Premier League Highlights

Sunday afternoon at the Centenary Stadium served to pronounce the chasm between the rich and the poor of the Premier League.

After Marsaxlokk had notched five goals against second-from-bottom Lija Athletic, Birkirkara went two better than the southerners when hammering seven past the hapless St Patrick.

By virtue of their 7-2 success against the competition's basement team, Birkirkara took their tally for the season to 15 points, the same as Valletta who however have a much inferior goal difference than the Stripes.

Stephen Azzopardi, the Birkirkara coach, will have been satisfied with the scoring prowess displayed by his team on Sunday after they had fired blanks in their stalemate with Sliema Wanderers.

Nigerian striker Haruna Doda weighed in with a brace with the other goals coming from George Mallia, Lucian Dronca (penalty), Michael Galea, substitute Alan Tabone and Antoine Zahra.

St Patrick's goals were scored by two of their three second-half substitutes, Thomas Caruana and Mark Tanti.

Marsaxlokk had grabbed the headlines for all the wrong reasons last week but on Sunday, they diverted attention to on-pitch matters after routing Lija 5-1.

David Camilleri's exquisite distribution of the ball was central to their victory, their third in eight league matches. The former Sliema midfielder put over a sequence of inviting crosses from corners to set up four of his side's five goals.

Dragomir Draganov, Charlò Magro, Trevor Templeman, Carlo Mamo and Etienne Barbara hit the goals for a Marsaxlokk team without David Carabott and Daniel Bogdanovic who were transferred to Ghajnsielem last week.

The swift decision to accept Ghajnsielem's request to sign the two former Malta internationals on loan till the end of the season, was made the day after Marsaxlokk succumbed to a 3-1 defeat to Valletta in midweek.

Goals from Renie Forace, Keith Fenech and Ian Zammit rewarded the highly-charged Citizens with their fifth victory in seven matches, propelling them to a high placing in the table just four points adrift of pace-setters Sliema Wanderers.

Cesar Paiber converted a penalty for Marsaxlokk midway through the second half but an excellent save by Sean Sullivan from a Malcolm Licari point-blank header and Zammit's late strike snuffed out the southerners' flickering hopes.

In the first game played on Wednesday, Hibernians and Floriana failed in their bid to make significant inroads on the leading trio when holding each other to a 1-1 draw.

The two goals were scored from penalties, Andrew Cohen converting for Hibernians in the first half and Andre Rocha Da Silva responding for Floriana after the restart.

Scorers...

Birkirkara: M. Galea 8; Doda 4; Nwoko 2, Zahra 2; Mallia, Dronca (1 Pen.), Tabone.

Floriana: Baldacchino 4; Wellman 3; I. Ciantar, Bajada, Da Silva (1 Pen.).

Hibs: Schembri 3, Cohen 3 (2 Pens); Scerri 2, Mbong 2; Baldacchino.

Lija: M. Gatt 3; Barry, Kristo.

Marsaxlokk: Barbara 3 (1 Pen) Paiber 3 (2 Pens); Bogdanovic 2, Carabott 2, Templeman 2; Zammit, Asechemie, Draganov, Magro, C. Mamo.

Msida: Porceddu 4 (3 Pens); Sammut 3, Nwoke 3; Zammit 2; J. Farrugia, Bajada.

Pietà: Woods 9 (2 Pens); Frendo 3; Zahra, Nisevic, Ortas.

Sliema: Doncic 5 (2 Pens); Giglio 3, Mattocks 3; Turner (1 Pen), Debono. Own Goals - Giuva (Vs Msida); Theuma (Vs Msida); S. Pace (Vs Valletta).

St Patrick: Tanti 2, Caruana 2.

Valletta: Grima 5 (3 Pens); Agius 3; Galea 2, Vucasinovic 2, Zammit 2; Marx, Forace, Fenech.

Next matches...

Centenary Stadium - FA Trophy - first round
Saturday
1 p.m. St Patrick vs Senglea
3 p.m. Valletta vs Balzan Y.

Sunday
10 a.m. Pietà H. vs Marsa
1 p.m. Mosta vs Msida
3 p.m. St George's vs Floriana

Saturday, Nov. 13
1 p.m. Naxxar L. vs Mqabba
3 p.m. San Gwann vs Lija A.