In the 1930s, the peak of any Maltese football competition was always reached with the encounter between Sliema Wanderers and Floriana.

Up to a few years ago, there was no bigger occasion than a Sliema vs Floriana final. These matches have always been fiercely-contested and full of incident. Even nowadays, although the rivalry is not as strong as it used to be in the past, the old flame still flickers.

In 1934-35, the two old rivals were destined to meet each other three times - once in the league and in the Cassar Cup and FA Trophy finals. With the rivalry between the two clubs reaching fever-pitch, it was no wonder that these matches were the highlights of a very memorable season.

The first Sliema-Floriana clash was in the Cassar Cup final.

A crowd of over 15,000 spectators crammed every available space in the stadium. The left side of the enclosure was bedecked with the blue banners, streamers and umbrellas of the Wanderers fans while the right was painted green, the colours of Floriana. Motor-horns, sirens, whistles and rattles joined together in a kaleidoscope of noise and colour. Yet, despite all the enthusiasm, the crowd had to wait for another day to learn the verdict. The game ended in a 1-1 draw and had to be replayed a week later.

The replay took place on March 17, 1935 in pouring rain. Sliema were unaffected by the conditions but Floriana looked somewhat uneasy playing on a wet surface.

However, they managed to take an early lead. At that stage, luck seemed to desert Floriana when Pawlu Storace split his eyebrow in a tackle with Salvu Sammut and they had to battle on with ten men. Sliema took full advantage of the situation. They gained an equaliser and then 'Brownie' Sammut scored again to take the cup to Sliema.

At the time, Sliema had been champions for the past two seasons. They were firm favourites to retain the title. In those days, fixtures were arranged beforehand in order to have Sliema and Floriana playing each other in the final match of the season.

Injury problems

Sliema needed only one point from the big game to win the championship. Things looked bleak for Floriana. The odds were heavily weighed against them especially since they had Storace and Censu Friggieri missing through injury.

As luck would have it, a number of their reserves were also unfit for play. Their injury crisis was such that the Greens even contemplated giving their rivals a walkover. However, rather than letting the Blues cruise to their third league championship in a row without a fight, they decided to honour the fixture.

The match was played on Saturday, April 7, 1935 before an estimated crowd of 10,000. Despite their limitations, Floriana went into the game in a mood of 'nothing ventured nothing gained'. They had nothing to lose and so they went all-out for victory.

From the word go, they threw themselves into the fray and, disputing every inch of territory, they fought bravely for every ball. Their aggression paid off handsomely because Sliema were completely swept off the park. They tried to pull themselves together but it was all in vain. It was no surprise when Censu Debattista scored for Floriana.

This goal seemed to shake the Sliema players out of their slumber and it was well within the run of play when 'Brownie' Sammut scored the equaliser.

Floriana, however, were not subdued. They persisted with their determined approach until Carmelo Cauchi broke the deadlock with a fine header. The drama had ended. Floriana, against all expectations, had beaten the mighty Wanderers.

The rivals now stood all square with an honour apiece and with the FA Trophy to play for.

True to expectations the two protagonists made it all the way to the final and a third showdown between them. The teams locked horns on Sunday, June 2, 1935.

This time Sliema took no chances. They sprang into action from the kick-off and within a minute, they had Floriana reeling. The Blues seized the initiative and did not let go before they put the result beyond their opponents.

The stalwart in a devastating 4-0 victory was the immortal Tony Nicholl who hit a hat-trick. The other goal came from a penalty taken by Salvu Sammut.

The Blues had lost the league to their rivals but made up for it with two prestigious victories in the Cassar Cup and the FA Trophy.