The Gzira United Courier
Squad28 Aug 2034
A knee injury of the worst kind for Marc Van de Bovenkamp
88 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. Gzira United lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.
Player ratings28 Aug 2034
Adrian Ellul runs at them all day
Successful dribbles: 23. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad28 Aug 2034
Edoardo Colombo in a row with a teammate
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Gzira United this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Boardroom28 Aug 2034
7 academy players handed senior numbers at Gzira United
The morning the pathway stops being a brochure and becomes a team sheet. Most of them will not be here in three years; all of them have already done the hard part, which was getting to today.
The terraces28 Aug 2034
Gzira United supporters have found a favourite in Dennis Psaila
There is a particular warmth a ground reserves for a 22-year-old it feels ownership of. Dennis Psaila has it now, and everything he does for the rest of his time here will be measured against the goodwill he was handed for free.
Market28 Aug 2034
Gzira United promote Tristan Sammut from within
The academy exists for exactly this morning. Tristan Sammut has come through every age group the club runs and has now been handed a senior number, and the people who coached him at twelve will be the proudest in the building.
Market28 Aug 2034
Giovanni Gatt steps up from the Gzira United academy
There is no fee, no unveiling and no agent on the steps. Giovanni Gatt has been at this club since he was a boy and is now, formally, one of the first-team squad — which for a local readership beats any signing of any size.
Market28 Aug 2034
Gzira United promote Karl Mangion from within
The academy exists for exactly this morning. Karl Mangion has come through every age group the club runs and has now been handed a senior number, and the people who coached him at twelve will be the proudest in the building.
Market28 Aug 2034
One of our own: Ryan Mintoff joins the Gzira United first team
Clubs spend fortunes looking for players and occasionally find one down the corridor. Ryan Mintoff is that, and the reception he gets on his first appearance will be different in kind from the one any signing receives.
In brief
- Match Gzira United get the job done against Birkirkara
- Boardroom A promise the Gzira United board did not keep
- Player ratings The afternoon belonged to Dennis Psaila