St Joseph retake top of the league as Manchester 62's fate becomes a concern

Manchester 62 0-3 St Joseph

Manchester 62 sunk to its lowest moment of the season as seven of its players from its previous squad became unavailable to play in their crunch match against St Joseph.

Already having dropped to seventh in the table following the weekend results from other sides, Manchester 62 needed to force at least a point from St Joseph if they were to maintain their challenge to finish in the top six.

However, with Edzes, Reed, Santos, Badr, Maidens, Benitez Fajardo, and Smith missing from the line-up, and with a sixteen-year-old goalkeeper on the bench along with at least five players in its selection from the under 18s and intermediate side, the cards were already stacked against them as they faced the league leaders, St Joseph.

St Joseph easily dominated the match, going into the halftime break with a two-goal lead without actually getting into top gear.

As they made it 3-0 with still some time to go, St Joseph slowed down their pace, having already created a comfortable cushion for themselves and heading towards retaking the top of the table.

St Joseph, although creating several chances to make it four, did not exert themselves too much in the latter part of the match. With the club facing a crucial Rock Cup semi-final on the weekend and having less time to rest than their rivals Lincoln Red Imps, players seemed to pace themselves against a Manchester 62 side which had little to threaten their opponents' goal with.

St Joseph’s victory leaves Manchester 62 in seventh place, one point behind Mons Calpe, the latter who face St Joseph next. Manchester 62, although they will still have that final match of round two to play against Lynx, where a positive result could see them leapfrog Lynx and finish in the top six, now look certain to drop out of contention. The latest behind-the-scenes problems the club faces, where the absence of the six senior players is understood to be among one of the impacts faced by the club. Reports already suggest that some of their foreign players have already signaled they will be departing from the club, leaving the club with few options than to play youth players in their final encounter if players become unavailable.

St Joseph, one point ahead in the league table, will be looking to maintain their momentum and will look for maximum points in their final round two encounter against Mons Calpe. A match which they will play on the 14th April after their Rock Cup semi-final match against Lincoln Red Imps this coming weekend.

Manchester 62 will also be playing in the semi-final of the Rock Cup where they face Europa. The club, although facing major concerns in the background, still keeps open their options to challenge for a place in European club competitions. The Rock Cup winners are among one of the three places available for Gibraltar clubs in Europe. Manchester 62, however, could see their fate sealed in the coming days with the behind-the-scenes problems depleting their squad options placing them at risk of an early exit from this seasons domestic league competition if they fail to finish in the top six.