The recent victory of Floriana FC over Hibernians must have sowed aspirations for greater successes in the near future. May the present players emulate the ambitions of previous teams especially those on the books of Floriana in the 1950s. The record-breaking Ajax as well as the second, third and minor strings have written an indelible history still recorded in the Evergreen Magazine.
Every Floriana success stimulates nostalgic memories. I remember the keen competition among all players, the fear of being dropped out, the fear of not pulling our best.
We did honestly cry if someone usurped our place in the team. In those days green blood ran through our veins. We dreamed and breathed green performances.
We saved newspaper cuttings and action photos in treasured albums. We enjoyed the admiration of our united supporters. No political ideology divided our parochial spirit.
We never begrudged or envied the praise and eulogy showered on Ajax players. They well deserved it.
With the record-breaking victories, including Triple Crown victories, they embellished the annuals of Maltese football history. Though some of us shared in these triumphs, being on the reserve list we could not help aspiring high.
Some did make it into the first team; others did so only occasionally when a player was unavoidably sick but recovered too soon for our comfort.
However we did have sublime moments of glory that senior citizens still remember as a great feat. In 1951 Ajax flew to the UK to participate in the Festival of Britain.
Nevertheless, the Malta Football Association (MFA) did not allow the postponement of game fixtures to later dates. The situation demanded that Floriana should give a walkover to Valletta FC, the next opponents. Instead, the committee decided to field a combination of second, third and minor players against the Valletta stalwarts, including players of national fame.
Chosen as the team captain, I felt both pride responsibility in my role. I nursed the ardent hope that the selected players would give a good account of themselves. The prophets of doom prophesied a sound beating. Hardly any supporters made it to the Empire Stadium in Gżira.
The dramatic moments of the game are recorded in the history of Floriana FC. With two goals down in the first half, the game seemed doomed to disaster. We plucked up courage and injected with the evergreen spirit of do or die, we fought back to a draw in the second half.
The game went into extra time. In the dying minutes of the game we scored the winning goal, to win 3-2. Our triumphal return to Floriana was also dramatic. Never did Floriana witness such a huge crowd. Having followed the sports news on Rediffusion, enthusiastic supporters came from various towns and villages to mingle with the people of Floriana.
Their beaming smiles showed how everyone was keen on sharing in the victorious moment. The supporters stopped the coach at Portes des Bombes and they carried us shoulder high to the club.
Here everyone drowned his joy and his misgivings in flowing drinks and in the frenzy of the moment, narrated stories of how they presaged such a victory!
The committee members and dedicated coaches who inject the evergreen spirit, who hammer the glories of the past and above all who instil pride in all players on the books of Floriana, will create cohesion and drive that will lead the football teams to continuous victories.