Malta

Challenge League (Top 6)

Sunday 3rd March 2024

Kick Off 14.00 Actual 14.01

Marsa 0 Melita 4, attendance 250

14’ 0-1

66’ 0-2

70’ 0-3

73’ 0-4

@ Victor Tedesco Stadium

Triq Mile End

Hamrun

HMR 1716

€6 Admission

No Programme.

Today started off with another Challenge League match in the fight for promotion to the Premier League, as 5th hosted 2nd in the league table. It was played at Victor Tedesco Stadium, which is home to Hamrun Spartans, who host all their non Premier League club games here. It is another one sided ground as far as spectator access goes. There are 1,800 uncovered seats, set out in 11 rows and once again each team were allocated half of the stand and we were in the Marsa section. There is a 3G pitch and again there are blind spots due to the pitch being tightly hemmed in and the front rows require viewing through the Perspex screen.

The match went to form in the end, but Melita only led 0-1 at the break courtesy of a goal in the opening quarter of an hour. Goal number two arrived twenty minutes into the second half and Marsa totally collapsed from this point, with a quick break down the right that was finished with an angled shot into the far corner to make it 0-3, soon followed by a cross from the right that was finished from close range to make it 0-4. The last fifteen minutes saw plenty of time wasting and needless rolling about after tackles.

The game finished at 15.51 and we were outside and in our Uber just minutes later, heading for another game that was due to kick off at 16.15. It was only across the other side of the harbour, with the floodlights clearly visible to our left as we walked down to this game from our hotel in Valletta, but it was nearly four miles by road.