After a poor start to the 2017-18 league season, Adolphus Marshall’s Maltese club, Gudja United, has finally discovered its winning form.
Marshall moved to Gudja as a free agent in the just-ended summer transfer window with the aim of helping the club grab a promotion to the Maltese First Division. Despite having a competitive preseason where Nagbe won the confidence of the club after getting a promotion at the end of the season, the team began on a very disappointing note after failing to win in the side’s first three league games.
They began with a disappointing 1-1 draw at home to Kalkara before playing to a scoreless draw against Marsaxlokk Football Club on the first day of matches of the Maltese second division. Their hopes of getting the first three points of the new season were pushed back after suffering a narrow 1-0 loss at home to Mgarr United and found themselves in the bottom half of the table with two points from three games.
However, Marshall’s team put its poor start to the season behind them, returning stronger in their next game to humiliate Luqa SA with a 4-0 win away. Goals from Zammit Nicholas, Cesare Claud, Cassa Christian, and Chetcuti Joseph handed Gudja their first three points of the season, and it was coasting from there onwards.
They continued their fine form to grab their first win at home with another 4-0 win over Gharghur Football Club, to make it eight goals in two games without conceding.
The win turned out to be a special one for Adolphus Marshall, who scored his first goal for Gudja in the 23rd minute of the match. Zammit Nicholas opened the scoring in the 15th minute before Marshall doubled the lead eight minutes later. Cesare Claud scored twice in the 49th and 86th minute to complete the score as Gudja manage to win two games in succession for the first time in the new season.
The victory took them to the seventh place on the table with eight points from five games. They sit three points behind league leaders, Swieqi United Football Club, who have 11 points from 6 games. With a win in the next game, Gudja can move to the top of the table.
They will be hoping to continue their good run when they travel away at Santa Lucia Football Club on Saturday, October 28.
Featured photo courtesy of Adolphus Marshall
