Gibraltar National League Championship Group Review

Posted on May 24, 2020 by FootballGib

With only four games remaining, the Gibraltar FA called off the league making it null and void. The European spots were handed out but no league winner announced. Here is our early review of the Championship Group.

Europa FC – 1st

While not being crowned champions has clearly left a very bitter taste in the mouths of all at Europa, they should no doubt still be happy at how their season went until the point of the league being terminated. From their opening week, eye-catching 4-1 win against Lincoln, Europa went on to be virtually unstoppable in the league, bar for a dramatic 2-2 draw against St Joseph’s in September which they were lucky not to lose.

They were of course expected to challenge for the title strongly, but few would have perhaps expected them to be unbeaten – past Europa sides have had a habit of very avoidable defeats that have cost them in the league dearly, but this Europa side, even when going behind in games, never looked like losing 99% of the time.

The emergence of Dayle Coleing in goal was a major plus for Rafael Escobar’s side, while the signing of Juampe from Balona was an inspired addition to a team who have never had trouble scoring. The plan for next season will be to try and maintain those levels, with St Joseph’s and Lincoln likely to be champing at the bit hoping to bring Europa down a peg or two.

St Joseph’s – 2nd

After years of coming so close in breaking the top two’s league dominance, Saints finally reached their potential this season. Sitting in second, five points behind Europa and five points in front of Lincoln with four games remaining.

Overall their season exceeded expectations – their Europa League campaign was memorable, came within minutes of beating Europa but would draw 2-2 in the final minute and did the league double of Lincoln.

The most important bit for Procopio and his men is to keep the same momentum and consistency going into whenever football restarts in Gibraltar.

Lincoln Red Imps – 3rd

For a team who have for so many years been the all-conquering, dominant force of local football, a third-place finish for Lincoln is disappointing – in fact, it is the first season they haven’t finished in the top two since the 1999/2000 season, where they finished fourth in a six-team league.

While they continued to beat the teams below them, normally with some ease, Lincoln came unstuck against both Europa and St Joseph’s, losing all four meetings against their title rivals. This saw their title hopes drift away in February, but there were some positive signs for the club, most notably the emergence of Julian Del Rio into the first team.

Next seasons aim for Lincoln has to be to appoint the right manager, after German Crespo’s departure earlier this week, and try to keep them in charge for a longer period than their last few managers – they have the squad, especially in attack, to challenge for titles, but stability is key if Lincoln wants to climb back on top of local football once again.

Lynx FC – 4th

Lynx was another team that started the season great, a 4th place finish is their highest since the 2014-15 season. Their three Croatians Hrvoje Bukvic, Ed Kokorovic, and Marko Marcius would play a big role in round one of the Gibraltar National League. Their departure would leave a big hole in the team and the results would show it with two wins from six games.

It has been a positive season for them though, Jaydan Parody has shown potential this season and Mohamed Badr has made the Gibraltar national team.

Brunos Magpies – 5th

Round one of the National League saw Magpies achieve their top half aims, albeit it was far less comfortable than expected, and saw the departure of David Wilson as manager, a move which proved unpopular among Magpies fanbase and seemed to hurt their attendances and atmosphere for a while after. They weren’t then helped by Alfonso Cortijo joining, only to leave for a job in China two months later, but he at least ensured they finished in the top six before the split.

Magpies issue seemed to be in beating the teams above them, with only a solitary cup win vs Lynx to their name vs the top four, so 5th place is a deserved finished, and perhaps around where the club would have hoped to finish, despite significant investment in both the summer and in January. Tight battles with St Joseph’s just before the league ended showed some hope they can battle with the big boys, presuming they don’t chop and change the squad too much this summer.

Lions Gibraltar – 6th

You can’t judge Lions’ season from their results in the Championship Group, with their financial resources not as strong as the others – the team itself knew what they were getting themselves into with a sixth-placed finish.

Lions did put in cracking performances in the Group and were unlucky not to get points on a couple of occasions. Looking at it from an overall perspective, Albert Ferri and his team showed great promise and that they don’t need to play so defensively to gain results.

Chipolina: “Not the recovery we expected”

Posted on May 9, 2020 by FootballGib

We spoke to Joseph Chipolina about his recovery from injury, a review of Lincoln’s season and more.

Just before the GNL took a break for Christmas, Joseph Chipolina suffered an injury in Lincoln’s 2-0 win over Manchester 62. We asked the 32-year old how his recovery has gone, “Not the recovery we expected as we have had a little setback. I will need some manipulation and little surgery clean up as my knee won’t bend as it should. But all in all still doing what I can and building the quads up.”

With Covid bringing a halt to football in Gibraltar, we asked Joseph what he is doing during these tough times – “I am training 2 times a day one at lunchtime and one just before dinner time roughly at 19:45. I can’t really do cardio so what I am doing are workouts which I can do with my knee as it is.”

Before Covid brought a halt to the GNL – Lincoln were third, five points behind St Joseph’s in second, ten points behind rivals Europa in first and in the Gibtelecom Cup semi-final. Joseph reviewed his side’s season, “It hasn’t been the best of seasons but these things happen in football. Too many changes within the club etc but always for the best of the club, but all in all it is what it is and another year where we learn as a club and move on for our next challenge together as one.”

Nearly six months on from Gibraltar’s Euro 2020 qualifying campaign, which ended in a defeat to Switzerland at the Victoria Stadium, Joseph reviewed Gibraltar’s campaign – “I think we did quite well on some games; maybe on others we could have done better but that all comes down to us players maintaining our A-game all throughout the games. Lack of concentration is what is letting us down but we have improved vastly since the arrival of Julio Ribas who is an amazing coach and person.”

Lastly, we asked Joseph about any goals he has set for himself – “At this moment in time my goals are to try and play football again. My injury was a very harsh one, I had my ACL torn into bits, had my ICL torn 60%, had Both Interior and Exterior Meniscus torn, and my patellar dislocated, aggravating the patellar tendon. So my goal is to get as fit as I can and try to make it back on the field and keep doing what I most enjoy and love.”

Torrilla: “I look forward to repaying them in the future”

Posted on April 26, 2020 by FootballGib

We spoke to 22-year old midfielder Graeme Torrilla about his injury, new club Lincoln Red Imps and more.

Nine months on from his operation which has kept him out of football for just over one year, we asked Graeme how his rehabilitation is going – “Rehabilitation is going well but took a while to get going as in the previous club, I was never given the full support or facilities required to recover from such a big injury.”

Recovering from injuries is never easy and with Covid-19 bringing a halt to everything worldwide – we asked him how he is keeping active during these tough times, “I was reaching the final stages of my rehab just before quarantine began. Mainly pitch work, which is something I’m unable to do now. I’m mainly sticking to exercises at home & going for a jog or bicycle ride to remain as active as possible.”

Graeme joined Lincoln Red Imps from Mons Calpe this January, a big move for a promising talent – the 22-year old told us how the club is playing a big part in his comeback, “Lincoln has not only offered me the facilities needed but also their full support in allowing me to take the time I need to get back on the pitch when fully recovered. I look forward to repaying them in the future.”

Lastly, we asked Graeme what his goals are when he returns to full fitness – “For starters, I want to get back to the level I was at before my injury which will take time having been out for so long. Then from there just aim as high as possible to perform at my best at club level & hopefully at international level if given the chance.”

Lincoln Red Imps – Where are they now?

Posted on April 1, 2020 by FootballGib

We take a look at that famous Lincoln Red Imps team from the 2013/14 season which dominated local football for so many years, qualified the Imps for the first year of Champions League football and find out where they are now.

Goalkeepers

Jordan Perez – Jordan would leave Lincoln at the end of that season, joining Lions before making a move to St Joseph’s. After taking a break from football, Perez joined Second Division side FC Olympique in 2017 for a season. The keeper played seven times for Boca this season before hanging up his boots – he also represented Gibraltar in beach volleyball at the 2019 Island Games.
Dayle Coleing – Dayle would remain at Lincoln as the number 2 for a couple more years, before spells at Manchester 62 and Gib Phoenix locally, and Thackley and Liversedge while in England. In 2018, Coleing went on to join Europa and has since established himself as their number one keeper, as well as making four appearances for the Gibraltar national side since his debut vs Denmark in September 2018.
Mark Moxham – Moxham has made his name known more among futsal followers, where he has represented Gibraltar on numerous occasions in recent seasons. The 36-year-old currently plays for Europa FC Futsal, who are second in the league and is their first-choice keeper.

Defenders

Neal Medina – Neal made the bench for Lincoln’s debut in the Champions League and would stay on at the club for a further 3 years before leaving for Gibraltar United – injuries would continue to plague his career with limited appearances since leaving. The 32-year old is now playing Futsal for Lynx FC.
Ryan Casciaro – In the Summer of 2018, Ryan would call time on his playing days at Lincoln after nearly three decades of playing for the club. The 35-year old would go on to join St Joseph’s but injuries have seen the experienced defender only make 4 appearances this season, compared to his 21 from the campaign before.
Garry Turner-Bone – Garry would stay on for a further two years before departing for FC Olympique. After leaving in 2016, Garry would return to Gibraltar football in 2018 to Magpies, then joined Manchester 62 for a brief spell before returning to Magpies to take on a coaching role and play for the club’s reserve side.
Jean Carlos Garcia – After playing his youth career in Spain with Zabal and Linense, JC would make the transition to Gibraltar at 21 years old to join Lincoln. The defender would make the right-back position his for 5 years before being loaned out to Gib Phoenix in January 2019 then make a permanent move to Magpies in August 2019.
Tarik Chrayeh – After making the bench for Lincoln’s first-ever Champions League game and then make an appearance off the bench in 2015, Tarik would go on to join their B team in Red Imps a couple of years later. Moves to Lions, St Joseph’s and Leo would sum up his next few years. The defender currently plays for Europa Point and St Joseph’s in Futsal.
Roy Chipolina – One of the few last men still remaining in the current Lincoln squad. After passing of the torch from then captain Daniel Duarte, Roy still remains captain to this day and has led his side to numerous Cup glories. At 37, Roy is still a huge asset for club and country but injuries are proving to be a nuisance.
Mark Ballester – At 18 years old, Mark would gain valuable experience from the team which he would put into his displays for Gibraltar at Under 19 level. The now 25-year old is currently without a team.
Sean Lopez – After joining from Lynx in 2013. A Strong-running left-back had a great debut season but picked up a serious knee injury in the last league game of the 2014 season and hasn’t played senior football since.
Alain Pons – Alain joined Lincoln from Taraguilla at 17 years old. Alain would play in the second leg of Lincoln’s UCL defeat to HB Torshavn before leaving the club for his university studies. The 24-year old secured a move to St Joseph’s last summer, in a bid to earn himself a starting spot in Julio Ribas’ national team.
Lee Graham – After playing a pivotal role for Lincoln in the 2013/14 season, Lee would follow Garry to FC Olympique in 2015 before joining Britannia after their promotion. After the club folded, Lee returned to Olympique for two more seasons before switching football for Futsal where he currently plays for the Expendables in the second division.

Midfielders

Daniel Duarte – The captain of this all-conquering side, Duarte would represent Lincoln until 2015, when he moved to Manchester 62, before retiring the following summer. Duarte, who became captain of the national team at the age of 26, picked up 116 caps before Gibraltar joined UEFA, and 5 caps in the UEFA era for the national side – he would have earned many more UEFA caps had UEFA membership arrived earlier than 2013, that is for certain.
Liam Clarke – Before leaving Lincoln in 2015 and joining Manchester 62 – Liam will be known for his last-gasp winner in the 2014 Gibraltarian Rock Cup final victory over College Europa. Clarke would later go on to also play for Boca until 2018, and like some of his teammates now focuses on futsal, where he is currently at South United. The 32-year old recently made his MMA debut also.
Mark Casciaro – Casciaro remained at Lincoln until January 2015, where he moved on to join Gibraltar United, and late Manchester 62, before retiring from football in 2017. Casciaro has also made his name in hockey for the Gibraltar national side, showing his multi-sporting talents. Apart from hockey, Mark currently plays Futsal for South United.
Pitu Anes – Pitu remained with Lincoln until the summer of 2015, where he left for Gibraltar United – after spells there, notably including a cracking goal vs Angels. After the purchase of Gib Utd by Pablo Dana & Michel Salgado, Pitu would leave the club at the end of the season and join Second Division side Leo FC for a brief spell before retiring from football in 2018.
Aaron Payas – Payas left Lincoln in 2014 to join Manchester 62, who he played for three seasons until taking a career break in 2017. He returned in 2018 and had spells at Europa last season, and Brunos Magpies this season, but is currently without a club.
Joseph Chipolina – One of the few still at the club now, Joseph was used in the midfield in this title-winning side but is now seen at left-back or centre-back for club and country. Chipolina’s importance for Lincoln and Gib is still massive, and his biggest moment came in October 2018 when he scored the winning goal against both Armenia and Liechtenstein in consecutive Nations League matches.
Sean Duarte – A ball-playing, technical player capable of breaking down defences in limited spaces and the final third. Many injuries meant his chances of first team football were limited. Sean currently plays Futsal for Spartans FC.
Robert Guiling – In 2014, Guiling would make the move from Lincoln to Lynx – he would be a key part of the side that ended Lincoln’s 88-game unbeaten run as he scored in the 1-0 victory for Lynx. The midfielder remained at Lynx until 2018 and hasn’t played, since suffering a serious knee injury in November 2017. Robert now plays for Eagles HC (hockey).
Brian Perez – Perez remained at Lincoln until 2015, and like some of his teammates then had a spell at Manchester 62, until 2017. The midfielder returned to football at the start of the season, joining Brunos Magpies, and despite the two-year absence, shows the qualities that made him so highly rated for many years in local football circles.
Duane Robba – Robba was at the later years of his career in this team, and became something of a journeyman, dotting around the league for various clubs, including a couple of appearances for Gib United in 2017. At 44, Robba is now retired from football, but he has represented the national team on numerous occasions in futsal.

Attackers

Kyle Casciaro – The youngest Casciaro brother would remain at Lincoln until 2018, leaving on loan to Olympique. A permanent move to St Joseph’s would follow in 2019, before returning to Imps in January 2020.
Alan Parker – Alan would leave the Imps for Gibraltar United in 2015, then joined various clubs and is currently at Lions. With appearances for Gibraltar’s U19 & 21 – the 23-year old is a regular figure for Gibraltar’s Futsal senior team and a huge asset for both South United and the national team.
Michael Yome – After joining Lincoln from Zabal in 2011, Mikey would remain at the club until 2014 before leaving for university. Juggling his uni life with his club, meant a move to Manchester 62 came about in 2016. A few months later, Mikey would spend one more year away before joining Europa in 2017 where he still plays to this day.
John Paul Duarte – JP would play nearly a decade at the Imps, finishing top goalscorer that year with Lee missing out through injury. Moves to Manchester 62 and St Joseph’s followed before settling for Brunos Magpies.
George Cabrera – After playing most of his youth days in Spain, Cabrera would join Lincoln in 2012 from Algeciras. Goals came easy for 24-year old (at the time) and still remains at the club but a serious injury in 2017 has made getting back to full-fitness difficult.
Lee Casciaro – A Lincoln legend – what else can you really say about Lee? Unplayable for the majority of his career, still playing regularly for club and country at the age of 38. Will they ever make another one like him?
Graham Alvez – A lifelong Lincoln player – Graham played previously in squads which had the likes of current club president Dylan Viagas. Graham had it all as a player and hung up his boots in 2014. He would go on to coach the likes of Jaylan Hankins, Ethan Britto, and Tjay De Barr.

Goalkeeper Jordan Perez had this to say about playing in that Lincoln team – “Playing in that team it felt like home to be honest especially after most of us were playing together for over 10 years of triumphant league wins. Unfortunately, once the money came in it all changed drastically. Many players who had given endless years of commitment to the club were just treated poorly and simply left or were pushed aside. It was a shame because we were like a family and I believe that team would have defeated any other upcoming team with players from abroad for several more years.”

Captain Daniel Duarte spoke about how it felt captaining the team, “I was extremely proud and honoured to wear the captains’ armband, not only on that day, but in every single game I played. It was more than a football team it was truly a family on and off the pitch.”

Head coach Mick McElwee gave an insight into managing that Lincoln squad, “That year (2014) was tricky. We had a load of long term injuries where players missed half or all of the season; including a number of new signings which we needed to get settled and playing as soon as possible. Then we had a shortened season which did not help us as we started the league poorly with 2 draws. Early on we struggled with our form. Individuals playing well but not clicking as a team. So that created some nervous team performances.”

He added, “We adopted a 4-3-3 with Liam (Clarke), Daniel (Duarte) and Joseph (Chipolina) usually playing a tight midfield 3 and JP (Duarte), George (Cabrera) and Kyle (Casciaro) playing as a very wide front 3.Once we got that formation sorted we started to really play some good stuff – managing the team was so simple. Literally filling in the team sheet and letting them play. Stephen Head and I had to work hard to keep the players who were not in the first XI motivated enough to come into the team and make a difference.”

Casciaro: “Coming back home is always an easy decision to make”

Posted on March 29, 2020 by FootballGib

FG caught up with Lincoln Red Imps attacker Kyle Casciaro about his return to Lincoln, his performances so far and more.

Photo © Neil Wilson/Lincoln Red Imps

Casciaro returned to Lincoln in the January transfer window after spending the first half of the season at St Joseph’s – how easy was it for him to return? “Home will always be home. Even if you try new challenges, coming back home (Lincoln) is always an easy decision to make.”

The 32-year-old has played in each of Lincoln’s last five games, scoring three times in the process – how well does Casciaro feel he has done since coming back? “I have been training hard since I came back to Lincoln. Full month of training without playing to get back fit. When I got my chance, I believe I have done very good for the team.”

Lincoln are in the semi-finals of the Gibtelecom Rock Cup, where they will face Casciaro’s old team St Joseph’s – does the attacker feel his side can win the cup? “We do have what it takes to win the cup. Now we are training and playing better as a team. We have had many changes during these months or year which doesn’t help but i feel now we have improved, and winning results show this.”

Finally, we asked Casciaro, who has 24 caps and one goal for Gib in the UEFA era, what his goals were in 2020: “I would like to be playing every game and help Lincoln as much as I can to win trophies. Gibraltar National squad, who knows in the near future if I carry on playing well”

Gibtelecom Rock Cup quarter-final review

Posted on March 9, 2020 by FootballGib

The Gibtelecom Rock Cup quarter-finals brought no surprises as Mons Calpe, St Joseph’s, Europa and Lincoln Red Imps progress into the next round.

Mons Calpe 3-1 Europa Point

Mons rushed into an early two-goal lead against Europa Point, with Diego Diaz and Andre Dos Santos scoring in the first ten minutes before things settled down a bit more.

Europa Point was out of the traps early in the second half and got a goal back thanks to Diego Vera’s header, but their chances of a comeback were ended after Samuel Vermeeren’s own goal, and captain Antony Moulds late red card.

Mons is the only Challenge Group team left in the cup, and while they are now rank outsiders, they will look to make the cup final for the second time in three years.

St Joseph’s 1-0 Brunos Magpies

If last weekend’s encounter was anything to go by, we expected a fiery contest and certainly got it. With the level of football being played below par, both teams didn’t hide away from any strong challenges.

Juanfri scored from the penalty spot to send 10-man Saints, who had Angel Guirado sent off, into the semi-final since 2017 but it was the altercation after the final whistle which was the main focal point.

An altercation between Kelvin Morgan and Juanma Gonzalez spurred on a brawl between both teams which took quite some time to calm down – a situation which you’d believe the Gibraltar FA will investigate further.

Europa 2-0 Lions

The Rock Cup holders went safely through to the semi-finals thanks to goals from Fernando Velasco and Manuel Dimas. The Green found it tough to break the well-organised Lions defence, an improvement from their 7-0 defeat last weekend.

Europa will need to be much better for Saturday when they come up against St Joseph’s – a doubt for that match could be Olmo who came off early with a suspected groin injury.

Lincoln 6-0 Boca

As expected, Lincoln beat Boca, by a score of 6-0 on Sunday afternoon. Boca made them work for it, but Pibe’s brace and Jamie Coombes first-half goal meant at the break the game was all but done.

Boca gave Lincoln a slight scare in winning a penalty, but they missed from 12 yards, and that led to Lincoln making sure there was to be no hint of a comeback – Oli, Gato, and Blas Alvarez all scored in the second half to put an end to a spirited Boca side, who before the game may have been fearing a bigger scoreline.

Llambias: “It has been a joy to play with each and every single player”

Posted on March 4, 2020 by FootballGib

We caught up with Lincoln Red Imps U23 captain Ethan Thorne-Llambias to get his thoughts on securing the Intermediate league title earlier this week, his goals for the remainder of the year and more.

Lincoln clinched the title on Monday with a 2-1 win over Lions thanks to goals from Kyron McGrail and Ellis Wilson – we asked Ethan how it feels to be Champions, “It’s always an amazing feeling as we’ve worked hard to get to this moment. We have a great feeling of accomplishment and feel as if we have everything ahead of us and we can only get better.”

The Imps hold an impressive record in the Intermediate League winning 15 from 16 games and drawing 1 – Ethan reviewed his team’s season so far, “To be completely honest I would say that we have had a brilliant season, but obviously there is still more that me and the team can improve on as a whole. We have not always played our best football but we have always got the results. We can always learn and improve on our game as a team and as individuals, in saying this I believe that better things are to come.”

With an average age of just 16 years old from their win over Lions, Ethan is one of the more senior players and captain of the team – we asked him what he thinks of the young players coming up the ranks, “It has been a joy to play with each and every single player as they all offer something different. They are all hard-working and work for the team rather for themselves which is everything you need and want. They have impressed me and I think we could see a few players as individuals being outstanding if they carry on doing what they are doing now.”

With the first piece of silverware wrapped up in March – we asked Ethan what other goals he has set out for himself in 2020, “Firstly to improve as a player whether that be technically, physically, mentally, etc. Secondly I want to show to all my coaches what I can bring/offer and keep working hard to get opportunities and lastly to set an example for younger footballers in Gibraltar, showing them that if you work hard enough and really want something, there is nothing that can stop you from achieving it.”

Del Rio and Britto to go on trial at UD Las Palmas

Posted on February 28, 2020 by FootballGib

Lincoln Red Imps have confirmed this afternoon that teenage duo Julian Del Rio and Ethan Britto have been invited by Spanish side UD Las Palmas for a trial period this coming week.

Las Palmas, who already have former Lincoln keeper Jaylan Hankins on their books, will take the pair on trial next week, with both players seemingly set to miss the Gibtelecom Rock Cup Quarter Final vs Boca as a result.

Del Rio, who won FG’s Player of the Month for the National League in January, has had a breakout season this year. After scoring a hat-trick vs Hong Kong U19’s back in September 2019, in an international friendly tournament, the 18-year-old then broke fully into the Lincoln first team set-up, scoring 6 goals in 13 first team appearances, including a hat-trick vs Lynx. The striker has played 501 minutes this season, a notable increase on the 2018-19 season when he managed to get 151 minutes under his belt, including scoring in a 2-0 win on his senior debut, against Gibraltar United back in April.

Meanwhile, Britto, who signed from Mons Calpe in the summer, is a mainstay of Julio Ribas national squad, earning eight full international caps at the age of 19. The teenager, who can play in either left-back or left-wing, scored an impressive free kick earlier in the season against Lynx and has featured 12 times in the league this season, racking up two goals and playing 964 minutes so far this season (only Chino Goldwin and Lee Casciaro have played more minutes of Lincoln’s HGP’s this season).

Should the two be successful in their trial, they would be expected to join Las Palmas subsidiary teams, where the aforementioned Hankins has alternated between the B and C teams this season – most recently being named on the bench for the B team against Real Madrid Castilla.

FIFA rule in favour of Kike over Europa

Posted on February 26, 2020 by FootballGib

On the 21st of February 2020, FIFA’s DRC has ruled in favour of the player Enrique ‘Kike’ Gomez Bernal over his ex-club Europa FC.

This case dates back to January 2019 when Kike signed for Lincoln Red Imps from Real Balompedica Linense. It’s alleged that Kike would sign for La Balona on the basis that if he was to return to Gibraltar then Europa would be his first choice.

After only 4 months with the Segunda B side, Spanish media were reporting that Kike was on his way back to Europa but Lincoln was also interested at the time.

Nearing the end of January, Lincoln dropped a huge bombshell when they announced the signing of Kike. The 25-year old would go on to score against Europa on three different occasions and end up lifting the league title with the Imps that season.

Kike, who was represented by Juan de Dios Crespo, currently has 13 goals in 12 games in all competitions for Lincoln who sit third in the Gibraltar National League Championship Group.

Emmanuel Sunday is FG Player of the Week

Posted on February 24, 2020 by FootballGib

Lincoln Red Imps striker Emmanuel Sunday is awarded FG Player of the Week as his six-minute hat-trick helped his side on their way to a 7-1 over Lions.

Emmanuel Sunday – Lincoln Red Imps (1st)

Imps came from a goal down to lead 2-1 at half-time against Lions last Friday. A hat-trick in six minutes from their Nigerian striker proved to be the help they needed to comfortably win.

Sunday has shown this season that he has plenty of goals in him and will be a great addition to keep a hold on for next season.

Liam Walker – Europa FC (2nd)

Walker’s excellently taken goal just before the break killed off any hope Magpies had of getting back into the game last weekend. The Gibraltar international also provided an assist in a 5-0 win over Magpies to keep his side five points clear at the top.

Dean Dillion – Europa Point (3rd)

Dillon was the difference for Europa Point against Manchester 62, scoring twice in a 3-1 win in blustery conditions.

The striker is forming a good partnership with Lukas Lindholm for his side and will be hoping to grow that further in the league and cup.

Domingo Ferrer Lopez – St Joseph’s (4th)

Saints’ win over Lynx was made a lot harder than it should have been. Domingo scored the opener in the first half and assisted Juanfri to make it 3-1 in the second half.

Domingo has been an excellent asset since joining the club in 2017 and has formed a partnership with Boro and Juanfri which Raul Procopio would like to keep for the foreseeable future.

German Cortes Narvaez – FC Boca Juniors (5th)

German took his tally to six goals with a hat-trick in Boca’s crazy 7-5 win over College 1975 in the Challenge Group. The Spaniard will be hoping to use this campaign to get back on track after his serious injury, and betting ban, and reach the potential he did with Gib Phoenix and the few months at Gibraltar United.