St Joseph have a chance to step even closer to grabbing the title

St Joseph took a major step towards claiming the league title this season away from Lincoln Red Imps.

An impressive 4–1 victory on Wednesday exposed cracks now beginning to appear within the Lincoln Red Imps squad, at a time when the fatigue of an extended European campaign and the sustained schedule of playing twice a week are taking their toll.

While St Joseph’s win was rightly hailed as a major triumph, it is still not significant enough to have created a decisive gap between themselves and Lincoln Red Imps.

St Joseph sit on 46 points from 17 matches, while Lincoln Red Imps have 37 points from 14 matches. This means the latter can still draw level on points should they win the three games they have in hand, with St Joseph’s head-to-head advantage currently the only separating factor.

Following the midweek victory, recently appointed head coach Mr Cifuentes took to social media, stating:

“What a proud club!
This team has shown character, quality and hunger from the very first minute.
This is not just a victory, it is a clear message: St Joseph’s is here to fight for the title until the very end.
There are still many points at stake, but nights like this remind us why we believe in this team.”

This was not the first time St Joseph have beaten Lincoln Red Imps in the league. During the 2023/24 and 2019/20 seasons, St Joseph recorded two victories over the Imps in each campaign, although on neither occasion did those wins ultimately translate into a league title.

It was a bitter night for Lincoln Red Imps captain Bernardo Lopes, who said:

“Last night wasn’t good enough. A defeat like that hurts and we take full responsibility. Thank you to everyone who supported us – we’ll stick together, work harder, and respond the right way. We’ll give everything to put it right.”

Lopes’ call to work harder will need to be heeded, as concerns within the Lincoln Red Imps camp suggest that the demanding campaign players have endured could yet have an impact on their title ambitions.

St Joseph will look to maintain their momentum this weekend as they face Glacis United, who currently sit just four points above the foot of the table. The last time the two sides met, St Joseph ran out 6–0 winners.

Lincoln Red Imps, meanwhile, will need to quickly shake off the midweek defeat and refocus as they take on fourth-placed Europa. Although no longer the dominant force that once went head-to-head with Lincoln for the title, Europa have shown under head coach Michele Di Piedi that they remain a significant threat as they push for European qualification.

Last weekend’s performance, in which Europa held St Joseph for much of the match before conceding a solitary goal, highlighted just how difficult an obstacle they could prove to be for Lincoln’s title defence.

Dropping points against Europa at a time when signs of fatigue are beginning to emerge could prove decisive in the title race. Europa themselves need the points to remain in contention for a top-three finish, having lost ground to Mons Calpe last week.

St Joseph are in action on Saturday, while Lincoln Red Imps play on Sunday. Lincoln will then have only a handful of days before facing Europa once again in a second encounter, with another midweek fixture scheduled for Wednesday.

This congested schedule continues to place pressure on the Lincoln Red Imps manager, who must balance squad rotation while managing injuries and enforced changes after an intense and demanding campaign. The continued congestion of matches at a crucial time seen as a major obstacle in the contest for the title for the Imps.