Final Throes: Swieqi United and Hibernians Battle for Second Place

Second place remains within reach as Hibernians face Swieqi United this evening at Dingli Ground, with the Paolites carrying momentum from their recent victory, while Swieqi seek a reaction. both Martina Borg and Dorianne Theuma emphasised that the contest will be decided by fine margins, mentality, and execution on the day.

Final Throes

Hibernians will be meeting Swieqi United with the opportunity of pipping themselves into second place ahead of the final weekend.

The Paolites come into it in high spirits following a 7 – 0 victory against Valletta, “It was a positive performance especially considering that we didn’t manage to score early but maintained it’s composure and focus to play our game until breaking the deadlock. From then on I felt the team did well to keep pushing for more goals, as well as maintaining a clean sheet, which was also an important thing for us given that we hadn’t managed this in some weeks.”

The team head into tonight’s fixture having also had plenty to celebrate as the U21 team confirmed their Assikura Women’s Youth League title, with several players shared between the senior and youth team.

At the other end, Swieqi United will come into it following a narrow defeat to Birkirkara. Dorianne Theuma spoke of the defeat, “The result is disappointing and I think we all feel we can do better. We lacked a bit of personality and sharpness at certain times. The players put in a lot of work every week, so we expect more from ourselves in certain moments of the game.”

Coaches Downplay Significance

The two teams are in a battle for second place with little to separate them except the opening round match where Swieqi United edged it by 2 – 1. They both also lost to Birkirkara in the past couple of weeks.

Martina Borg avoided attributing much significance to the defeats to Birkirkara as a metric of evenness between her side and the Owls, “I don’t think so, Birkirkara going through a great run of form and they can dock points off anyone.” Indeed, the Stripes earned a draw against the champions, Mgarr United, on Friday.

Shifting focus to the confrontation against Swieqi United, “I think it will depend on who is best on the day. We are simply focused on having another positive performance.”

The Hibernians’ coach continued in the same frame of mind when questioned directly about the significance of the match for the season, “It is a motivation to try to come in second place, but in the end, the title belongs to who comes in first. However, it’s a last push to try to finish off the season as best as we can. At the same time we are firstly focused on consistent performances, results come second.”

Dorianne Theuma echoed the same opinions, “These games are always decided by small details. For us, the mindset has to be about reaction, showing more character, more hunger, and taking responsibility on the pitch.”

The Swieqi United coach pushed her team to put the remaining energy into a positive end to the season, “⁠It’s an important match, but I prefer to see it as an opportunity for the players to show their character. The season hasn’t always gone the way we wanted, but this group has worked hard throughout. Now it’s about finishing strong and showing the right mentality on the pitch.”

The two sides will contest the match at Dingli Ground, with kick-off set at 18:00. Charles Abela Stadium will host the bottom of the table clash between San Gwann & Valletta at 19:00.

Lead Image: Michael Azzopardi

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