Gozo Football Club is a Maltesefootball club based on the island of Gozo. Gozo FC was founded in 1987.
Gozo FC is run by the Gozo Football Association. The Gozo FC represents the island of Gozo in the Maltese Leagues. Its squad is formed of Gozitan players who play their trade in the Gozitan Leagues mainly in the First Division. Their home matches are played at the Gozo Stadium.
Through the years
After their foundation Gozo FC spent most of their years in the Second Division and in the Third Division. In the season 1997/1998 finally Gozo FC won the Section B of the Second Division, that is the third tier of the Maltese League system. Subsequently in the following season that is 1998/1999 they participated in the First Division and surprisingly topped the table with Zurrieq F.C. with 35 points. However, having a better goal difference they won the first division title. This was somewhat a big feat for a small club like Gozo FC who had within just two years gone from the Maltese Second Division to the Maltese Premier League.
The Historical Year
The 1999-2000 season is considered to be the highlight of the short history of the Gozo FC. Not only did they compete with the elite for the first time in their history, but for the first - and to date the only - time they made it to the quarter-finals of the Maltese Cup by beating Lija Athletic 4-2 in Gozo in the second round. They were drawn against Maltese powerhouse Sliema Wanderers, and even if their tie was played at home they could match up their more illustrious opponents and they suffered a 6-1 defeat.
Their performance in the Maltese Premier League was a good one overall even if only lasted one season. The first round was a very positive one for Gozo. When the division was split into two, Gozo FC occupied the eight position with 14 points from 18 outings. Given they were considered the hot favourites for the relegation, their performances were above expectations and they never suffered a humiliating defeat. The biggest defeat was a 5-1 defeat suffered in the hands of Floriana. While from 9 away fixtures they only collected five points, a win against Pieta Hotspurs and two draws with Naxxar Lions and Zurrieq respectively, at home they proved to be a difficult bone to crack down. A 1-0 historic victory over leaders and eventual champions Birkirkara was the highlight of the campaign. For sure to date this is the most prestigious victory in the whole history of Gozo FC. Other prestigious results achieved include the 1-1 draw against Hibernians, followed by wins against Zurrieq and draws against Rabat Ajax and Pieta Hotspurts respectively. Also other significant results are marginal defeats suffered against more illustrious opponents such as against then current champions Valletta (2-0 at home and 1-0 at Ta' Qali) and Sliema Wanderers (2-1 at home).
The second round proved to be as not positive as the first round. A single win and 3 draws from 6 outings weren't enough and in the end Gozo FC were relegated to the Maltese First Division after a solitary season in the Maltese Premier League. In the whole season Gozo FC scored a total of 22 goals and allowed only 39 goals, the fourth best defence in the premier division.
Decline
The relegation to the first division proved to be the start of the decline of the Gozitans. In the season 2000/2001 they ended in the seventh position. The following season saw little improvement and again finished in the seventh position. In the season 2002/2003 Gozo FC got relegated to the Second Division when they finished in the 9 th place with 17 points. However they returned back to the First division on the first time of asking after beating Gzira United in the promotion playoff. Their adventure in the First division lasted only when season and they were relegated again to the Second Division. Gozo FC finished bottom with a single win and 4 draws from 18 outings. In the 2005/2006 Gozo FC showed some good performances and they ended their campaign in a comfortable sixth position. The following season Gozo FC were relegated to the lowest tier of the Maltese League, the Maltese Third Division when they finished bottom with 11 points. For the 2007/2008 Gozo FC were drawn in the Section B. This time, Gozo FC were in class of their own and proved too strong for their opponents and topped the Third Division Secion B. From 16 outings they recorded 15 wins and 1 draw, coming against Kalkara totaling to 46 points from a possible 48. They scored 40 goals and let in only 14 goals. This entitled them for a promotion play-off against Zebbug Rangers which won their respective division that is Section A. While Gozo FC were winning 3-1 and were dominating the match, in the 57th minute the match was abandoned. This happened because the assistant referee was hit by an object in his head and the referee had no other option but to abandon the match. Of course the Gozitans were disappointed to see this happen because they were waiting for the moment to lift the cup from September but now they had to wait for the decision to be took by the MFA about the final result of the match. Given that Gozo FC had nothing to do with those actions they were handed the cup and as well promoted to the Second Division. Former Valletta striker Chris Camilleri finished runner-up in the scoring charts.
Alvin Grech
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