by The 2022/2023 season has seen Birkirkara FC and Swieqi United share the trophies. It has presented the comeback of Hibernians FC who together with Mgarr United and Raiders Lija provided an exciting battle in mid-table, while Mtarfa FC and San Gwann FC made their own strides week by week. Below is a snapshot of how it unfolded on the pitch.
The League
The Assikura Women’s League treated viewers to more than 290 goals, and just about 53 clean sheets. In most matches goalkeepers either gasped for a breath or they spent their night desperately trying to warm up. Depending on which team you supported made for very different feelings at the end of a match. However, hidden behind the scorelines and the statistics is a story of a season that provided exciting debuts, feisty battles, and the development of various sides.
Birkirkara FC lifted the trophy with the same points tally as last year, having repeated the unbeaten season with 16 wins and 2 draws. Meanwhile, Swieqi United retain the runners-up position, but took their tally up to 41 points from the previous 38. However, unlike last year, they ended up in strange territory with not much pressure by the third place Mgarr United.
The Owls earned second place by being consistent in their wins and taking points in matches that you would expect them to win but falling short of their ultimate challenge in beating the stripes. Losing two fixtures against the Stripes tilted the balance, with the final nail being hammered by Hibernians at the Owls’ penultimate match of the season.
Meanwhile, the Greens nicked the bronze in what ended up being an interesting tussle in mid-table, between them, Hibernians FC and Raiders Lija FC. Mgarr secured third place with 32 points, just a single point above Hibernians FC, who put some distance to fifth-placed Raiders Lija (22 points).
Although Raiders Lija finished eleven and twelve points adrift from Hibernians and Mgarr United, respectively, the tension between the three sides kept building until late into the season, with the final direct confrontations taking place in March being crucial in the final positions.
In fact, Mgarr United managed to win two confrontations against Raiders Lija, while the Greens grabbed seven out of nine points from Hibernians. Doing so put them in a healthy position against the two. Meanwhile, as noted above, Hibernians recovered the deficit with a shock, albeit hardfought, win against Swieqi United in their final match of the season. The best result that Mgarr United managed against the Owls was a draw in the sides’ first confrontation of the season.
Raiders Lija managed just one positive result against these sides, a 2-0 victory against Mgarr United in their first confrontation. On the other hand, Raiders Lija have the bragging rights of being the only team to take points from champions Birkirkara, other than second-placed Swieqi United who held the leaders to a draw in the opening fixture of the season.
The mid-table fight provided plenty of excitement which one hopes to see across the board. It will be interesting to see if any of the three, or perhaps hopefully all, strengthen their position against each other and perhaps even manage to take a few more points off both Swieqi United and Birkirkara next season.
Mtarfa FC and San Gwann FC were embroiled in their own battle, with the former securing sixth place after winning two of the three direct encounters between the two. Despite having fewer points at the end of the season, San Gwann commanded the better goal difference between the two, which will be a positive to take into the next season. Meanwhile, Mtarfa found inspiration in front of goal in the latter stages, which they will look to build on. Though the table tells one story, the two sides showed growth throughout the season. Having fielded a few promising talents along the way, there is plenty to get excited about for the clubs and any football fan.
The Cups
The Super Cup played in December between Swieqi United and Birkirkara FC gave a taste of silverware early in the season. Though the game promised plenty of excitement, Birkirkara were not to be dethroned. However, the story between the two sides did not end there. Having also yielded the league, the Owls finally got some taste of glory as they knocked out Birkirkara FC in the Assikura Women’s Knockout quarter-final.
From then on, they kicked on to a victory against Raiders Lija in the semi-final, who had emerged victorious against Mtarfa FC in their own quarter-final. The Owls ultimately lifted their maiden trophy by beating Hibernians by 2-1 in the final game of the season. The grand finale was the icing on the cake after having overcome their toughest opponent earlier in the tournament, setting up a repeat Super-Cup fixture and an exciting battle for next season.
On the other side of the draw, Hibernians FC eliminated Mgarr United in a fascinating encounter, which the Paolites followed with a victory against San Gwann FC, but ultimately yielded the trophy to Swieqi United in the final.
Beyond Results
Though ultimately results are what counts in all sports, with each passing week there were plenty of hidden battles being waged within and around matches. As players competed for the chance to be in the squad, injuries played their own part in adding further challenges on and off the pitch. As the women’s game experiences a surge in popularity in various countries, each season also provides the chance to grow other facets of the game.
All in all, it was a season that provided plenty of excitement for supporters to get into, whose presence culminated as the season drew to the Knockout Cup. In between singing praise to their team, waging war against opposing fans and howling instructions to the officials, players and coaching staff, their side of the story deserves an article on its own.
Until then, based on silverware, there is no doubt that Birkirkara and Swieqi United emerge the happier of the teams at the end of the season, though probably neither will feel that they fully hit their goals. However, all great competitors have a hunger for glory, and next year provides a new opportunity for all teams to earn their glory.
Photos: Chiara Faedo / Jeffrick Cachia
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