The new Millennium starts with a Bang

After an absence of one year Dirk Dowling returns in the year 2000 at the helm of the first team. 

The squad was made up of Silvio Borg, Michael Camilleri, Simon Camilleri Kamsky, Dale Dowling, Stevie Grech, Michael Grima, Kaye Lanzon, Jean Mercieca, Ivan Muscat, Antoine Sciberras, Jason Vella and David Zammit.

Dirk also made use of seven youngsters in competitive matches as well as in friendly tournaments. The Bruno twins, Adrian and Karl, Mark Buttigieg, Keith Camilleri, David Pace Lupi, Timmy Sullivan and Mark Zammit. David and Timmy went on to win a place in the first team the following season. Both these promising products were also selected by the Swimming Association to form part of the National Under-19 team in a qualifying tournament staged in Aix-les-bains in France

The toughest matches were the double encounters when we faced Ta’Xbiex; the results were close results ending both 5-4 in our favour. The first match was also the debut of the boys for the league. In the second match, Exiles were trailing after having missed practically all their man-up situations. It was a brilliant move by Dirk to play two left-handers at the same time Jean Mercieca and Michael Camilleri with the latter scoring a crucial bouncer which was a prelude to two further quick goals to turn tables and take an unassailable lead in the last two minutes of the match.

Coach could rely on a strong defence with Silvio Borg and Stevie Grech marshalling a barricade in front of Antoine Sciberras, a powerful centre Jason Vella, the provider of the numerable man-up situations and on Kayne Lanzon, Ivan Muscat, David Zammit and Michael Grima four tireless swimmers.

The team’s forte was the defence with only 14 goals conceded whilst playing in numerical inferiority and only two penalties awarded against. The amount of goals scored by our lads when both teams were equal was 49 out of the final tally of 77.

The numbers pointed in our favour: the league was carried off unbeaten with nine wins and one draw. The point lost nearly ended in the first and only defeat versus the more fancied Marsaxlokk winners of the second division double in the previous season. A last second gasp goal by Kayne Lanzon saved the day after Exiles initially ran away with their opponents building a 7-2 lead before losing the grip of the proceedings to concede six consecutive goals without replying. This match was played when mathematically the team had wrapped the league-the sixth one in the Club’s history.

 It was indeed a great sigh of relief to win once again the league championship after a lapse of eleven years. The three participations in the First Division between 1996 and 1988 together the winning of this honour made us forget the unfortunate circumstances experienced in 1994.  It was a victory that all the Exiles’ clan dedicated to Cain Pavia who had passed away earlier in the year on the 19th February. An irreparable loss not only to his family but as well to all those who knew this young talented lad.