2017–18 Gozo First Division

The 2017–18 Gozo First Division (known as the BOV GFA First Division for sponsorship reasons) was the 71st season of the Gozo Football League First Division, the highest division in Gozitan football. The season began on 15 September 2017.[1]

Gozo Football League First Division
Season2017–18
Dates15 September 2017 – 5 May 2018
ChampionsVictoria Hotspurs
(12th title)
RelegatedOratory Youths
Matches played84
Goals scored320 (3.81 per match)
Top goalscorerElton da Silva (19 goals)
← 2016–17
All statistics correct as of 12 May 2018.

Following a dominant campaign, Victoria Hotspurs ended the season as champions, winning their twelfth title in their history.[2]

Format

The season is composed of a round-robin system where each team plays each other three times, totalling 21 games in total. The seventh-placed team will play a relegation play-off with the second-placed team in the Second Division. Most of the matches are scheduled to be played at the Gozo Stadium, with Sannat Ground and Kerċem Ajax Stadium being used as well.

Teams
Locations of the 2017–18 GFA First Division teams

Xagħra United are relegated after they finished last the previous season. They are replaced by Għarb Rangers, who won the 2016–17 Second Division title.

Team Home city 2016–17 season
Għajnsielem Għajnsielem 3rd
Għarb Rangers Għarb 1st (Second Division)
Kerċem Ajax Kerċem 4th
Nadur Youngsters Nadur 2nd
Oratory Youths Victoria 6th
S.K. Victoria Wanderers Victoria 7th
Victoria Hotspurs Victoria 5th
Xewkija Tigers Xewkija 1st

League table
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
1 Victoria Hotspurs (C) 21 19 1 1 63 15 +48 58
2 Nadur Youngsters 21 13 1 7 55 39 +16 40
3 Xewkija Tigers 21 10 2 9 45 37 +8 32
4 Għajnsielem 21 7 6 8 30 41 −11 27
5 Kerċem Ajax 21 7 5 9 34 50 −16 26
6 Għarb Rangers 21 6 4 11 28 41 −13 22
7 S.K. Victoria Wanderers 21 5 4 12 35 47 −12 19 Qualification for the relegation play-off
8 Oratory Youths (R) 21 3 5 13 28 48 −20 14 Relegation to the Gozo FA Second Division
Source: RSSSF
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Play-off (only if deciding champion and UEFA competition places); 3) Head-to-head points; 4) Head-to-head goal difference; 5) Head-to-head goals scored; 6) Goal difference; 7) Goals scored.[3]
(C) Champion; (R) Relegated.

Results

Matches 1–14

Teams play each other twice, once assigned as home and once away.

Home \ Away GĦJ GĦB KRĊ NDR ORY SKVW VCH XWK
Għajnsielem — 1–2 0–2 1–4 2–2 2–1 0–6 0–3
Għarb Rangers 0–1 — 1–1 0–4 2–1 1–4 0–1 1–0
Kerċem Ajax 3–3 5–4 — 0–4 1–0 3–2 1–3 2–4
Nadur Youngsters 1–0 3–2 3–1 — 2–1 5–0 1–3 2–5
Oratory Youths 1–1 0–0 1–2 1–2 — 4–3 1–4 0–1
S.K. Victoria Wanderers 0–0 0–2 1–3 5–2 2–2 — 1–4 2–4
Victoria Hotspurs 3–3 2–1 5–0 2–0 2–0 2–0 — 2–1
Xewkija Tigers 0–2 3–0 3–2 1–2 5–0 3–2 0–1 —
Source: RSSSF
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Matches 15–22

Teams play every other team once (either assigned at home or away).

Home \ Away GĦJ GĦB KRĊ NDR ORY SKVW VCH XWK
Għajnsielem — — 2–0 1–4 3–1 — — 1–1
Għarb Rangers 1–3 — — — — — 2–1 5–3
Kerċem Ajax — 0–0 — — 1–1 — 0–5 —
Nadur Youngsters — 3–3 — — — 0–1 — 2–3
Oratory Youths — 4–1 — 3–5 — — — —
S.K. Victoria Wanderers 2–3 1–0 2–2 5–2 4–0 — — —
Victoria Hotspurs 4–1 — — 3–1 3–0 4–1 — —
Xewkija Tigers — — 1–2 — 2–5 1–1 1–3 —
Source: RSSSF
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Relegation play-off

A play-off match took place between the seventh-placed team from the First Division, S.K. Victoria Wanderers, and the second-placed team from the Second Division, Sannat Lions, for a place in the 2018–19 GFA First Division.

5 May 2018 S.K. Victoria Wanderers (1) 2–0 Sannat Lions (2) Xewkija
A. G. Attard  37'
N. Vella  45+2'		 Stadium: Gozo Stadium
Referee: Trustin Farrugia Cann

Season statistics

Top goalscorers
As of 29 April 2018[4]
Rank Player Club Goals
1 Elton da Silva Victoria Hotspurs 19
2 Darko Krstic Nadur Youngsters 15
Claudio Antunes Pavlidis Xewkija Tigers
4 Ralph Ebube Okpokwu Oratory Youths 12
5 Ognjen Rolović Kerċem Ajax 11
Stanimir Milošković Nadur Youngsters
Marcelo Barbosa Għarb Rangers
8 Luis André de Melo Lima Għajnsielem 10
Ige Adeshina S.K. Victoria Wanderers

Awards

Monthly awards
Month Player of the Month
Player Club
September[5] Rodney Buttigieg Xewkija Tigers
October[6] Ferdinando Apap Victoria Hotspurs
November[7] Shaun Attard Nadur Youngsters
December[8] Joseph Mario Vella Xewkija Tigers
January[9] Christian Mercieca Victoria Hotspurs
February[10] Alberto Xuereb Għajnsielem
March[11] Marcelo Barbosa Għarb Rangers

References
  1. "August & September 2017 Fixtures" (PDF). Gozo FA.
  2. "BOV GFA Div. I: Victoria Hotspurs crowned Champions". The Malta Independent. 30 April 2018. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
  3. "Gozo First Division 2017/2018 - Season rules". Scoresway. Archived from the original on 31 March 2017. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
  4. "BOV Gozo Football League First Division 2017–18". MaltaFootball.com. Retrieved 13 October 2018.
  5. "BOV GFA Player of the Month - Rodney Buttigieg (Xewkija Tigers) wins September Award". Bank of Valletta. 2 November 2017.
  6. "BOV GFA Player of the Month - Ferdinando Apap (Victoria Hotspurs) lands October award". Bank of Valletta. 23 November 2017.
  7. "BOV GFA Player of the Month - Shaun Attard (Nadur Youngsters) lands November award". Bank of Valletta. 29 December 2017.
  8. "BOV GFA Player of the month - Joseph Mario Vella (Xewkija Tigers) wins award for December 2017". Bank of Valletta. 4 January 2018. Archived from the original on 2 February 2018. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
  9. "BOV GFA Player of the Month - Christian Mercieca (Victoria Hotspurs) wins January Award". Bank of Valletta. 26 January 2018.
  10. "BOV GFA Player of the Month - February award goes to Ghajnsielem's Alberto Xuereb". Bank of Valletta. 10 April 2018.
  11. "BOV GFA Player of the Month - Marcelo Barbosa (Għarb Rangers) wins March award". Bank of Valletta. 16 April 2018.
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