The picture accompanying this article was given to me by my friend Joe Grech who, in the sixties, played for Senglea Athletics, Birkirkara and St Patrick.
Grech was a hard-working half-back and tireless midfielder. He played in all three divisions of the league. His best period was arguably when he turned out for St Patrick in the top tier of Maltese football.
This picture shows Senglea Athletics in 1959-60 when the club was among the best in the third division. Between 1959 and 1961, Senglea twice went close to gaining promotion to the second division only to lose out in the latter stages of the competition.
In 1959-60, Żejtun enjoyed a very successful season. Fielding a team composed mostly of youngsters and led by veterans Grixti (ex-Hibs) and Chircop (ex-Birkirkara), they were the best side in Section B of the third sivision.
Żejtun were seriously challenged by Senglea Athletics in the league. Led by centre-half Zarb, Senglea beat the Corinthians 1-0 in the direct encounter to force a decider for section honours.
This defeat somewhat dampened the Blues’ spirits but in the decider, they rose to the occasion, beating the Athletics 2-0. The Corinthians went on to secure promotion by defeating Birżebbuġa St Peters 3-0 in the Championship decider.
I remember that game quite well. The Schreiber Sports Ground that day was filled to the brim with thousands of enthusiastic supporters.
Żejtun met Senglea again in the semi-finals of the knock-out. The game ended 0-0. In the replay Żejtun made sure of meeting Luqa St Andrew’s in the final by netting twice in the space of 12 minutes.
One of my earliest recollections in football is the huge crowds that flocked to the Schreiber Sports Ground in the fifties and early sixties. Those were the good old days of Maltese football when the game enjoyed a huge following.
The third division league in those days was a guarantee of good and exciting football. Season 1960-61 was one of the most exciting for many years, with the battle for the honours going down to the last kick of the competition.
The two sections were balanced and there were many aspirants for promotion. Żurrieq won Section A while Senglea carried off the Section B honours. These two teams, therefore, squared up in the promotion decider in front of a packed house.
The two finalists were, more or less, of the same calibre but Żurrieq’s slight edge enabled them to win the championship with a 2-1 victory.
Żurrieq had been hot favourites to claim the championship but ironically, they started the season rather indifferently. They lost only one match, but many times, it was the fine form of their goalkeeper Mike Galea that saw them through.
I remember Galea from my RAF days as he served in the RAF Police. He was a fine goalkeeper and, if I remember correctly, he had a short spell in the first division with Valletta.
After their shaky start, Żurrieq recovered to win the cham-pionship by one point from Birżebbuġa St Peter’s.
Senglea topped Section B quite comfortably. They did not lose a single match but drew five out of 14 matches. Their nearest rivals were Melita who finished two points behind Senglea.
Senglea had a very good team in those days but somehow, they always seemed to miss out on their main objective. They had to wait until 1973 to realise their ambition of winning promotion to the second division.