Mdina Knights F.C.

Mdina Knights

Full name	Mdina Knights Football Club
Nickname(s)	The Knights
Founded	2006
Ground	Centenary Stadium, Ta' Qali, Malta
Ground Capacity	5,000
Coach	Michael Molzahn
League	Maltese Third Division
Website	Club home page
Home colours Away colours

Mdina Knights F.C. is an association football club representing Malta's former capital city, Mdina, currently playing in the Maltese Third Division.

History

The club's four founding members were Gilbert Camilleri, Matthew Paris, Keith Galea and Sean Buhagiar.^[1] Mdina Knights FC (MKFC) was officially recognized by the Malta Football Association (MFA) by a decree dated 25 May 2006, and has participated in the Maltese Third Division ever since. After missing out on a play off place in season 2007–08, only the second season after the formation of the club, the Knights lost in two successive play-off semi-finals in seasons 2008–09 and 2009–10, both of which to the eventual play-off winners. The Knights also missed out on automatic promotion in seasons 2010–11 and 2011–12.

2006–07 season

2006–07 was the first season played by Mdina Knights FC. As is the case every season, the first competition of the season was the annual pre-season Second and Third Division Knock-Out. The Knights were drawn in Group 2 together with Second Division clubs Birzebbuga SP and Zebbug Rangers, and Third Division club Siggiewi FC.

Mdina Knights FC's first official match was played on 3 September 2006, in which the Knights drew 1–1 against Zebbug Rangers, with Mauro Vassallo scoring their first ever goal via a lob over the on-rushing keeper from the edge of the penalty area. This was followed by a 2–1 loss against the other Second Division team in the group, Birzebbuga SP, with forward Matthew Francalanza scoring the goal for the Knights. Mdina Knights kept their first official clean sheet when they secured a 0–0 draw against Siggiewi FC. This led to the Knights finishing in 3rd position in their group.

The current structure of the Maltese Third Division sees the league divided into two sections - A and B - with teams competing solely with teams of their section, until the play-off or title come about at the end of the season. However, season 2006–07 was the last season in which the Maltese Third Division was played as one league, with all 19 teams lining up against each other, albeit just once during the season.

Mdina Knights FC's first ever league match saw them face Attard FC on 25 September 2006. The Knights emerged with a 2-0 win, their first ever official victory. This was followed up by a 0–0 draw against eventual 3rd placed Zurrieq FC, a 1–0 loss against eventual 2nd placed Sirens FC, and a 6–0 win against Ta Xbiex FC. The Knights then picked up one point from the next three league matches. The Knights then defeated Kircop United 4–1 in January 2007. Following another bad spell, seeing the Knights go two months without a win, the Knights went on a four match unbeaten run, beating Gzira United 3–1 and Siggiewi 1–0 along the way. The Knights ended their campaign with two losses, however finished their first season since their inception in a mid-table position.

The Knights scored the same amount of goals they conceded during the 2006–07 season, 25. Games involving Mdina Knights were high scoring affairs, with only 3 of the 19 matches being goalless. Games involving the Knights had an average of 2.78 goals per match. The Knights' defence kept six clean sheets, amounting to a 33.3% shut-out percentage. The Knights had 10 different scorers in their first season, with Matthew Frankalanza—their all time leading scorer—amassing seven goals.

2007–08 season

The Second and Third Division Knock-Out draw of 2007 saw the Knights battling it out with Luqa SA, Second Division Naxxar Lions and the previous year's Third Division Champions Mgarr United. Despite this, the Knights managed to amass 3 points from the encounters - 1 point more than the previous season's total - all of which picked up in a 3-0 thumping of Luqa SA.

This good form was continued in the opening Third Division Section A encounters, ending in 4–0 victories over Zejtun Corinthians and Siggiewi FC. Following a loss against Fgura United, the Knights went on a two-month unbeaten run, including a 6–0 win over neighbours and rivals Mtarfa FC and comfortable 3–0 over Attard FC. At the end of the first round of matches, Mdina Knights FC were in a position challenging for promotion, being constantly in the top three teams in the league. However, their second round form dipped, and the Knights found themselves playing a decisive last match against rivals Xghajra Tornadoes for a place in the promotion play-offs, needing merely a draw. The match ended in a 2–1 win to Xghajra.

The Knights therefore ended the season in 4th position, just one point off the play-off positions. Season 2007–08 saw an improvement from the Knights, both in respect of goals scored and goals conceded. Whilst scoring 32 goals—7 more than the previous term—the Knights only conceded 16 goals, 9 less than their first season and still the lowest total amount of league goals conceded in a season to date. Matthew Francalanza and Ayrton Buhagiar scored 11 and 9 goals respectively. Francalanza ended the season only two goals behind the top scorer in the section. The Knights kept 8 clean sheets in 18 games, a 44.4% clean-sheet percentage.

2008–09 season

The 2008 edition of the Second and Third Division Knock-Out saw the Knights come up against Naxxar Lions for the second season running, with Zurrieq FC and Kalkara FC filling in the other two places in Group 5. The first match resulted in a 2–0 win for the Knights over Zurrieq FC, with Matthew Francalanza scoring their first official goal of the season, while new signing Clayton Garzia scored from the penalty spot. Following a 0–0 draw against Kalkara FC, the Knights knew that a win against Naxxar Lions would see them progress to the later stages of the competition for the first time in their history. Despite a good performance from the Knights, including that of winger Nicholas Micallef who equalised in the second half, they suffered a 2–1 loss, and finished the group in second place. This was the closest the Knights had ever come to qualifying for the next round of the competition.

The Knights continued this good form in the league, where they started Section A with a two-month unbeaten run, which saw them rise to 1st place in the league by the end of November. This run included a 4–1 win against Qrendi FC, together with an injury time equaliser against fellow table-toppers Sirens FC, resulting in a 1–1 draw. However, the Knights suffered their first defeat of the season on 30 November 2008, losing 1–0 to Ghaxaq FC on a cold and windy night at the Centenary Stadium.

This defeat was followed by a 1–1 draw against team Fgura FC and a 1–0 loss against rivals Xghajra Tornadoes. However, the Knights defeated Luqa SA 5–1 in a one-sided match in January 2009. The next fixture was a top of the table clash against Gharghur FC and presented the Knights with the chance to forge ahead at the top of Section A. Failing to perform as they would have liked, however, the Knights ended up on the wrong end of a 4–1 scoreline to the eventual Section A champions.

The Knights won five games and lost one of their last eight fixtures to finish the season in 2nd place. This meant that they gained a place in the end of season promotion playoffs for the Second Division. During this run, the Knights won 4–1 against Fgura FC on 6 April 2009.

The Knights were drawn against Zurrieq FC, the second placed team from Section B, in the semi-final of the playoffs. Zurrieq emerged as 1–0 winners in an otherwise even contest.

Despite only managing 3 clean sheets in 18 matches, the Knights narrowly missed out on qualification for the quarter-finals of the Second and Third Division Knock-Out competition, whilst finishing 2nd in Section A. Eric Schembri had assembled an attacking quartet that included striking partnership Matthew Francalanza and Ayrton Buhagiar from the previous season, along with wingers Clint Caruana and Nicholas Micallef.

13 goals and numerous Man-of-the-Match performances resulted in Ayrton Buhagiar picking up both the Third Division Top Scorer and Best Player Awards.

2009–10 season

This season was the 100th year anniversary from the inception of the Malta Football Association, and saw the creation of a one-off competition, called the 'National League 100 Anniversary Cup'. This meant that for the first time in their history, Mdina Knights FC would be participating in three different competitions - the league and two cup competitions.

The Second and Third Division Knock-Out competition saw the Knights draw Sirens FC, Zurrieq FC and Luqa SA. In their first official encounter of the season, the Knights ran out 2–1 winners against Sirens FC. The second match was against the previous season's play-off rivals Zurrieq FC; the Knights emerged victorious, through another 2–1 scoreline. This again put the Knights in a position of all-or-nothing for the last encounter against Luqa SA. The game ended in a 1–1 draw, with Luqa SA qualifying for the Quarter Final of the competition on the basis of goal difference. Two draws and a win from three games signified the Knights' best ever showing in the Second and Third Division Knock-Out competition.

For the first round of the National League 100 Anniversary Cup the Knights were drawn against Sirens FC. The Knights beat Sires FC 6–1, with Mdina's all-time record scorer Francalanza scoring a hat-trick. A place in the second round and a match against Second Division team Mellieha FC was the reward for the Knights. Mellieha FC won 8–0 in the worst ever defeat suffered by the Knights.

In the league, however, the Knights were more successful. They started Section A on an eight match unbeaten run, which saw them rise to 1st position from the first day of the season all the way through to January 2010. Along the way, the Knights secured victories over Pembroke Athleta, Fgura FC, Mgarr United, Siggiewi FC and Kalkara FC. The Knights then suffered their first defeat of the season against Luqa SA, a 3–2 reverse on 22 January 2010. Despite winning 6 of their last 10 matches and amassing an overall 37 points throughout the season—Mdina Knights FC's highest ever total—the Knights finished in 2nd place for the second year running, and had to compete for promotion via the end of season promotion playoffs.

Section B of the Third Division was tightly contested in season 2009–10, and required a title-deciding match in order to decide which team was to be automatically promoted and who would have to compete in the end of season promotion playoffs. The match between Zejtun Corinthians and Naxxar Lions ended up in a victory for Zejtun Corinthians, on penalties. This meant that the Knights had to face Naxxar Lions in their playoff semi-final match. Naxxar Lions won 2–0 after Mdina Knights had missed two penalties.

Once more the Knights had failed to surpass the semi-final hurdle of the promotion playoffs, however, they improved their points tally from the previous season, and scored the highest amount of league goals in their history (33) equalled only by the 2008–09 season tally. Furthermore, the Knights had the highest number of different goal scorers in their history (12) and also amassed 7 clean sheets in 18 matches, a 38.9% clean sheet percentage - the best in the league.

2010–11 season

Loanees included goalkeeper Christlor Cini, full-backs Mark Stivala and Andrew Catania, midfield enforcer Trevor Fenech, and box-to-box midfielder Bobby Southward, with each one having added a different dimension to the squad and featuring heavily during the season.

Other signings included those of goalkeeper Michael Schembri, defender Ivan Scicluna, and forwards Cachel Vella and Peter Grima. The latter became one of the Knights’ highest capped players of the season. Cachel Vella's hat-trick against Qrendi, together with other vital goals, contributed to Knights’ late charge for the promotion play-off.

The Mdina Knights Soccer School was set up in the summer of 2010, and Luke Busuttil found his place in the Mdina Knights senior squad immediately. He became the youngest player for Mdina Knights, the youngest player in a competitive match for Mdina Knights and the youngest goal scorer for Mdina Knights in a competitive match, though he found his chances limited during the second half of the season.

An amendment in the Malta Football Association statute resulted in Third Division clubs being able to sign foreign players for the first time. Foreigners playing their part during the 2010–11 season for Mdina Knights were goalkeeper Kamill Mastej, defender Ercan "Surge" Mehmet, midfielder Sam Brown and forward Lars Johansson.

The Knights’ season included victories over Sta. Venera, Sta. Lucia and the double over rivals Xghajra Tornadoes.

2011–12 season

The Knights assembled a squad of 25 players for 2011–12. They began with an 8–0 victory over Xghajra Tornadoes in pre-season and an 8–1 defeat of Gharb Rangers in the First Round of the U*BET FA Trophy. The first game of the season resulted in a 4–1 win against Kalkara, and the Knights had picked up 16 points out of a possible 21 from the first 7 games of the season.

During this period, the Knights also narrowly lost out to Xewkija Tigers of the Gozo First Division, in the Second Round of the U*BET FA Trophy, following a 2–1 loss. There then followed a league fixture against Fgura FC, in which, after leading 2–0 with 5 minutes remaining, the Knights drew the game 2–2, also losing the Technical Director and several players to suspension for following encounters. Following this, the Knights collected only one point from the two successive games against promotion rivals Ghaxaq and Santa Lucia. The Knights then defeated Swieqi, but again suffered a loss against promotion rivals Mgarr.

The Knights gained victories over Marsa, Kalkara, Marsaskala, Mtarfa and Qrendi, while being held to a draw by Third Division Champions Pembroke on a run that put the Knights in contention for the promotion spots. However, a draw against Sirens, a loss against Fgura and another draw against Xghajra Tornadoes cut the Knights’ chances short, and they needed to beat rivals Ghaxaq to regain control over their chances of promotion. They defeated Ghaxaq 6–1, however this was immediately followed by a 2–1 loss to Santa Lucia, meaning that promotion was now out their hands, and despite managing 4 points from their last 3 league matches, the Knights ended season 2011–12 short of the promotion places.

Executive committee 2015–16

Technical staff

Position	Name	Nationality
Manager:	Michael Molzahn	German
Team Manager:	Neil Portelli	Maltese
Physical Trainer:	Ian Tonna	Maltese
Physiotherapist:	Kristjan Briffa	Maltese

Current squad

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player GK Mark Sciberras Grungo GK Matthew Barbara DF Kurt Formosa DF David Attard DF Gilbert Camilleri DF John Cachia DF Clint Caruana DF Andrew Cremona (on loan from Lija Athletics FC) DF Kurt Farrugia DF Luca Spiteri (on loan from Lija Athletic FC) MF Andrea Spiteri MF Malcolm Vassallo

No. Position Player MF Ben Camilleri (on loan from Hibernians Paola FC) MF Daniel Cluett MF Alex Demarco (on loan from Melita FC) MF Adrian Galea (on loan from Pembroke Athleta FC) MF Adrian Gatt MF Mark Saliba MF Eric Sciberras (on loan from Zebbug Rangers FC) FW Mark Cremona FW Jason Good (on loan from Luqa St Andrew's FC) FW Velibor Milicic FW Darren Sammut

Players out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player FW Cachel Vella - St. George's FC (MFA 1st Division)

Official club sponsors

• Corporate partners: Alberta and Puma AG (Tuttosport Malta)
• Commercial partner: Camilleri Wines
• Medical supplier: Collis Williams
• Commercial affiliates: Reann Laundry, Mdina Partnership, JJ Supermarket

Futsal

As from 2014, the club started operating its futsal section in collaboration with the Kunsill Studenti Universitarji and the Malta University Sports Club with a team of students from the University of Malta.

Affiliated members

• Malta Football Association (MFA) - ^[2]
• Malta University Sports Club (MUSC) ^[3]

References

External links

• Mdina Knights official website
• Sassco.co.uk Malta Tour containing a video of their game v Mdina Knights on Day 2.