EXILES SC : 1st TEAM REPORT 2005 

The Committee decided to re-appoint Dirk Dowling as first team coach for the forthcoming season. Dirk had already had two previous spells with the club, winning two second division league titles, and was returning after a two year spell with Neptunes. Dirk was replacing Marco Manara as first team coach after a two year stint, which was his first experience as a coach of a senior waterpolo team. Marco`s team had won the second division knock-out in both years, as well as finishing runners-up to San Giljan on both occasions in the league.

The 2005 first team squad was going to be negatively damaged by the return to their former club of two players who were with Exiles on loan from Sirens. These were goalkeeper Alan Grech and Karl Rizzo Naudi. On the other hand, 2003 second division player of the year David Pace Lupi (article on www.di-ve.com)was only to feature in the first three matches as he was to go to Italy for a year to carry out his necessary work experience abroad with ITS.

The only additions to the team were Guseppe Desira Buttigieg, an 18 year old Exiles product who had spent the last year on loan to Neptunes playing with their Under 17 and Under 19 teams, and William Privitera a Sliema ASC product who had played with Valletta the pervious year.

A small number of Under 15 boys also had the opportunity to make their first team debuts; Alan Borg Cole and Kurt Griscti in the league and Seb Cini  in the Marsaxlokk tournament which Exiles won against Marsaxlokk, Valletta and Neptunes Veterans

The results in the preliminary round of the league were as follows :

Vs. Marsascala		L	2 - 8
Vs. Neptunes		L	3 - 15
Vs. Sirens		L	4 – 14
Vs. Sliema		L	3 – 14
Vs. Valletta		W	5 – 3
Vs. Marsaxlokk		W	7 – 6
Vs. San Giljan		D	8 – 8

These results left Exiles and San Giljan at the top of the Second Division when the league was split into the top four occupying the first division and the remainder playing in the second division. The game against San Giljan saw Exiles getting off to a particularly bad start, going 0 – 4 down, only to recover and lead 8 – 7 with the final seconds ticking away. It was not to be, however, as former Exiles player Kayne Lanzon scored a goal in the dying moments to salvage a draw and snatch the point from Exiles` clasp.

The second round started on the 23rd of July and Exiles` results were as follows :

Vs. Otters		W	11 – 5
Vs. Ta` Xbiex		W	13 – 6
Vs. M`Xlokk		W	7 – 2
Vs. Ta`Xbiex		W	8 - 6
Vs. Otters		W	21 – 4
Vs. Valletta		W	9 – 3
Vs. San Giljan		L	5 – 7

Thus Exiles ended the round in second place two points behind Champions San Giljan. All in all it was a positive season for Exiles, who challenged their more quoted opponents all the way.

In the knock-out Exiles were drawn to play Valletta United   in the preliminary round in a match which they won comfortably 13 – 7.

In the semi-final against San Giljan, Exiles played arguably their worst match of the season to lose 10 – 6 . San Giljan went on to claim the second division double in the final against Marsaxlokk.