by Mgarr United and Hibernians will be at each other’s throats once more this evening at the Centenary Stadium at 19:00. Ryan Vella and Martina Borg reflected on preparation for the match in the wake of the Jubilee final, while weighing in on the infringements of late-notice fixture changes on the game and its people. The Malta Football Association Head of Operations, Stewart Said, provided the official reasoning behind the change and the approach by the department.
No Rest For The Wicked
The two teams will be at each other’s throats this evening once more, with Hibernians having an opportunity to get back at Mgarr United immediately following the Jubilee Cup final result. However, the Greens are yet to drop a point in the league this season and they will be hoping to carry that momentum in search of widening the gap at the top further in two direct confrontations before the Christmas break.
Mgarr United’s Ryan Vella weighed in on the days that elapsed since Monday, “It’s been a very hectic week with our final, the U21 game and another game coming up on Saturday. However, as always we’re just focused on what’s next. Facing Hibs again will be tough as they will have an extra motivation to seek revenge, but we’ll prepare in the best possible way to keep our momentum heading into the Christmas period.”
Meanwhile, Martina Borg gave insight into how the team has processed Monday’s defeat, “I think although we only had four days, it’s been enough time to accept the defeat and look forward. We obviously discussed it and players were mature to understand the shortcomings and put it behind us. So, I think mentally we’re working as well as we can to meet Mgarr in the best possible frame of mind.”
Fixture Changes – The Two Sides Of The Coin
The two teams were due to play on Friday at the Victor Tedesco Stadium. However, the match was moved to Saturday at the Centenary Stadium last Monday. The two coaches were questioned for their thoughts on the change in date and venue, given the congestion of fixtures, but also considering the short notice.
Mgarr United’s Ryan Vella appealed for the consideration of the human-impact of these changes, “Even though we have an extra day to prepare, I still cannot understand how a change of fixture is done five days prior to the game. We knew about this fixture for nearly a month – staff and players can never plan anything in advance due to these short-notice changes. I feel like sometimes people forget that we have a life outside of football. Unfortunately, we have to deal with these things and make sure to have the team ready to go for another tough game.”
Hibernians’ Martina Borg revealed that the clubs’ initial request for a change in schedule due to the final was actually rejected, “We had requested a change much earlier, once we learned that we would both be in the final but this was rejected at the time. It seems that however then the fixture was changed after the final. Trying to look at it from a positive lens the players had one extra day to recover for tonight’s match.” The teams’ place in the final was confirmed in mid-November.
On Friday, the Victor Tedesco Stadium instead played host to the men’s premier league match (YoHealth Malta Premier League) between Hibernians and Tarxien Rainbows in the slot originally scheduled for the Assikura Women’s League’s match between Hibernians & Mgarr United.
Questions were sent to the Malta Football Association by The Sporting Fan to confirm the exact reason for the change. Head of Football Operations Stewart Said confirmed that the change in scheduling was due to the YoHealth Malta Premier League match and not the women’s teams requests. He also confirmed that the same reason caused the shift in venue for Thursday’s women’s league match between Birkirkara and San Gwann from the Centenary Stadium to the Charles Abela Stadium.
Said confirmed that the Malta Premier League is given priority by venue despite other fixtures being published much earlier. He also underlined that the Malta Football Association is no longer responsible for Premier League Operations as from this season.
Casting view on the handling of fixture scheduling by the department, Said confirmed that each league has associated venues that it is played in and that where clashes occur the first aim will be to switch venue without changing the date, but that where this isn’t possible the next best solution is found so that the fixture is still played.
To Change Or Not To Change
Meanwhile, given the conundrum of facing the same team twice in such a short spell, the two coaches suggested that there may be tweaks to keep things fresh but the basis will remain the same.
Ryan Vella weighed in, “We prepare the same way for all games. Sometimes some tweaks are needed but our playing method is always the same. Our job is to focus on ourselves, show the same energy, attitude and commitment we showed in the other games and if we do that, we can beat any team.”
Martina Borg replied, “I think the timeframe between the two matches is too short to change too many things. We will maintain our principles, maybe make some small changes to strengthen the team and avoid some mistakes. However, the final was very close so I think we don’t need to change too many things. The biggest thing we need to manage is the mental aspect, concentration and how we deal with situations in the match. I think we paid dearly for this inexperience in the final and we must grow from this.”
The two teams will take to the pitch at 19:00 at the Centenary Stadium. Valletta and Swieqi United will also be in action at the Charles Abela Stadium at 18:00.
Lead Image:Â Maraya Gauci
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