FG caught up with Lincoln & Gibraltar captain Roy Chipolina to talk about Imps’ triumphant season, Mick McElwee’s role in the team and more.

Roy reflected on Lincoln clinching their 25th title with a 3-0 win over Lions last Sunday, “A huge relief. After such a tough season to finish as champions makes me very proud to be a part of a family who gave everything to achieve our goal.”

Lincoln finished a point above Europa and three in front of St Joseph’s – Roy gave us his view on his sides triumphant season, “This season has been unique. Due to the Covid pandemic, we had a long stop to the season during winter not to mention all the issues off the field with training allocations. Until Christmas, we knew we hadn’t been good enough and that so much more work needed to be put in. Credit to the players and staff, we all pulled together going through a hard 6 weeks of individual training which included some zoom sessions. All this to make sure when we returned to full training we wouldn’t need to work on our fitness too much. The lads came back fully focused and ready for what was going to be a hectic 3 months with 2 games a week, something which has never been experienced here in Gibraltar. For me having such a competitive squad is what pulled us over the line. Everyone wants to play and when you have a squad of players where it’s a matter of opinion who is our strongest 11 you would think players who were not getting the minutes that they wanted, would turn up and not train as hard or come with a negative vibe. It was the opposite. All the players stuck together with a great work ethic, knowing how important it was to keep a high intensity so that when your opportunity came you were ready to play your part or just kept those who were playing at their sharpest. Every single player in the squad did just that. It’s an honour to be a part of this family.”

Europa and St Joseph’s have been getting stronger year by year and teams like Mons Calpe and Lynx have thrown in some surprises this season and the defensive resilience of Lions has proved to be a problem for the big teams – we asked Roy about the importance of having a competitive league compared to previous ones, “This season has been a great advert for Gibraltar football. The league going down to the last game. 3 teams being able to be crowned champions and for one moment everyone reading the rule book, as all 3 teams could have finished the season on the same points. Throw in teams like Mons Lynx and Lions who made life hard to say the least for the top 3 and I think you have arguably the most competitive league we have had since becoming UEFA members. All the teams should be congratulated for that and from a neutral perspective let’s hope next season brings more of the same even though I’m not sure our owner will agree.”

Mick McElwee secured his 11th title as Lincoln manager – we asked Roy about the impact Mick has had on the team, “Just over a year ago I posted a tweet regarding Mick and if you read through it I can only add that he has shown that he still has everything I state only now he has done it in a different era with a completely different group of players which only shows me he is unique. He is someone I look up to and a role model, not just for me but for many.”

Roy’s tweet stated. “Mick McElwee was so much more to us and Lincoln than he humbly states. Yes, we had a group of very talented players but also very strong in character and personality. Dealing with us was very complicated, to say the least. He had a powerful impact on many of us, both on and as importantly off the pitch. He truly cared about us and knew how to get the best out of every player. His complete dedication and tireless effort rubbed onto the team. His standards and work ethic in training was always high and although we won most of the time, he demanded more, always setting new targets and goals. Stephen Head always assisting with the above played a very important but unsung role and was a key part of the jigsaw. Over the years what we built, money can’t buy. We were more than a team, we built a family and Mick was the father. That was the reason we were so successful.”

A 3-0 victory this evening vs Lions saw Lincoln secure the Gibraltar National League title on the final day of the season; the 25th time they have lifted the title

Photo (C) Rough & Ready

After Europa’s 3-0 win vs Mons Calpe yesterday, Lincoln knew only a win would do against Lions, and while Albert Ferri’s side defended resolutely as always, Lincoln broke their resistance in the 24th minute as Tjay De Barr picked up a loose ball in the box to finish past Valades and give his side the lead.

With Lincoln having recently drawn 1-1 with Lions, Mick McElwee’s side knew the importance of getting a second, and eight minutes later, Kike, who ended the season as the league’s top scorer with 24 goals, who latched on to a through ball and put Lincoln well on the way to the title.

From that point, the game became far more straightforward for Lincoln, who got a third goal from the penalty spot just after half time – Valades had got a hand to Carlos Martinez’ spot-kick but it spun back off his hands and into the net. They could have had more, but George Cabrera’s header was ruled out for offside, and as the final whistle neared, Lincoln’s fans began cheering on and counting down the minutes until the final whistle.

The win sees McElwee’s side finish on 48 points – one point above Europa in second, and three above St Joseph’s in third, who wrapped up their season earlier in the day with a 3-2 win over fifth place Lynx. Lions finish sixth, while Mons Calpe in fourth make up the rest of this season’s Championship Group table.

FG caught up with Lincoln midfielder Graeme Torrilla to talk about the draw to St Joseph’s, his time at the Imps and more.

Graeme reflected on Lincoln’s dramatic draw to St Joseph’s on Thursday, “I think the team was very good against St Josephs. It was obviously a big disappointment to come away with a draw considering we were two goals ahead & could have won the league but we knew it was going to be a very tough game and it’s all still very much in our hands.”

Following Europa’s win over Mons Calpe yesterday, three points for Lincoln today and they will clinch the title – we asked Graeme how the team feels going into their game against Lions, “The team is fully focused on getting the win in today’s game, as it would obviously gift us the league title which was our main aim all season. We know our opposition will be setting up well defensively as we learnt in our previous encounter with them and we’ll have to be at our best to find a way past them.”

Graeme has been one of Lincoln’s most consistent performers this season, building a good partnership with Mustapha Yahaya and Kian Ronan. We asked him to sum up his time at the Imps so far, “I’ve very much enjoyed my time at Lincoln although it has been a bit of roller-coaster of a season for me personally as I started off getting a good amount of game time before suffering from a hamstring injury just before the international games. It then took me a while to recover and get back in to the starting line-up but I feel like I’m a good run of form now.”

The 23-year old has impressed at the domestic and international scene, with players like Tjay De Barr and Dayle Coleing moving abroad – we asked Graeme if he would follow suit, “Playing abroad is something I’m very much open to as not only would it be good to try something out of my comfort zone but I also think the experience of playing in a different league & possibly higher level would help me improve as a player. Having said that, I still think I’m learning a lot where I currently am.“