kicked off with the Third Division Sons of Malta Cup final between Żurrieq and Marsaxlokk at the Schreiber Sports Ground on September 26.

This game was very exciting and kept the crowd present on its feet for the whole 90 minutes.

In the first half, Marsaxlokk’s young goalkeeper Camilleri distinguished himself with several difficult saves.

However, ten minutes into the second period, Camilleri saved a powerful shot by Gatt but the ball fell to Bugeja who made no mistake from the rebound.

It was a fine goal and just enough for Żurrieq to take home the trophy.

At the end of the match, MFA vice-president Lawrence Xuereb presented the trophy to Żurrieq captain Bugeja.

That season, football at the Schreiber was full of surprises.

It is enough to say that St Venera Lightnings and Gudja United, who at the start of the season were tipped for promotion, ended in the relegation pool.

On the whole, this was a successful season which was marked by a rise in attendances over the previous term.

Section A was won by Żurrieq after a tough battle with Senglea Athletic and Lija Athletic. Żurrieq, however, deserved to win section honours if only because they had a balanced team built around players of experience like fullback Ċensu Abdilla and promising youngsters like striker Edward Gatt.

However, the player who most deserved the title of player of the year at the Schreiber was Senglea goalkeeper Lawrence Borg.

He kept the Schreiber followers entertained with his excellent goalkeeping skills in every game he played.

Other players who stood out were Formosa, of Senglea, and Lija’s player-coach, Freddie Vella James.

In Section B, Żejtun Corinthians won the honours but only after a tough struggle with Naxxar Lions and Kalkara United.

Żejtun’s rivals kept them on their toes throughout the whole competition.

The Corinthians’ best player was Leli Cassar while outside-left Attard was the league’s top scorer.

Luqa St Andrew’s dominated Section C from start to finish with their fullback, George Ciantar distinguishing himself as the best player in this section.

Ciantar was soon to prove himself as one of the best defenders in Malta with Floriana and the National XI.

The promotion deciders were dominated by Żurrieq who were crowned champions.

A decider however, was necessary to select the team to accompany them to the Second Division and it was Żejtun who came out on top after defeating St Andrew’s 2-1.

The Third Division Cup competition was full of surprises with many of the best teams being eliminated in the first rounds.

The biggest shock was reserved for the final when favourites Żurrieq were beat by Naxxar Lions2-1 as the latter atoned for their poor league campaign.

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