Sliema Wanderers presented their new signings during a press conference at the club premises on Friday.

President Keith Perry explained that when he and the members of the committee decided to make their return in June, it was no easy task as they were well aware the first six months would be very difficult.

Perry said club members had asked the committee to make sure the club does not close its doors. Something which the club managed to do and in fact, it is now in a healthier position with all club employees up-to-date with their salaries and budgets in place for the next three years. The Sliema president described the fifteen committee members as ‘fifteen blue heroes’ as they were the ones who actually managed to keep the club alive.

In August, following the return of coach Andrea Pisanu, the club tried to prepare the team for the first six months of the Premier League campaign. Now that the club had at its disposal, a budget over and above what was earlier planned, the squad was strengthened further in order to make up for what the team failed to do on the pitch in the first part of the season.

At this stage, the club aims to retain its Premier League status and win the FA Trophy.

The Sliema president said that despite the difficulties, the club continued to invest in the senior team and the youth sector. Perry said that, apart from the commercial project which kicked-off earlier, the club is already focussing on the coming season to make the team a more competitive one which could challenge for honours.

Keith Perry said that the club had full faith in coach Andrea Pisanu. He explained the sub-committee made up of Alex Muscat, Andrea Zammit Tabona, Walter Arciola and Rupert Perry, had been working hard since October in order to strengthen the squad.

The club, in fact, signed eight new players, namely goalkeeper Rashed Al Tumi, Raffale Schiavi, Oscar Linton Bethancourt, Amadou Pepe Samb, Ruslan Kisil, Matteo Piciollo, Martin Davis and Jean Carlos Cloth Goncalves.

Coach Andrea Pisanu added that at the moment, every match was important in order to recover points. He said that since January, the team was working very good and was confident that the team will get out of the current situation.