by Hibernians and Mgarr United will conclude the Assikura Women’s Knockout semi-finals at Victor Tedesco Stadium this afternoon. Hibernians enter their final chance for silverware after a long break, with Martina Borg admitting it “disrupted our rhythm a bit” while backing the balance between youth energy and senior experience. Mgarr United, already with two trophies secured, remain fixed on the present as Ryan Vella insists the focus is “fully on the next game”.
Maintaining Momentum In Aim Of The Final Piece Of Silverware
This afternoon’s double-header of cup football will be concluded with the clash between Hibernians and Mgarr United.
Though all teams have been affected by the international break, the Paolites head into it on the back of a longer break having received a bye into the semi-final. It means that their last competitive match was the last league match of the season, a defeat against the same Mgarr United.
It’s a final opportunity to clinch silverware this year for Hibernians, “Ultimately you always aim toward winning a trophy. The Knockout became our aim once we missed the grasp on the league title, though we were also realistic about the league title aspirations, even if we pushed to be competing for it. The Knockout is an important cup to aim for and we will push for a good match to make it into the final once more.”
Mgarr United on the other hand head into this following a comfortable win against San Gwann in the Preliminary Round. However, with two trophies already in the bag, Ryan Vella was questioned about any tensions between focusing on Champions League preparations against defending this cup.
Vella’s response was unwavering, “We’re fully focused on what’s next and that is the semi-final tie. The planning for next season started behind the scenes, but our focus is fully on the next game and to end this very positive season in the best possible way.”
Shades Of The International Break
The Paolites have at times struggled for goals this year, with the international break bringing some buzz back into the team following Leah Ayres’ first goal in international colours. The forward carried goalscoring momentum into international football, following a late consolation against Mgarr in the final league match.
Martina Borg was probed for her thoughts on the impact of the international goal on the forward but also on the wider group, “We are very happy for her, not just in terms of the goal but also her performances overall. Of course we will continue working together, whether Leah scores or someone else scores will be a positive for the team. Our aim remains to have a collective effort to score goals and avoid conceding in search of making it to the final.”
Martina Borg lamented the impacts of a longer break ahead of the fixture, “I don’t think it benefits us because it disrupted our rhythm a bit. Despite this we worked hard to schedule a friendly to keep the team focused. I’m very happy with the team’s preparations for the match.”
Mgarr United’s Ryan Vella was questioned about the challenge of maintaining the edge despite it, “It was important that during the break, we kept working in the same way as always with the players that weren’t in the national team.”
He suggested the team has earned back its cohesion and is raring to go, “This week we got back to full team and it was a very pleasing week of training. Everyone was committed, pushed a lot and everyone is ready to go for another difficult semi-final clash.”
Will Tables Turn?
Mgarr United have been the team to beat this year and this is something that Hibernians are well aware of having tasted not only league, but also cup defeat to them this season at senior level.
However, Martina Borg backed the collective unity between a high-flying youth cohort amalgamated with the experienced members of the senior team in injecting positive belief in the fixture, when probed about any pressures on the senior team for silverware.
“I am very happy with the youth team, ultimately we have thirteen players from that team so they form the core of the senior side. Our aim is to transmit that positive energy from the younger members of the team, while the older players bring that experience to the younger players who have so much potential. Maximising that balance is very important for us,” Borg replied.
This afternoon’s tie will shed light into whether that youth group can truly close the gap to Mgarr.
On his part, Ryan Vella was questioned about guarding against any complacency having earned a positive string of results against Hibernians. Vella rejected the notion, “Whenever we play Hibs we know that it’s a very close encounter. All results apart from last game were very close. They are a very good team, with a good coach – organised, with a clear style of play. So our players know that to advance to the final, we’ll need to be very well prepared mentally, physically and tactically.”
Like their competition, the side is ready for the kick-off whistle in search of completing the most positive end to the season, “We’re looking forward for another tough game and we hope that with our preparation done during the week, we can perform at our best on Sunday.”
The two teams are expected to kick-off at 16:30 following the other semi-final between Valletta and Birkirkara (14:00). Both matches will be played at the Victor Tedesco Stadium.
Lead Image: Brandon Bonett
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