Guldager Idrætsscenter, Jutland Series 1, 5/9/23
Me 292
Sædding/Guldager Idrætsforening Fodbold
Founded – 1971
Nickname – SGI
Honours – None
Random Fact – Ex St Johnstone man Tommy Lovenkrands played for the club until he was 46
Interestingly this lower league affair with customary bag of cans ended up a double milestone as it was game number 100 out of the confines of Scotland, but it also the 300th blog piece I have written. Unlike most matches I get to in Denmark as I was in the company of two others who I had managed to drag out in the scorching Nordic sun. One being Sebastian who has appeared in these pages previously. The next was Ardrossan Winton Rovers season ticket holding Mike who I had only met on the day in the heli-lounge that day.
With the obligatory cans and Haribos were were treated to an eventful evening. In a way that the better team lost, that and I went above and beyond to achieve my scarf acquiring. With the sun scorching down we took in the first half from the stand wing and to take in the first half. On the ground it is another tidy example of a Danish lower league set up. The game was played on the showpiece ground with wee 100 seater stand on one side. It wasn’t long until we got the first real pieces of action from or vantage point too when the visitors were guilty of not taking their chances on two occasions. Sydvest 05 Tonder had come flying out the traps and the first quarter of an hour was all them barring one opportunity for SGI that went flying over the bar from close range. It seemed only a matter of time before Tonder would have the ball in he back of the net. Incredibly on 17 minutes SGI took the lead entirely against the run of play when Emil Schmidt in the Tonder goal did well to save a Klaus Jensen header but the second ball fell kindly to Daniel Eliasen who tapped in past a stranded Schmidt who was still on the ground after his initial save. This didn’t deter Tonder who continued to call the shots in the match. They should have been playing against 10 men from mid first half onwards when we were treated to the worst refereeing decision we are likely to see this season. Take a bow Mister referee as this was an outstanding error from you. It really defied logic in how this could have been seen as anything but a red card. Hussein Ozcan broke through at pace toward the SGI goal, the SGI keeper Hellwig came flying off his line at an equal speed and with no attempt to win the ball sent the Tonder forward six foot in the air this around 30 yards from his goal line. Given the brutality of the challenge you would have thought there was previous beef between the two. Incredibly the game was waved on leaving us looking at each other in amazement on the side line as the visiting bench were apoplectic at what had just unfolded. A truly astounding decision.
HT 1 v 0
At half time we ventured into the board room at the back of the stand to find three old geezers playing some sort of dice game over some cans of Carlsberg. They welcomed us in and let us have a nose about at the old photos. One of which featured one of said old geezers and he was happy to point himself out. As he pointed my quest for a scarf was looking dead until the chairman of the club appeared to have one. One he was not too keen to get rid of as it seems there was only one . So for the princely sum of my Aberdeen shirt, I acquired my scarf and kept the 100% scarf record going over 96 foreign grounds. A result despite me having to order a new Aberdeen shirt in the morning. The game continued in the same fashion with the visitors continuing to show they were the better team. There was a dearth of goalmouth action though but were were given a red card. This came with 15 minutes to go when a rammy broke out with Tonder’s Mikkel Neesen seeing red for his part in it. Home man Elias Zohner was also booked for his part, however his team were awarded a freekick and Rasmus Copso took it upon himself to stick the kick away. A good enough strike but should the keeper have got to it? Tonder managed to nick one back before the end of the game with Mike predicting it when they were awarded a corner. The ball came into the box and made it’s way into the goal via Villads Moller(I think as the box was seriously crowded). This setting up a tense final few minutes. But it wasn’t to be and back to Esbjerg we headed in a taxi complete with flashing purple mood lighting. A taxi that was also booked by a random local lady as the woman on the end of the line couldn’t understand my Aberdeenshire accent. This starting off a night out that ended in the famed King George Pub. A great few hours out in Esbjerg, be it at the fitba, my scarf quest, in the Indian watching Sebastian melting with his dish or in the George sinking Tuborgs. A year after heading to Denmark for the first time again I have been treated to a great time with great folk. A cracking country and a cracking place to get your fitba kicks as it keepe showing me, over and over again.
Entrance – Free
Attendance – 52
Pie – N/A
Pint – Pre bought bag of Carlsberg 1883
FITBAWBAG 