Consto Arena, 1. Division, 5/8/23
Me 288, Wee Man 161
Mjøndalen Idrettsforening Fotball
Founded – 1910
Nickname – Mjøndar’n
Honours –Norwegian Cup – 1933. 1934 and 1937. 2nd Tier (under different names) 1971, 1978, 1981, 1984 and 1991
Random Fact – The club are managed by an ex Peterhead player in Kevin Nicol who played for the club in 2006 before heading to Norway where he has been ever since in various playing and management roles
Same as last night we headed to the second tier of Norwegian fitba to a name not huge to people outwith Norway. A mere 45 minute bus journey from Oslo was all it took to get to the other side of Drammen. But not without a hitch. As we played car bingo out of the bus window our stop was not stopped at or announced unlike every other . This meaning we ended up around 5 mile too far down the road. Luckily we were dropped off outside an eatery where we grabbed lunch and ordered a taxi. This error actually turned out in our favour as we needed a taxi between our two games anyway so we just booked that taxi while on the ride back to Mjøndalen. We left in the taxi as the heat felt like the desert, we arrived five miles down the road where we needed an ark. It was torrential. Within two minutes of exiting the taxi i was wet through. My jacket couldn’t stand the downpour. Wee man fared better but our shoes and shorts were drookit. But our arrival was not all bad as we were given our obligatory scarves for free by the lovely lady in the club shop. This due to the shop being set up to only accept Norwegian bank cards, no cash and a payment app called Vipps which you can only get if you are Norwegian. Handy when you are from Aberdeenshire. After she clocked we were from Scotland her and the other lady whispered and we were gifted the scarves. What a superb gesture. We had to want the men in brown to win now. The club shop was the opposite corner to our seats so we had to leg it through the monsoon to get in the place. What a bizarre view on entry. Something I have never seen in around 300 grounds visited. Behind one goal was a block of flats all with balconies looking out on the pitch. This being the reason I have used its sponsorship name rather than the Mjøndalen Stadion. Consto are a construction company who upgraded the ground and built the flats behind the away end so fans could buy a flat and watch games. I have never heard the likes before.
Due to the rain we were in earlier than we are in the habit of being. This meaning we saw the warm ups. The pitch there is a plastic job again like many in Norway but it was sodden due to the incessant down pour and the balls were clearly not bouncing. I did get the fear as I watched the players feet splashing on the artificial turf. Audibly splashing too as we were that early and almost the only people in so we could hear everything. But the game went ahead
In all honesty and although we got our wish of a Mjøndalen win, it was not much of a contest in the end. Once the brass band club anthem ceased blasting the out of the speakers it was replaced by the travelling rumbles of thunder and in the direction of the stadium. Some of these lasting up to seven seconds. Underneath the sodden players got on with business. There was an early chance for the visitors when Syver Skeide when he struck a short Mjøndalen defensive clearance just wide. A little scare for Mjøndalen. The bulk of the attacking play was in the hosts favour and they made it count on quarter of an hour when the home sides only non homegrown starting player Carl Reutersward swung in a corner and found defender Sondre Skogen who rose above everyone to head home this bringing out the pyro from the Ultras in the opposite corner from our berth. Both teams had chances as the half went on. Hødd really should have been level Sundness headed wide from a corner. It was a big chance in front of his travelling supporters. 30 had made the journey from the west coast. Sound poor but it is an 8 hour drive between the two places. So fair play to them all. Mjøndalen had two decent chances before half time. The first after a great move between Reutersward and Bringaker saw the latter man’s header go inches wide. The second chance was again for Bringaker who was let in by some poor defending. He latched onto the ball and tried to scoop it over the stranded keeper Andersen but it was tame and caused no problems in the end.
HT 1 v 0
As the players exited the pitch the home manager was interviewed and it could be heard over the tannoy. It was no Norwegian accent, it was in fact a Fife accent which may expalin why the lady who gave us scarves asked if we were friends with Kevin. But also i was sure I could hear shouts in English during the game, “concentrate boys” being one. The club is managed by a Scotsman in Kevin Nicol. The break also saw the sprinklers get fires on to the pitch. I say sprinklers but these have the flow and pressure of a fire fighting monitor offshore. Surely with the earlier inundation and constant cloudburst since, the pitch really didn’t need more water on it. The second half started with a wonderful stramash in the Hødd box, 5 or 6 efforts pinballed around the box culminating in Reutersward pulling an effort wide. As the home Ultras end sang to the tune of Twisted Sisters “We’re Not Gonna to Take it” the they were given reason to change a chant into a cheer when Bringaker finally got his gola when he found himself on the end of a good passing move to slot home from a couple of yards out into an empty net. Hødd were looking buried here, but the should have had a penalty when Kallevag was clearly taken down in the box after the goal. It was wrongfully waved away and the Hødd man was soon subbed. It was game over on 75 when Martin Ovenstad struck past Andersen from close range leaving the keeper no chance. The flares were out for a third time and the three points were staying put. Hødd did create a few chances late on as the home side took their foot off the gas a bit but it was all in vain. A late high, wide and handsome effort from Tøsse summed up the day for Hødd. The final whistle sounded and we took our soggy hinds out the ground and were off to catch the taxi east to Drammen for game two of the day.
Entrance – Me 200 NOK (approx £15.50), Wee Man 100NOK (Approx £7.75)
Attendance – 1086 (Official)
Pie – N/A (due to being frozen out of spending money due to my nationality)
Pint – N/A (due to being frozen out of spending money due to my nationality)
Score Predictions – Me 2 v 0, Wee Man 2 v 1
Score Prediction Season Total – Me 0 v 0 Wee Man
FITBAWBAG 