Hibernians & Swieqi To Initiate Knockout

Hibernians & Swieqi United will ignite the Assikura Women’s Knockout at Dingli Ground at 14:00. Kenneth Costantino & Dorianne Theuma weighed the relevance of past finals and encounters in the competition in view of this afternoon’s match, with neither coach calling this one.

A Final Piece Of Silverware

Hibernians and Swieqi United will kick off their sixth meet of the year, albeit in different circumstances. This afternoon it will be a winner-takes-all match to progress to the semi-finals.

Hibernians have made the past two finals in the competition, albeit coming runners-up to Swieqi United and Birkirkara. Kenneth Costantino weighed in on the relevance of the two finals on this third attempt, which comes on the back of a fiercely competed league title.

The Hibernians’ coach started, “I honestly don’t think that you can compare previous competitions for various reasons, but maybe it helps us to mentally unblock.”

Reflecting on this season thus far in view of silverware ambitions, he continued, “In terms of results we were really unfortunate on a number of occasions during the second phase. However, this is a new competition and I am sure that the girls will give their best.”

Meanwhile, Swieqi United’s coach Dorianne Theuma is relishing the difference in the competition format but also believes this is a match to be judged on its own, “The beauty of knockout football is that there are no second chances – you have to be at your best in the moment. While previous seasons have taught us a lot, they’re behind us now.”

Looking toward this afternoon’s quarter-final, she continued, “Our sole focus is on how we performed the last time we faced Hibernians, and by our own standards, that performance fell short. We know we need to be fully focused, fight for every ball, and bring the intensity from the first whistle, because we have no doubt Hibernians will be coming prepared.”

The two sides met on the final matchday of the league, with Swieqi United just edging out Hibernians by 1 – 0, despite the Paolites having the majority of chances.

Squads & Growth

Hibernians’ Kenneth Costantino was questioned on the return of Nyorah Celeste to club and international football following being sidelined by an ACL injury. The youngster was growing into a key player last season, with Costantino probed about her return and the philosophy of introducing youngsters into the team.

The Hibernians coach replied, “As you rightly point out, I give young Maltese players the possibility to find their footing at senior level. It’s not easy because at that age they are susceptible to mistakes and given all the stressors outside of football, you need to know when the time is right. We push them during training and we monitor their readiness and when we see that they are ready we will give them the opportunity.”

He continued, “This year Ileana (Farrugia), Sarah (Vella Barberi), Georgiana (Mifsud), Amber (Galea) and Maya (Muscat) featured with the senior team. Some more others less, again based on readiness. This together with Olivia (Nazarko), Alanah (Ghio), Shana (Farrugia) and Nyorah (Celeste) who trained regularly with the senior team, but couldn’t play due to injury or regulations. Considering that Jessica (Dimech), Kayleigh (Chetcuti), Amy (Busuttil), Nicole (Sciberras), Chloe (Ellul) and Leah (Ayres) are also very young, we leave behind a healthy team which has a bright future ahead.”

The Hibernians’ coach ruled out the immediate return to senior football for Nyorah Celeste but was positive about her future with the team, “I still think that she is not physically and mentally ready for the demands of such games, even though with her attitude and mindset she will be totally ready for next season.”

Hibernians also confirmed that captain Martina Borg will be finishing her playing career at the end of the season. Kenneth Costantino had nothing but praise for the leader, “Martina has decided to hang her boots and although I think she still has much to offer, I respect her decision. She has helped the girls a lot over these past three seasons and whoever will captain the team next season will have to fill in some big shoes.”

Meanwhile, Swieqi United have continued to also be a team relying on a mix of youth and established talent who will be expected to push for a final piece of senior football silverware to make the haul. However, coach Dorianne Theuma confirmed that the team will still be without the services of Jade Flask.

Is There A Favourite?

Kenneth Costantino acknowledged the strides that Swieqi United made but is backing his side, “Swieqi are a strong side and I believe they have some very good individual players as one can see from the MFPA nominations. However, our last game against them shows that we can play at par with them. Ultimately, it boils down to determination and concentration on the day, with a tad of luck, which really never smiled at us yet.”

Meanwhile, Swieqi United’s Dorianne Theuma believes that her team are far from certain winners of the match despite the uptick of positive results against the Paolites. She called on her side to put their best foot forward.

She said, “The momentum we’ve built in the league definitely gives us a boost, but our feet are firmly on the ground. We have always worked with the approach that after an international break we return to club duties prepared and with the right mindset, and it’s no different this time. In the final three rounds of the league, we approached every match like a final — constantly pushing to be the best version of ourselves while respecting and preparing for the strengths of our opponents. Our game against Hibernians is just another final.”

The two will kick-off at 14:00 at Dingli Ground, with the match to be followed by the clash between Birkirkara and Mgarr United (16:30). The winner between Swieqi United and Hibernians will face San Gwann or Valletta, depending on the latter’s result with those two meeting at Mgarr Ground at 14:30.

Lead Image: Elise Bajada

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