BOV Amateur League I MD23 Review: Attard secure promotion, Victoria Hotspurs edge closer to going up

Victoria Hotspurs FC 4-1 Luqa St Andrew's FC - 10.04.2026 - Photos by Malta FA

BOV AMATEUR LEAGUE I 2025/26
MATCHDAY 23

Attard 2-0 San Gwann
In this encounter on Saturday afternoon, Attard secured promotion to the Challenge League by beating San Gwann 2-0, thanks to a goal in each half. The victory for the league leaders was much deserved with the Saints ending the game with nine players due to two late expulsions. The stands at the Sirens Stadium were colourfully decked out in red and black as the Saracen supporters were out in force.

On eight minutes Attard almost took the lead when a header by Nicholas Schembri slammed against the crossbar. The match continued quite vibrant with Attard looking to grab the opening goal. Gordon Saliba was unlucky on 25 minutes when a shot by Gordon Saliba cannoned off the post. Attard finally took the lead on 29 minutes when a cross by Staline Degabriele found Schembri who headed home with aplomb.

Seven minutes after the re-start, Attard had another chance when a ball by Degabriele was steered towards Precious Nwankwo but the ball was cleared by the San Gwann defence. Degabriele, once more in fine shape, had a wonderful chance on 67 minutes when he was alone in the box but his low shot was well stopped by Luciano Camilleri.

San Gwann ended up with nine men five minutes from time when Myron Micallef and Ricardo Velasquez were sent off after receiving their second yellow card. In stoppage time, Attard made sure of the points with a fine opportunist goal by Precious Nwankwo. The win sealed Attard’s dominant campaign, with the team of coach Dylan Attard returning to second tier football after an absence of two seasons.

Victoria Hotspurs 4-1 Luqa St Andrew’s
A depleted Luqa St Andrew’s side proved to be no match for promotion seekers Victoria Hotspurs in the early Centenary Stadium kick-off last Friday night. The 4-1 victory for the Gozitans was justified, who removed their foot from the pedal after an hour play, also giving chance to some young substitutes to show their skills. On the contrary, Luqa have three games left to save their status, a big but not impossible task for the young team of coach Paul Bugeja in an exciting battle against the drop with, practically, seven teams involved.

The ball was in the net after barely two minutes when Rondinely, somehow, fumbled home from a goalmouth melee’ in the six-yard box, giving the Hotspurs the lead. Three minutes later, it was 2-0 with Christian Mercieca kicking home after some good work by Christian Saint Ebisindor on the left flank. Luqa settled well after these early setbacks, with Andre Fenech coming to the rescue with saves on two on-target Karl Micallef attempts.

Victoria Hotspurs FC 4-1 Luqa St Andrew's FC - 10.04.2026 - Photo by Malta FA

The third Hotspurs goal on 36 minutes was an awkward one as the complete Luqa defence abruptly stopped playing after an alleged hands-ball incident, with Kurt Borg depositing the ball unchallenged passed Fenech.

Eleven minutes after the change of ends it was 4-0 thanks to captain Ferdinando Apap, who headed home at the first post from a corner-action. Saint Ebisindor came close just after the hour-mark with a wonderful curling attempt which sailed inches wide. On 66 minutes, Fenech did again well to block a Kurt Borg attempt. Luqa pulled one back on 82 minutes when young debutant Cole Tabone found Andreas Psaila, who rounded substitute goalkeeper Kyle Barbara, placing the ball into the empty net.

Mqabba 2-0 Kirkop United
With Qormi being defeated by Qrendi, Mqabba climbed to third place in the table thanks to a 2-0 victory over neighbours Kirkop in a tensed derby game last Thursday night at the Centenary Stadium. With Mqabba playing for pride only, it was an opportunity lost for Kirkop, who collected 10 valuable points in March but remain pointless in April.

Mqabba came close after eight minutes when a header by Jeremy Busuttil from a free kick ended up just wide. On 13 minutes, Mqabba opened the score with Jeremy Busuttil connecting from a goalmouth melee’. On 25 minutes a cross by Luka Mijic found Paolo Zammit who headed wide.

Kirkop replied on 34 minutes when Neil Buttigieg had an effort that was saved by stand-in goalkeeper Lydon Moore. On 38 minutes, Jairo Andres Viveros was felled in the box with Luka Mijic cooly converting the spotkick, his 100th career goal since arriving in Malta in 2017.

Mqabba continued pressing forward in the second half when Melvin Busuttil squared to Viveros who shot well over the bar halfway the period. Five minutes from time, Jeremy Delmar carved up a good opportunity for Mqabba, but his low shot was well saved by Miguel Falzon. Kirkop are just two points above the red zone and most definitely need to collect a few more points from their remaining three matches against high flyers Qormi and Attard, and on the last Match Day against fellow strugglers Xghajra Tornados.

Qormi 0-1 Qrendi
In the late Centenary Stadium kick-off last Friday night, Qrendi made a giant step into safety with a hard-earned solitary goal victory over Qormi. It was the second successive positive result for new Qrendi coach Conrad Debattista, who started the season with Msida but was, remarkably, removed from his duties after one defeat, taking over last week with Qrendi in a goalless draw with Mqabba. Qormi, with this defeat, threw the towel in their quest for promotion.

The opening period was an open contest with chances on both sides. Qormi could have taken the lead in their very first attack when Carlos Debattista found John Awori, who forced veteran goalkeeper Christan Cassar into an excellent save. Not much later, the same Awori nearly capitalized on some hesitant Qrendi defending, with a grounder that went wide. On 13 minutes, Qormi debutant goalkeeper Deisler Vella did well to neutralise a Brandon Bray bombshell, which was the first real Qrendi attempt of the game.
With one-minute regular time left, Qormi captain Eman Camilleri’s attempt was denied by the woodwork.

Four minutes after the re-start, Qormi right back Emerson Vella had his shot splendidly paraded by Cassar, who produced a great reflex with the ball being cleared after hitting the crossbar. Just after the hour, Qrendi missed a huge opportunity as well with Joseph Ogunnupe blasting wide from a promising angle. Not much later on the other side, Jayden Borg served Awori who kicked wide at the first post. Qrendi scored what proved to be the winner on 70 minutes when Brendan Scerri tapped home, unmarked at the second post from a Brandon Bray cross-shot. Eight minutes later, Qormi substitute Albert Murdolo should have equalised with a point-blank attempt, but Cassar blocked brilliantly.

Lija Athletic 1-2 Senglea Athletic
In the final encounter of the day at the Sirens Stadium om Saturday night, Lija faced off against Senglea with the latter bagging a priceless three points in their quest for survival. After three draws and one defeat in their last four outings, the odd goal in three victory over Lija was a most welcome result for the Cottonera side, who have now distanced themselves with three points from the relegation zone.

It was Senglea who created the first chance after 19 minutes when a superb shot by Kieran Curmi was acrobatically saved for a corner by Luke Bonnici. Senglea took the lead on 23 minutes with a fine goal courtesy of Rudy Cassar-Jackson’s massive effort from outside the box. The team of coach Edmond Lufi could have doubled on 38 minutes when a stinger by Jake Stensen was saved onto the post by Bonnici.

After the change of ends, Senglea continued creating chances and had another good opportunity on 62 minutes when Jack Zammit shot well over the bar from a fine position. But Lija managed to equalize on 71 minutes when Erjon Beu managed to stab home from a goalmouth melee’. However, six minutes later,  Alberto Castano scored Senglea’s winner with an excellent finish to give Senglea fresh hopes in their relegation battle. The Isla side now face Luqa next in another relegation clash, then Victoria Hotspurs before closing down the campaign with a meeting with Pembroke, which could be a decisive game in the relegation battle.

Mellieha 2-1 Zejtun Corinthians
On Saturday, Mellieha secured a crucial odd goal in three victory over fellow relegation contenders Zejtun Corinthians at the Sirens Stadium, taking a significant step towards safety with just three matches remaining. The win, the third consecutive one for the Blues, lifts the Northerners above Kirkop United in the standings, while Zejtun remain on 21 points, their hopes of avoiding the drop increasingly slim.

The match began with early intent, as former Valletta player Kevin Tulimieri tested Mellieha goalkeeper Slaven Micallef after just seven minutes, his long-range effort tipped behind for a corner. Zejtun looked the sharper side in the opening stages and continued to threaten, while Mellieha struggled to create clear opportunities.

Mellieħa’s first real attempt arrived on 27 minutes through Dylan Camilleri, who fired off target from distance. Zejtun responded with a golden chance for Matthew Farrugia, who found himself unmarked inside the area, but his effort was comfortably saved by Micallef. The breakthrough arrived in the 36th minute when Micallef brought down Stefi Cale inside the penalty area. The referee pointed to the spot, and Cale calmly converted, placing his shot into the left corner to give Zejtun a deserved lead at the interval.

After the break, Mellieha emerged with greater urgency. Ismael MBorg came close to equalising with an angled drive, but Corinthians goalkeeper Andy Catania-Gilson reacted well to push the ball out for a corner. The turning point came in the 53rd minute when Catania-Gilson was shown a red card for denying an obvious goalscoring opportunity, leaving Zejtun with ten men. Mellieħa immediately looked to capitalise, and David Azzopardi came close with a free-kick that grazed the crossbar.

The sustained pressure finally paid off in the 65th minute, as Sean Schranz rose well to head home the equaliser, placing the ball into the left corner. Moments later, substitute goalkeeper Anson Saliba produced an outstanding save to deny Azzopardi from close range. The drama continued as Mellieħa were also reduced to ten men after Slaven Micallef was sent off for denying a clear scoring chance, setting up a tense finale. With ten minutes remaining, Mellieha completed the turnaround. Aron Hernandez reacted quickest inside the area, finishing from close range to seal a vital victory and move his side closer to safety in the closing stages of the season.

However, Mellieha have three tough games ahead against Victoria Hotspurs,
Mqabba and Qormi respectively, still plenty of work to do to safeguard their status. Zejtun will cross swords with Mqabba, Qormi and Attard, also three tough games in which, realistically, two wins are required to have a chance to avoid the drop into the third tier of Maltese football.

Xghajra Tornados 1-1 Pembroke Athleta
In a tightly contested relegation clash that kept fans on edge despite limited clear-cut chances, Xghajra Tornados and Pembroke Athleta shared the spoils in a one-all draw at the Victor Tedesco Stadium on Friday night. It was most definitely not the desired result for any of the two teams, who both sit in the red zone and therefore missed the chance to strengthen their position in the table.

The match sprang to life early on, as Xghajra made the most of their first real attacking move. In the ninth minute, left back Dylan Mifsud showed sharp awareness inside the penalty area, advancing with purpose before calmly slotting the ball past Pembroke goalkeeper Clayton Rapa to hand his side an early advantage.

Rather than letting the setback disrupt their rhythm, Pembroke responded with determination and growing confidence. Their persistence paid off in the 29th minute when Luca Emanuele Caruana, one of Pembroke’s best performers this season, produced a moment of quality, unleashing a powerful low drive from outside the box that left Tornados goalkeeper Levi Saliba without a chance as the ball found the back of the net.

Following an energetic first half, the tempo settled into a more tactical battle, with both sides demonstrating discipline and organisation. Much of the play unfolded in midfield, as each team worked hard to control possession and limit openings, resulting in fewer goalmouth incidents but a keenly fought contest.

Despite both teams’ efforts to find a late breakthrough, the deadlock remained unbroken until the final whistle. Xghajra will play San Gwann, Qrendi and Kirkop in their last three outings to save their season, while Pembroke play Lija next, with Luqa and Senglea awaiting in their last two games, two direct encounters against relegation haunted teams.