Lincoln Red Imps are one point away from the title

In this latter part of the season, Lincoln Red Imps have once again showcased their strength, coming from seven points behind the leaders to now enter their final match against St Joseph with a two-point advantage over them.While the Blues have soared in the league this season, making a dramatic comeback from the brink of financial disaster and missing out on European competitions last season, they are now just a match away from challenging for the title. St Joseph, however, stumbled as they entered the third round, dropping crucial points. Points dropped against Europa Point hurt them the most after winning their head-to-head battle against Lincoln Red Imps, with two wins out of two.The latter, plagued with some key injuries this season, nevertheless, scraped back the points lost against St Joseph and are now within a whisker of another season in the Champions League.Captain Roy Chipolina told the club's official website, “All those months of dedication, sacrifice, and hard work have led us to being one step away from reaching our ultimate goal. We have come through some difficult spells this season, with some considering us out of the title race when we fell up to 7 points behind the league leaders. We rallied together, faced that challenge head-on, and believed when few did. Now, it’s time to give it that final push, and we need the loud support that we know our fans bring in the big games, and there is none bigger than this Friday.”The match will also see Julian Valarino back in action after returning to the field in their last match this weekend. After what he described as a “tough nine months and three weeks,” where he believed the mental challenges were more difficult than the physical ones, Julian is now fit to play and could face the club with whom he spent two seasons on loan before his injury.St Joseph, who have returned to the top of the league this season under the guidance of Adam Paz, continue to be positive that they can still challenge for what would be just the club's second league title, with their previous one coming in the 1995/96 season.Paz, however, reflected on his latest match against Manchester 62, highlighting how attitudes have changed now when teams face them.“I cannot understand the change of attitude from Manchester 62,” said Saints’ manager, Abraham Paz. “Two weeks ago they were beaten 10-1 by Lincoln in a game where they did not fight for any ball; then on this occasion, they ran like crazy and put in some very dangerous tackles. They had two red cards, and it appeared as though they were more intent on injuring our players than anything else. I was surprised by their attitude, but we came through the challenge to get a deserved win, and luckily no serious injuries. Now we focus on the next game and the chance to try and make history. We will get our preparation right and be ready to give it everything we’ve got.”St Joseph faces Lincoln Red Imps this Friday, May 10th, with a 9.00 pm kick-off. Any overall winner will also lift the league title and head into Champions League football, effectively making this a final. Lincoln, however, can still lift the trophy by merely securing a draw as they enter the match with a two-point advantage over their rivals.