Full name | Sannat Lions Football Club |
---|---|
Founded | 2014 |
Ground | Sannat Ground |
Capacity | 30 |
League | Gozo Second Division |
2014–15 | Third Division, 7th (relegation) |
The Lions' heyday was in the mid-1970s and early 1980s in which the Lions won 5 championships in 7 years and established many records, where even at one stage they went over 2 seasons without tasting defeat. Recent years have seen the Lions shifting between the two Gozitan divisions, although they are now in their fifth successive season in the First Division League.
The team finished the 2006–07 championship in second place, losing the decisive final encounter with Nadur Youngsters 2–1 in a game where a draw would have sufficed to win their first championship in 17 years. The team was not able to challenge seriously in 2007–08 finishing 15 points behind Nadur Youngsters in third place, however in the 2008–09 season they finally managed to win their first league title in 19 years, as they finished first in front of Għajnsielem.
In the 2009–2010 season, despite high hopes of retaining the title, the team struggled and finished the league in 6th place. This necessitated a play-off against Second Division runners-up Xagħra Utd to maintain their top-flight status, which was ascertained with a 3–0 win. The season was redeemed by the GFA Cup triumph in the final with a 2–1 victory in extra time over Kerċem Ajax after a semi-final in which the Lions came back from 3–0 and 4–1 down and two sending-offs to draw 4–4 against holders SK Victoria Wanderers and then eliminate them 6–5 on penalties.
After a difficult 2009-2010 season, Sannat reinforced their playing squad by signing some of the best local talent and went on to win the First Division title for their 10th time in their history. Along, they also won the Jum il-Helsien cup and also the 3rd most prestigious trophy 'The Super Cup'.
Despite a memorable 2010-2011 season, the subsequent season saw some departures and the club decided to give some of their youth a chance. This was a mixed season for the Greens as they produced some very good and bad performances. The Lions managed to survive the drop in the last match of the season where a win against Xaghra United saw them attain 5th place safely.