Norwegian OBOS-ligaen, Saturday 27th July
My second competitive encounter of the new season this time came from South West Norway and Bryne, which is about half an hour by train from Stavanger, and it was my first visit to the Bryne Stadion for a match up between two local rivals, Bryne FK & Sandnes Ulf, who are only separated by around ten miles.
After I had travelled by bus from my mothers house in Tananger to Stavanger city centre to catch the train to Bryne, I took the ten minute or so walk down to the stadium to take in the pre match atmosphere, which was mainly outside the main stand before you went into the ground, lots of home fans enjoying the live music and bar that was set up there, the weather was beautiful too so why not.
After walking around most of the outside of the ground to try and find out where I needed to go in, some friendly folk directed me around to the far end of the other side where the terrace was that I had decided to buy a ticket for, I made my way into the ground through a iron gate. The ground has one big seated main stand on one side and a rather old and dated looking terrace on the other, which houses the home fans on two thirds of it and the away fans in the other third.
There was no stands at either end of the stadium so affectively it was a two sided ground, but the rules in Norway are totally different to those ones that the FA set in the UK, so it's not uncommon for sides as high as this, the second tier in Norway, to have this, and prices were very decent as well, around a tenner to stand which is not bad at all.
A small wooden kiosk serving hot dogs, slices of pizza, fizzy drinks and hot drinks as well as confectionary were available in the middle of the terrace, although the one portable loo near the gate where you came in seemed closed, so the only way to wee was under the main stand, somewhere we could not get to unless you left the ground, so that wasn't ideal, unless there was somewhere else I missed!!!
Anyway, I picked a nice spot to stand for the game and was joined by several hundred other people by the time kick off came around, this was a bumper crowd today as it was a local derby in the sunshine, and 2,016 turned up to watch, they normally get around 1,100 to 1,200 ish so this was a much bigger crowd than normal, and I think most of the extra were on the terrace with me, so I am glad I bagged a decent spot before they all turned up!!!
Now the hosts are enjoying one of their best seasons for some time and are right in the mix for promotion after half their games they sat third in the table well inside the playoffs and in with a chance of going level on points with top spot if they could win here today, and their home form certainly suggested they could win again, seven wins and one defeat in eight at Bryne Stadion, one of the best home records in the division.
And with them being up against a Sandnes side who had only taken one point away from home all season in six contests and were sitting bottom of the division having only picked up nine points from their thirteen games, this was even more reason to think the home side would pick up another home win in this one, although this being a derby sometimes form and positions in the table mean nothing.
Bryne nearly got themselves in front very early on when a long range effort was brilliantly turned away by visiting keeper Serigne Mbaye, but in the seventh minute he came for a cross into the mixer and was beaten to it by hosts attacker Eirik Saunes who nodded an effort into the gaping goal, leaving the keeper spread eagled on his front wondering why he had come for the cross he was never really going to get to first.
You felt it could be another long afternoon on their travels for the visitors after falling behind so early on, and the hosts certainly had enough openings to add to their lead and maybe put the game to bed, Mbaye had to make another flying save on one occasion again to keep the hosts out, but with the scoreline only at 1-0 Sandnes knew they were still in the contest, and that one moment would change the momentum perhaps.
They began to have a spell towards the end of the half and with four minutes of the half to go they did indeed find that moment when Andreas Nyhagan got down the left and sent in a ball that eventually found it's way to Matias Moldskred and he duly rifled a first time effort past Igor Spiridonov who was rooted to the spot, and just like that and despite being second best for most of the half, Sandnes Ulf went into the break all square.
Could they build on this in the second half, or would Bryne regather themselves in the second period and stamp their authority in this contest? Well, Sandnes spent a lot of the half without the ball and having to defend, but if truth be told Bryne were rather flat for times in the second half and didn't really get up to the levels they had managed in the opening forty five minutes, and as the game ticked on the frustrations amongst the home players and support was noticeable.
It really was a game they expected to win, and it wasn't happening for them, although credit to Sandnes who battled hard for each other and made it very tough for their opponents, so when the final whistle did eventually blow after around 97 minutes or so, you could not begrudge the visiting side a point, they had worked oh so hard for it and this was appreciated greatly by the travelling support who had come to cheer on their side.
A disappointing day for the hosts though who will definitely see this as two points dropped as they slipped a place to forth behind another local rival in Egersund although they are only two points off automatic promotion and four off the top, so it's still a good position to be in, for Sandnes this point, only their second away from home all season, sees them off the bottom and into double figures in terms of overall points too, it's a start as they say, and they are only four points off fourth bottom Asane, who they play next weekend, with two games in hand. Must remain positive, especially after this result today.
A good day out then in lovely Norwegian sunshine, a decent game to enjoy too in a decent stadium with a good atmosphere at times too, so thank you Bryne for having me today, it's been a pleasure.
Full time Bryne 1 Sandnes Ulf 1
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