Hibernians make Greens see purple!

The Sons of Malta Cup was the equivalent of the present day Super Cup as it was contested by the League champions and the FA Trophy winners. Standing over a metre high, the Sons of Malta Cup was a coveted trophy, one which had been donated to the MFA by the Maltese Social Club of New York in 1967.

The first edition, which replaced the old Scicluna and Testaferrata Cups, was held on February 25, 1968 between Hibernians and Floriana.

The morning final was played in glorious sunshine. Both teams responded well to the conditions as the contest developed into a duel between Floriana's finesse and Hibs' powerful play. At the end, however, Floriana's craft won the day. The Greens won an exciting match 3-2 to become the first team to inscribe their name on the new trophy.

Three years later, in season 1970-71, Floriana and Hibernians met again in the final, the focus of today's article.

The final was held on Saturday November 21, 1970. No goals were scored in another keenly-contested encounter, forcing a replay.

The second game was played nearly three months later on Saturday February 22, 1971. This time, however, Hibs had a secret weapon in store for the Irish. They discarded their traditional black and white outfit and came out wearing their lucky violet shirts, ala Fiorentina!

Now, every true Hibs fan who lived through the glorious sixties and seventies will surely remember those shirts which had caught the attention of Hibs during one of their European adventures. They were made of a woollen material much more suited for the cold and hard European winters rather than our mild climate. Their unusual colour also raised a few eyebrows at the Stadium, but they were lucky shirts and as far as I can remember Hibs never lost a match when they played with them!

Special shirts

Conscious of this fact, Hibs did not tease fate and kept them stored away but ready for use on special occasions. The Paolites only wore their lucky shirts for finals and other tricky matches. With time, these shirts became a sort of talisman for their supporters.

The 1970-71 Sons of Malta Cup replay was a big occasion and Hibs' lucky shirts did not let them down.

The game unfolded into another tough encounter only that this time a verdict was reached. Hibs won 2-1 with two well-taken penalties from their star penalty taker Eddie Theobald.

Their was no doubt about the legitimacy of the first penalty but the second one was a bit controversial if only because it came right on the stroke of time.

Joe Cini hit a powerful shot towards goal, the ball hit fullback Grima's hand and referee Richard Stagno Navarra pointed straight to the spot.

As is nearly always the case in such situations, the Hibs' supporters were quite sure that Grima had swung his hand out to the ball but their counterparts from Floriana had no doubt that the infringement was unintentional.

It was at best a controversial decision which made the Floriana players see 'purple' but their protests were to no avail. The referee was adamant in his decision and Theobald strode calmly to the spot to place the ball past goalkeeper Zerafa.

As time passed, those violet shirts became a symbol of good times for the Hibs' supporters. From time to time, well after they came out of fashion, someone would suggest to bring out the violet shirts when the club found itself in a sticky situation.

Incidentally, I still have the number 9 shirt at home which was worn by Joe Cini in 1970 for the Sons of Malta Cup final.

It occupies a very important place in my football collection.

For the Record

1970-71 Sons of Malta Cup
Played at the Empire Stadium

Final
21-11-70
Hibs vs Floriana 0-0
Replay
22-02-71
Hibs vs Floriana 2-1

Hibernians: A. Mizzi, T. Zerafa, F. Mifsud, F. Delia, Zarb, E. Theobald, H. Mifsud, N. Buckle, J. Cini, S. Bonello, Zammit.

Floriana: Zerafa, Galea, Grima, A. Debono, A. Camilleri, F. Micallef, S. Borg (Buttigieg), W. Vassallo, Grech, R. Xuereb, L. Arpa.

Scorers: Theobald (H) 2 pens; Grech (F).

Referee: Richard Stagno Navarra.