by Birkirkara lifted the BNF Women’s Knockout after defeating debutants Valletta by 6-1. Birkirkara’s coach Melvin Camilleri and Valletta’s Julian Buhagiar gave their thoughts on the performances, trajectory throughout the season and the importance of supporting these rising athletes.
How It Unfolded
Birkirkara’s youngsters continued the party started on Saturday by the senior women’s team, by winning the BNF Women’s Knockout against debutants Valletta, by 6-1. Lauren Micallef kicked things off for the Stripes, before Valletta’s Katelyn Camilleri made an expert stop from a penalty kick to keep her team in it. However, Lara Azzopardi rose to the occasion to double Birkirkara’s lead before half-time.
The Stripes came out into the second-half determined to seal the victory. Lauren Micallef got them going again with a long range effort, before Katrina Catania made it four with a low shot into the bottom right corner. Hailey Micallef came off the bench to add two more goals making it six. However, Shanaia Mifsud got one back for Valletta with a left footed effort that nestled into the right side of the net.
Coaches’ Assessments On The Match & Progress In A Season
Birkirkara’s coach Melvin Camilleri expressed his pride in the team, “It was another good performance that continued in the same trajectory as the team showed throughout the season. I think today continues to show that it has been a positive season. Despite coming second in the league, I think overall it’s been a positive campaign.”
One of the key goals mentioned by Camilleri early on in the season was the desire to improve the technical abilities of his players. Asked on his impressions of the progress in that regard, he said, “This was my first season with the team. I am happy with the improvement and there were players who improved significantly throughout the season in their technical abilities and even played part in the semi-final, so I am very happy with this.”
Valletta had arguably the tougher path, overcoming the top-four teams of Swieqi United and Lija Sliema in their road to the final. Asked to sum up the trajectory of the team in their debut season to reach the Knockout final, Julian Buhagiar weighed in, “It is our first year competing, so I think overall we’ve made huge improvements since the beginning of the season. We knew that today would be difficult. In my opinion Birkirkara have been the best team throughout the season, despite coming in second in the league. Overall I’m happy with my team. It was a first experience and perhaps there was some fear which took over and ultimately the performance was not as we’d hoped. However, I think we should be proud to have gotten to the final in our first year.”
Probed about the trajectory of the team to settle down the numbers and into the routine of fixtures as the season progressed, Julian Buhagiar confirmed the notion he had raised when speaking with The Sporting Fan earlier in the season that his team would likely be within the top four had two rounds been played before the teams were split.
He said, “I am still of this belief and I think we improved with every performance. Unfortunately it seems that there will be no changes next year. I think having two rounds could give teams a better chance to get into the top four, especially when one considers that we are starting the season extremely early in August and then ending now in March, which is quite early. However, if things stay the same then we must plan everything a bit earlier to try to start off even better.”
Applauding Those In Support
Both coaches acknowledged the importance of support for the teams to progress. Melvin Camilleri said, “I want to thank all the technical staff, the committee, parents and supporters. This game was for their sacrifice and I thank them for heeding to my demands. The successes we have as a team are theirs as well.”
Despite suffering the heartbreak of defeat, Julian Buhagiar led his team to applaud all those that came in support of these youngsters. Probed about the importance of having that backing towards these players, Buhagiar said, “Definitely today we had a strong crowd in support, quite big for an U16 match and even more so for girls, who unfortunately in my view are always around five steps away than the boys, which I also do not agree with. So, today I was very happy to see this support and there was a respectful atmosphere on the whole. Someone must win and another must lose. You always hope to be on the winning end, but that is football. However, I was happy that we could show our respect to Birkirkara and that they showed their respect to us as well.”
Stay up to date by following The Sporting Fan on social media: Instagram ~ Facebook ~ X
