Egersund 1 Vindbjart 2

Norwegian 2nd Division (Oddsligaen) Group 3, Saturday 26th September 2015

So my last full day in Norway for this time round I thought I’d jump on the train from Stavanger to Egersund to see Egersunds IK take on Vindbjart FK at Egersund’s Idrettsparken ground for a 2nd Division (Oddsligaen) Group 3 league match.

The train journey takes just over an hour and cost around £30 return, which does seem rather expensive for an hour’s train journey although this is Norway so probably normal fare for them.  I was greeted with some lovely views as I walked towards the town of Egersund after getting off the train.

Unfortunately the ground was almost at the top of that hill you see in the distance in the above photo so after a lengthy battle to walk up it (took me a good 20 minutes!!!) I arrived at the lovely Idrettsparken.

As you can see it has a lovely large seated stand which after a walk like I had just indured it was nice to be able to sit down.  After obtaining a match ticket for around £10 along with a free programme (which for third tier football is great value indeed) I went via the tea/food bar and took my seat just to the right of the half way line.

As the kick off time approached the stand began to fill up with some very loud but friendly home supporters, one of which had a very large drum, as they created a wonderful atmosphere inside the Idrettsparken.  There were even a few Vindbjart supporters present too who camped out at the other end of the stand waving their big blue flags.   Then it was time for the teams to take to the field to a noisy bouncy crowd.

I was surprised at how many people had turned up to watch this game as most games at this level I’d been too got barely 100 people turn up to watch but there was over 800 present for this one which was a brilliant effort from all concerned.  The hosts were league leaders though and a win today would take them one step closer to promotion to the First Division, known as the OBOS-Ligaen whilst the visitors were in mid table. The hosts certainly fed off the positive vibes from the crowd early on as they started much the better side and on 4 minutes a long throw into the visitors box saw Kenneth Grande volley at goal but it was a weak effort and easy for keeper Halvor Homme.  Then on 7 minutes a poor pass out of the visitors defence saw Cato Hansen steal the ball and drive into the area before hitting an effort across Halvor Homme and hitting the post before the ball  bounced into the keepers hands.

The visitors then broke down the other end and saw an effort blocked before the crazy period of play came to an end when the hosts won a penalty after a foul inside the box.  Kenneth Grande duly stepped up and converted the penalty kick and gave the hosts an ideal start.  Egersund 1 Vindbjart 0.

The hosts almost doubled their lead on 10 minutes with a couple more efforts at goal as the visitors were all over the place at the back and on 18 minutes another corner from the hosts was headed at goal by Kim Robert Nyborg but keeper Halvor Homme was well positioned to claim the effort.

Then came a relative period of calm as both sides competed well but just before the half hour mark the hosts threatened again when a long throw was half cleared out to Dennis Rasmussen Nielsen whose effort flew just wide of the far post and then a minute later another effort from the hosts, this time from Lars Jorgen Mork, was saved well by Halvor Homme.

Ten minutes before half time the visitors were up in arms when their full back Alexander Jones was on the receiving end of a pretty poor tackle from Kenneth Grande which left the visiting player in a heap on the floor however the host player was only booked when other referee’s may have produced another colour of card.  The visitors frustration’s were almost compounded three minutes later when a defensive slip allowed Cato Hensen in on the right hand side off the box but he tried to go for goal and saw keeper Halvor Homme save fairly easily.

So the hosts had the lead at the break but probably felt they could of been further in front whilst although competitive at parts the visitors had hardly threatened the hosts goal.

Half Time Egersund 1 Vindbjart 0

As the second half got underway the visitors had their best opening on 48 minutes as a cross found Oyvind Gausdal all alone at the back post but he slipped at the vital moment and the ball hit him on the top of the head and flew away from goal.  Chances for either side though were pretty limited for the first part of the second half as the tempo of the game slowed.  On the hour mark the hosts went close when keeper Halvor Homme blocked a through ball out to Kenneth Grande whose long range effort went miles over but the next few minutes would change the game somewhat.

On 64 minutes Kenneth Grande found himself clean through for hosts and he slotted past the onrushing Halvor Homme but the linesman had given offside although it looked a very tight call in all fairness and drew a rather angry reaction from the hosts bench.  Then two minutes later while awaiting a hosts free kick from the left Dennis Rasmussen Nielsen and Tony Hieu Vo came together in the area and the referee, who had spoke to the pair only moments befpre, sent off hosts player Nielsen although it seemed a very harsh decision to me but meant the hosts would have to play the remainder of the game with one less player.
This seemed to fill the visitors with more belief and on 69 host keeper Igor Spiridonov had to punch away a dangerous cross and heading into the final twenty you felt it would be an interesting last quarter of the contest.  On 72 minutes the visitors went close again as first Oyvind Gausdal’s effort was cleared off the line and then Tony Hieu Vo forced a save from keeper Igor Spiridonov and then five minutes later Vindbjart continued to threaten as Victor Vindfjell cut inside and drilled an effort at goal which keeper Igor Spiridonov turned away for a corner.

You felt it was a matter of time before the visitors would break through and on 79 minutes a mad scramble in the hosts six yard box saw an eventual free kick awarded to the hosts as they survived again and you wondered if it was going to be their day.  However with five minutes of the ninety left Tony Hieu Vo sneaked into the hosts box unchallenged but saw his effort blocked for a corner which was played out to Thomas Zernichow who blasted an effort through a crowd of players and into the net for the deserved leveller.  Egersund 1 Vindbjart 1.

You felt their would only be one winner now as the visitors poured forward in search of the winner and on 87 minutes a dangerous ball into the hosts box saw Oyvind Gausdal appear to be held back trying to connect with the cross although nothing was given and then a minute left of the ninety saw a terrible miss from Tony Hieu Vo, volleying wide from close range after keeper Igor Spiridonov had flapped at a cross.  But a minute into stoppage time came the winner from the visitors as a cross to the far post saw Oyvind Gausdal rise to head home from close range and send him, his bench and the visiting supporters at that end of the stadium wild.  Egersund 1 Vindbjart 2.

Despite the hosts causing some danger in the visitors box deep into stoppage time the visitors kept them at bay to inflict only the league leaders third league defeat of the season and see their lead at the top cut to one point with four games to go.  It proves to be a tense finish to the end of the season for sure.

Full Time Egersund 1 Vindbjart 2