Marsaxlokk U20

29 Aug 2026
Saturday
Process
4 Edition

The Marsaxlokk Gazette

24 Aug 2026
From our football correspondent Steady

Market

Birkirkara come back empty-handed

The bid was some way short and Marsaxlokk did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.

Squad

A row about effort at Marsaxlokk

Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Domantas Šimkus was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.

Transfer targets

Colchester United tell Marsaxlokk: Milton Oni is not for sale

The approach was made and the answer came back in a sentence. There is no number on the table because there was no number that would have been enough.

Squad

Words exchanged at Marsaxlokk

Leandro Aguirre and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.

Squad

Matteo Gauci signs on for more

“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Matteo Gauci and Marsaxlokk agree another 3 years.

Looking ahead

A reunion for Domantas Šimkus

He used to wear the other shirt. On Saturday he plays against Hamrun Spartans in this one, and whatever he says this week about it being just another game will be untrue.

In brief

Back issues
3 Edition

The Marsaxlokk Gazette

17 Aug 2026
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

A falling-out at Marsaxlokk

Domantas Šimkus and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.

Transfer targets

Marsaxlokk rebuffed over Julani Archibald

Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. Valletta have kept their man, and Marsaxlokk go back to a list with one name crossed off it.

Squad

Matías García falls out with a teammate over standards

The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.

In brief

2 Edition

The Marsaxlokk Gazette

10 Aug 2026
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Tempers go at Marsaxlokk

Domantas Šimkus was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Transfer targets

Marsaxlokk rebuffed over Matt Smith

Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. Newport County have kept their man, and Marsaxlokk go back to a list with one name crossed off it.

Market

One of our own: Matteo Gauci joins the Marsaxlokk first team

Clubs spend fortunes looking for players and occasionally find one down the corridor. Matteo Gauci is that, and the reception he gets on his first appearance will be different in kind from the one any signing receives.

Market

Marsaxlokk promote Dennis Barbara from within

The academy exists for exactly this morning. Dennis Barbara 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.

Market

Paul Xuereb steps up from the Marsaxlokk academy

There is no fee, no unveiling and no agent on the steps. Paul Xuereb 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.

Market

Steve Sammut steps up from the Marsaxlokk academy

There is no fee, no unveiling and no agent on the steps. Steve Sammut 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.

In brief

1 Edition

The Marsaxlokk Gazette

3 Aug 2026
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Domantas Šimkus signs on for more

“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Domantas Šimkus and Marsaxlokk agree another 3 years.

Squad

A row about effort at Marsaxlokk

Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Domantas Šimkus was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.

Transfer targets

Door shut on Kellan Gordon

Marsaxlokk asked and Crawley Town said no without discussing a figure. It is the least ambiguous answer in football and the one clubs most often come back to test.

In brief