by Hibernians and Birkirkara will conclude today’s double-header at Mgarr Ground, with the duel starting at 16:30. The match will revive the rivalry between Kenneth Costantino and Jose’ Borg, while the Stripes will be keen to make it three wins out of three against the Paolites this year. The two coaches also weighed in on the transfers of youth prospects.
Assessing Last Week’s Events
The two teams go into the match with the intentions of finishing the first round of the final phase on a high. Last week Hibernians made it two wins out of three against Mgarr United this season, in what also marked Kenneth Costantino’s first victory since taking over from Keith Gouder.
Kenneth Costantino was happy to grab the three points, “I’m happy with the result. A win is always a win and achieving this against one of the top four teams is always nice.” It was a narrow victory with a 1-0 scoreline, a drastic difference from the previous encounters between the two which featured a six-goal draw and a 3-2 victory for Hibernians.
The clean sheet was something that Costantino particularly enjoyed, “Yes, there were fewer goals and we are working on improving our defensive side of the game. So, the fact that we did not concede is something that we worked on and it’s a positive thing. It is far from the finished product and there is more to improve but it’s a good step.”
However, the coach lamented the missed opportunities to extend the lead, “On the other hand, of course we scored less, even if in my opinion we had chances to score more, especially in the first half. So, I think we are creating chances but we need to do better in converting them because something similar happened against Swieqi United in the previous week.”
Meanwhile, Birkirkara found Swieqi United a tough side once more and although they grabbed the equalising goal, the Stripes are yet to win against the Owls in the league this season.
Birkirkara’s coach Jose’ Borg provided his assessment on the performance, “Unfortunately, it’s another draw against Swieqi in the league, even though we beat them in the Super Cup. I think the score did not fully reflect the match we played, where I think the teams were balanced in the first half but I think we created more chances in the second and played most of the game in their half. We had many chances to score but they managed to score first with a good goal. It was good that we reacted to get the draw but we missed too many chances to get the victory and we’re going to need to improve on that this week.”
Transfers & Long-Term Development Strategies
The two teams were active in the transfer market, not just with incomings but also with outgoings. Lija Athletic gained the services of Ylenia Azzopardi from Birkirkara, while San Gwann welcomed Cristina Hili from Hibernians. The two youngsters represent a wider spectrum of players who are chomping at the bit to get into senior league football.
Considering that the split in the league provides a different dynamic for the remainder of the league season, the two coaches were probed on the thoughts of loaning young players to the teams in the bottom-four. Such matches may provide younger players the opportunity to gain match experience at senior level, without losing them in the long-term.
Kenneth Costantino replied, “From a general point of view I always try to give younger players some playing time, while also trying to give them attention to develop them during training. I call up youths even for senior team training. However, then you must consider if these young players are really ready to play in these games.”
As to the question of loaning out players, Costantino continued, “I think in this regard one needs to be realistic and also consider the long-term future. Sometimes you might need to loan out players to smaller teams for them to get playing time, but on the other hand I think one needs to consider that you train every week with quality players, with quality facilities and all the other perks that come when playing at a bigger club. Sometimes I think players being patient to earn the right opportunities and continue working hard to earn that spot could be a better alternative. Every case needs to be seen in its own merits. I don’t like losing players, especially young players but sometimes the decision is out of your hands as a coach and even as a club.”
Birkirkara’s Jose’ Borg weighed in with his own ideas about the matter which in a sense reflected Costantino’s response, “I think there are two sides to this question. On one hand lending youngsters to Section B means that they might be losing in the intensity of the training sessions that they get when they train with Birkirkara. On the other hand, they would be getting game time.” However, the coach added that weighing the two options, the club’s strategy laid against loaning, “It was not in our plan to loan out players and in this case the player was adamant that she goes. Obviously no one is bigger than the club and should the player not be happy then they are free to leave the club.”
Match Expectations
Hibernians go into the match seeking to score their first goal against the Stripes this season and to do it in the hope of earning the first points against the defending champions. Despite losing the first two outings it does not appear that the team is ready to simply go to the pitch and settle for a draw,
Asked if they would consider grabbing a point a success, Costantino replied, “Birkirkara are obviously are a tough opponent. Yes, it is fair that in the first two games Birkirkara were superior in the result but I think the scoreline did not tell the whole story in the second match. Whilst appreciating that Birkirkara are the team to beat, we have been working toward the match and we always take to the pitch with the mentality of doing our best to grab the three points. Of course it may be that we win, draw or even lose, but it doesn’t change our mindset of how we tackle the game.”
On the other hand, Birkirkara’s Jose’ Borg is firmly set on getting back to winning ways. Although they have the confidence of beating Hibernians twice in the season already, Borg will need to contend with playing Hibernians in the more confined space at Mgarr, “Playing there is never easy because the pitch is slightly smaller and the conditions are not like Ta Qali so I would say it’s a bit demotivating for my team to play there.”
Borg also appears to be keen to renew the rivalry with Costantino, “Me and Kenneth have battled against each other before, in reversed roles, when I was at Hibernians and he was at Birkirkara. There’s usually a good rivalry between Kenneth and myself. Hibernians are a strong team and I think he’s doing a good job, so I expect it to be a good match.”
The two teams will kick-off proceedings at Mgarr Ground at 16:30, following the other top-four encounter where Mgarr United will welcome Swieqi United at 14:00.
Lead Images: Lara Schembri
Stay up to date by following The Sporting Fan on social media: Instagram ~ Facebook ~ X
