The man with the Midas touch would certainly qualify as an appropriate title for any literary effort at detailing the achievements of Edward Aquilina during his career as a player and then as a coach.

Fresh from piloting Sliema Wanderers to their third league title in a row in his third season in charge, the charismatic Aquilina has already turned his attention to his side's defence of the FA Trophy and a fierce assault on a fourth successive championship next year.

Sliema's consistency throughout the league trek made them surefire favourites to seal their 26th league crown but contrary to widespread observations of a plainsailing march for the champions, Aquilina insists that his team had to fight hard to fulfil their goal.

"Winning a third title in succession has entailed a lot of hard work," Aquilina told The Sunday Times.

"Other teams were determined to dethrone Sliema after we claimed back-to-back titles but we showed the right attitude and motivation to make it three on the trot. This league also represents an important personal milestone as I have matched the feat of claiming three league titles in a row when I played for Sliema in the sixties.

"It also means that I have won the Maltese league in each of my last five years of coaching. I did it twice with Valletta and now this is my third with Sliema in the last three years.

"My second league title with Valletta in season 1997-98 was difficult but I think this has been harder, considering how things have evolved during the season. The last time I won it with Valletta, it was a two-way race with Birkirkara but this year there were other teams in the reckoning.

"We also had to contend with injuries to key players like Danilo Doncic and Joe Brincat in the most crucial phase of the season."

Sliema's 3-0 victory over Valletta in the first round of the Championship Pool galvanised Aquilina's belief that Sliema would hold on to their status as the top team in Maltese football.

"I rate the 3-0 win over Valletta as the defining moment of our season," Aquilina said. "After that match, I was convinced that Sliema will win the league again as the three points we gained that day lifted us well clear of Valletta besides maintaining our healthy gap on the other teams."

"Starting the second phase of the league in pole position is a boost for any team gunning for the title," the 59-year-old former Malta international added.

"The sequence of fixtures favours the leading team in that the first two matches are against the fifth and sixth placed sides whereas the other title contenders are involved in direct clashes. Taking full points from our fixtures against Floriana and Marsaxlokk put us in a position where we could administer our lead at the top in the title run-in."

The joy derived from guiding the Blues to the pinnacle of Maltese football for the third year in a row has given Aquilina new motivation to prolong his coaching career.

"Common sense tells me that this is the best time to call it a day but I intend to stay," Aquilina said.

"I feel at ease working in this environment and I also like the way Sliema Wanderers are run.

"There is an excellent rapport between the club president, Robert Arrigo, team manager Hugh Caruana, Charles Sciberras, the goalkeepers' coach and myself.

"My intention is to stay as Sliema coach for next season."

Loss of motivation is usually cited as the main obstacle for any successful team's attempt to stay at the top but Aquilina is not the least concerned about this malaise threatening his bid for more titles next year.

"No doubt, competition will be stronger but that will only bolster our resolve to make a bolder challenge," Aquilina commented.

"We also plan to add some new players who will hopefully bring fresh enthusiasm into the clan. It's no secret that we're looking at Mauro Di Lello, the former Pietà player, to strengthen our defence. Kevin Sammut will also return from his loan spell.

"The Champions League is also a target for us," Aquilina said.

"Last year, we did not have enough time to prepare for our matches against Kaunas, apart from the fact that we had some key players missing through injuries.

"This season, I expect Sliema to provide stiffer opposition in the Champions League qualifying round. That would boost our chances of overcoming the first hurdle like we had done against FC Skonto. Our bid to make the second qualifying round will also be helped if indications, that the MFA will change the rules on foreign players, are correct."

Monday's title-clinching stalemate against Valletta has relieved the pressure from Sliema to gain a positive result in their match against Hibs but not for their opponents whose participation in European competitions next season is still in the balance.

Hibs will be delighted to learn that Sliema's first team will be devoid of players who are either battling to regain full fitness or have three yellow cards to their name.

With a crunch FA Trophy semi-final against Birkirkara looming into view, Aquilina is unwilling to take risks.

"Doncic and Brincat are still injured, Orosco Anonam is suspended and there are four other players with three yellow cards," Aquilina said.

"None of these players will be in the starting line-up as I don't want to endanger our chances of beating Birkirkara to reach the final of the FA Trophy. Nonetheless, the team I will field for our last game will be strong, competitive and willing to end our league trek on a fitting high.

"This weekend is celebration time for Sliema and we don't want to close our campaign with a defeat."

The Sliema players with three bookings are Noel Turner, Jeffrey Chetcuti, Lubos Pernis and Claude Mattocks.

The experience and tactical know-how of the Sliema players have been widely mooted as the key to their title success but praise about their entertaining football has been hard to come by, never mind the on-going questions about their physical condition.

Human approach

'Sliema are rather slow but know how to grind out a result' has been a constant description of their title march but the limitations of their training facilities certainly make it hard for Aquilina and his crew to embark on a proper preparation programme throughout the season.

"Maybe, one should ask the national coach to train his squad in a five-a-side pitch for a whole week and we'll see how many things he can do there," was Aquilina's emphatic reply to my enquiry about Sliema's inadequate training facilities.

"The lack of a proper training ground puts us at a disadvantage with other teams who have better facilities but we try to adapt to the situation. It's not easy to practise set-pieces or tactical games but if you ask the players who train every day with me, the likes of Doncic, Brincat and Debono, they will tell you that we perform wonders on that five-a-side pitch.

"I must also say that in the five years I have won the league, I always had to conduct training in five-a-side pitches. Not only that, but at Valletta, we trained and played on hard ground. However, with both teams, I have been lucky to work with experienced players.

"I believe a lot in man-management and spend a lot of time communicating with the players on an individual basis. Players should be treated as normal individuals not robots.

"One of the first decisions I made when I became coach of Sliema was to scrap the policy whereby players received fines for turning up slightly late for training. I am no believer in such measures.

"For me, football is all about gaining the confidence of the players and fostering team spirit."

Hence, the Midas touch.