Miller's boys keen to end campaign on a high

Motivation is in plentiful supply in the Malta U-21 camp ahead of their final UEFA Championship qualifier against Bulgaria at the National Stadium today.

The resolve of Mark Miller's young guns to attain a positive result is fuelled by not one but three main reasons. Firstly, this U-21 edition is still with a chance of establishing a local record for number of points won during a qualifying campaign. Secondly, today's match will mark the closure of the U-21 career for no fewer than 10 members of the current squad.

With national coach Horst Heese having already announced that tomorrow's World Cup qualifier against Bulgaria will be his last in charge of the Maltese team, the U-21s are also keen on giving 'the boss' a fitting farewell.

Miller has already spoken of his desire that the Maltese teams fare well in their final qualifiers to provide Heese with "a fairytale finish".

Gareth Sciberras, the Malta U-21 skipper and one of the players who will no longer be eligible to turn out for the U-21s after today's qualifier, acknowledged his team's determination to end this campaign on a high.

"Mr Heese has always given us his full support and it would be nice if we can reward his contribution with a positive result," the Marsaxlokk midfielder said.

"This match contains a high dose of emotional significance because of Heese's impending departure and the fact that several players will be bidding farewell to the U-21 team.

"Our ambition lies in obtaining a good result but we are also eager to turn in a fine performance. Most of the players in our group have high aspirations of gaining promotion to the senior squad and a good display against Bulgaria would go some way towards enhancing our prospects."

Miller's preparations for this match have been disrupted by the withdrawal of several players because of injuries.

David Camenzuli, the Pietà defender, is the latest player to pull out of the match with a groin problem. Injury has also deprived the likes of Ryan Mintoff, Christian Cassar, Nicolò Baldacchino and Shaun Tellus the chance to be in the squad for what would have been their final game for the Malta U-21.

The other 'old' players are goalkeepers Reuben Gauci and Kris Calleja, Roderick Bajada, Shaun Bajada, Trevor Cilia and Sciberras.

"Every player in our squad is itching to play against Bulgaria," Sciberras commented. "The mood is very positive but at the same time, we know that we are playing a tough team. We have to be on top of our form to get a good result."

A fixture in the U-21 team for the past four years, Sciberras says international football has helped him and other players improve their level.

"Playing competitive matches for the Malta U-21 team has given me and my team-mates a tremendous boost," Sciberras said.

"It would be great if I can finish my U-21 career on a high, especially if this edition fulfils its goal of setting a new mark for number of points won by a Malta U-21 team."

The 2004-2005 Malta U-21 side have four points from nine matches, the same total as their 2001-2002 predecessors. The best ever tally remains that of the Malta U-21 team of season 1994-1995 who ended their campaign with five points but that mark will be eclipsed by the current U-21s if they beat Bulgaria today.

Although the Malta U-21 squad will lose several key members after today's encounter, Sciberras sees a bright future for the team.

"The future looks very good because we already have several young, talented players forming part of the U-21 squad," Sciberras said.

Miller, who would not reveal his starting formation, called for better concentration and better finishing from his boys after his team played well in the last two qualifiers but still lost 2-0 away to Hungary and 1-0 at home to Croatia.

When Malta met Bulgaria in Sofia last year, the outcome was a hard-earned 2-1 victory for the hosts.

Miladinov wary

Meanwhile, Petar Miladinov, the Bulgaria U-21 coach, is bracing himself for a tough match.

"Malta showed themselves to be a very organised team with a high level of tactical discipline when we played them in Sofia," he said yesterday.

"I'm expecting a difficult match as Malta can be dangerous when they operate on the counter-attack," added Miladinov, who singled out Andrè Schembri, Cleaven Frendo and Andrei Agius as Malta's better players in Sofia.