"I think that yesterday evening the squad has given me one of  greatest gifts in my football career. This is for the merit of a great group that has demonstrated a great heart, a great will to win, great determination, great motivation, and I think that they have done one of the best ever game in their football career. It was a difficult game on paper, however on pitch we have gained three points, that I think the squad fully merited. Our main task in this game was to press them in all the departments, because I think that now our squad is physically well. Playing with three forwards is not easy for a team like Lija ... everyone thinks that Lija plays with only one striker, but no ... we are playing with three forwards who are Gordon, Glenn and Michael, and like that we are achieving positive results. What I wanted from my team is that they'll press their opponents in each department. They did very well yesterday, they were all very motivated, and played with a great spirit, a great heart and I repeat, that in football there aren't any more big names, but it's the heart. If there is the heart there is everything!"

"Hard work, determination, and the courage that there was between our coach Ilir Pelinku and the players themselves. It is true, that as many said, Sliema had lots of absent players, but when one considers the players that we were lacking, that are perhaps not as technical and prepared as players from more quoted teams; when one also considers that we play with two foreigners while Sliema play with three, I personally feel that this was more than a win, that personally fills me with courage and a great sense of satisfaction for the future - the Relegation Pool. I think that we are destined to play in the Relegation Pool, where we'll try to maintain ourselves in the Premiere League. I think that at this point we must decrease as much as possible the gap with the other two contenders, who namely are Msida, whom we will confront directly next Sunday where we'll aim to win. It is still difficult to predict which would be the other team. But points against Msida are of extreme importance, ahead of the halving of points ... so there lies the importance and the significance of these three points obtained against Sliema ..."  

Simon Agius chosen as the Player-Of-The-Match. How do you consider your performance and that of the team?

"I feel that my performance was good, however honestly I feel that merit goes to all of the team, because when you consider that we played with the champions, when last May they had won the league, the team has performed really well. I did my best possible, my hardest work was trying to organise the defence, free-kicks, set-pieces and crosses, and when considering their few shots at goal, this would only mean that the defence was compact and did not let any space for their forwards to shoot the ball. Merit also goes to our mid-fielders mainly Svetlin Spasov, who made his debut with our team yesterday and Paul Camilleri, who closed the mid-field spaces excellently, when they did not give any chance to our opponents' mid-fielders namely Joe Brincat and Kris Laferla to dribble the ball in mid-field. Merit also goes to Glenn Barry and Michael Gatt who were very dangerous up front, and last but not least one must not forget Elton Azzopardi, who in my opinion has scored an impressive goal."

What are you expecting out of the Relegation Pool?

"Yes, at this stage it is the Relegation Pool that we are mainly concerned about. I wouldn't like to start the Relegation Pool empty handed. What I want is that we collect as much points as we can now, keeping in mind that they would be halved, and moreover my aim is that the team will not end up last in the standings. There is a great need of points, and if we maintain the 9th place in the standings we would start our commitments within the Relegation Pool against the bottom team, and a win here could propel us to the second place of this Pool, ahead of the direct confronts with the other relegation contenders. We now have the direct confront against Msida next Sunday, and it is an asset to obtain a positive result here if we are to realise our dream."

What are the chances for Lija Athletic to remain in the Premiere Division for another year?

"I believe in my team. Our team is a small one, and much of our players are rather inexperienced, with the exception of three or four of us, however I believe that our young players need to learn from this experience, and they are showing what they are learning from their experience in the Premiere League in the way they are playing. They are believing in themselves ... it's true that the games are not easy, however with the tips I give them, as well as those from other experienced players the likes of Gordon Camenzuli, Glenn Barry, today we are lucky to have Svetlin Spasov, Daddy Okeke ... all these are helping in managing well their respective departments on pitch. I personally think that once we would not concede the goal, I believe that we can win each game by counter-attacking. However a football game is unpredictable, and that is why football is a beautiful game, because anything can happen throughout the whole ninety minutes."

"It is of great satisfaction that a small team and a small village such as ours has managed for the first time ever in our club history to win against the reigning Maltese champions. We all know that Sliema are coming from two consecutive league titles, and it is of great honour to our club and for the village of Lija to obtain a victory, such as the one we obtained yesterday. I also recall that three years ago, in the first round we managed to hold the same Sliema to a nil nil draw, never mind that in the second round they had beaten us with a humiliating 7-0. However, contrarily to three years ago this time around things happened in the opposite way, where after suffering a 4-0 defeat to the champions last September, where we had been perhaps much less prepared then we are today, we have now managed to defy the odds and beat them ... I am happy with the performance, and after all the ball is round. We are doing anything possible to fight and struggle with each and every team. Our last three games were very encouraging for Lija where we drew with Floriana, lost narrowly to Valletta last Sunday, where we also had a glorious chance to grab a late equaliser, and as everyone very well knows with Sliema we got the three points. Now I can only hope that we will continue with this current positive trend that we are going through. We are no longer that team that everyone considered to be 'also-rans' meaning that ahead of their fixture against Lija they would think that they would at full probability gain the three points, and I hope that the motivation that exists right now with the help of the committee members, coach, and all the players ... I hope that we would keep up these performances of late and moreover add to them."

Do you think that Lija stand a chance in avoiding relegation?  

"Yes why not? We are still in chance of also gaining some points from the coming games. I hope that we would once again rise to the occasion, and I can guarantee all those who are following our website that we are going to be there, as we shall be fighting for every available point, and I hope that at the end of the day, after what we have managed to do for the third time in eight years i.e. promotion to the Premiere Division; this year it would be taken a step further by trying to keep our team for at least another year in the Premiere Division."