Madla 4 Sola 2 - A Dana Peroti brace plus further strikes from Ali Memed & Daniel Karimirouzbehani help Madla survive a second half revival from Sola to record victory in their Norsk Tipping-ligaen Division avd.5 contest

Norsk Tipping-ligean avd.5, Monday 21st July

My latest game of this current Norwegian trip saw me pop down the road from my base to Madla Handelslag Stadion, home of Madla who were taking on another local side Sola in the Norsk Tipping-ligaen avd.5, the fourth tier in Norway.

This isn't the first time I have visited this ground and club, and in fact the media man at the club recognised me from the last visit I made there and came over to say hello, and even got me a coffee on the house, which was a very nice touch indeed, it's a nice little set up too and thankfully they have a covered stand there now which in the rain for this particular contest was very useful for the spectators who had turned up so they could keep dry.

Hosts Madla were not having a bad season up to date, they sat sixth in the table and knew if they could muster a win here they would jump up three places to third, Sola themselves needed the points for differing reasons, they sat just two places and one point above the drop zone so a win was paramount for them to give themselves some breathing room to the clubs who currently occupied that bottom three.

Madla though started the better and it only took them thirteen minutes to get their noses in front, they won a free kick about twenty yards out in a central location, and Dana Peroti fired a powerful low set piece at goal which was too firm for keeper Sverre Joa who could only help it into the net via his leg, and twelve minutes later Madla had doubled their lead.

A loose ball on the edge of the box found it's way into the path of Peroti, and he duly thumped a lovely left footed effort past Joa into the bottom corner, and the hosts were taking complete control of this fixture, they should of added a third but contrived to hit the woodwork, and although Sola had fleeting forays forward they didn't really test home keeper Nicolai Gundersen.

Madla then looked to have all but sewn up the game in first half stoppage time when they added a third, Ali Memed burst into the box before firing a lovely powerful effort across Joa into the far corner, and at 3-0 up heading into the break, it seemed they would go on and win this one at a counter.

Sola needed something, anything really, but should have gone 4-0 down but again Madla struck the woodwork before the visitors somehow scrambled clear, but in the 57th minute they grabbed a lifeline when a lovely ball across the box found Ola Alsaker at the far post to convert a first time finish, and this totally swung the momentum in their favour as Madla were now wobbling somewhat.

And they were really worrying in the 72nd minute when Sola pulled another goal back to really get on the comeback trail, which seemed totally unlikely at half time, a corner swung into the six yard box eventually coming off Madla's Norbert Marchewka and ending up in the net, 3-2, and it was very much game on now!!!

However, Madla regrouped and managed to give themselves some breathing space in the 78th minute, they stole the ball off their opponents and countered in devastating fashion, ending with Daniel Karimirouzbehani driving into the box and firing a lovely right footed effort beyond Joa into the far corner, it was a brilliant goal and it settled the hosts down, whilst putting a dampener on the visitors comeback attempts.

Further chances came for both, but in the end Madla had done enough to take the points and move themselves up to third, although eight points behind leaders Vidar who right now look the ones who most likely to go on and take the title and promotion to the next level, for Sola that first half showing cost them, and they drop a place to fourth bottom now and remain just a solitary point above the drop zone. A very enjoyable game though it has to be said!!!

Full time Madla 4 Sola 2

 

Viking 2 Bodo/Glimt 4 - Eliteserien league leaders Viking humbled in own backyard by a brilliant Bodo/Glimt as visitors win an epic contest to close the gap to the top as their title charge gathers momentum

Eliteserien, Saturday 19th July

My second game of the day and of this current trip to Norway saw me make my way up the road from my earlier game to watch two of the top teams in Norway as Viking, Stavanger's premier side, welcomed Bodo/Glimt to the Lyse Arena for a very important game at the summit of the division.

Viking were having an excellent season and were once again in with a shout of winning the top division in Norway for the ninth time in their history and the first one in thirty-four years, they had been in with a chance in the last couple of seasons but fell away badly in both towards the back end of those campaigns, although last season they did end up third, qualifying for European Football and the UEFA Conference League.

They currently sat top of the Eliteserien in this current campaign, six points clear of second placed Brann, their bitter rivals from Bergan, and had lost in Bergan last time out, and the latter still had a game in hand too, and they were welcoming a Bodo/Glimt side to Stavanger who themselves were starting to gather some momentum, at kick off they sat in fifth spot some ten points behind the leaders, but with three games in hand.

Bodo are obviously one of the most well known sides in Norway recently after their UEFA Europa League exploits where they became the first Norwegian side to reach the semi finals of any European competition, and lost to eventual winners Tottenham Hotspur over two legs, they are also the current Champions of Norway too after winning the league last season, in fact they have won four of the last five Championships, they have been the best in Norway for a few years now.

Viking though had won in Bodo less than two months ago at the end of May, so they had nothing to fear being the league leaders as well, and in front of a jovial 15,311 crowd, with around a couple of hundred noisy Bodo fans decked out in their bright yellow on a beautiful sunny evening in Norway, everything was set for it to be a clash of the titans and an excellent game to witness, and oh boy we were not disappointed!!!

People were still coming into the stadium and settling down when the opening goal came, around 45 seconds on the clock when Bodo attacked and saw a lovely ball slipped through by Ulrik Saltnes into the path of Hakon Evjen and the latter made no mistake in slotting past home keeper Kristoffer-August Klaesson and giving Bodo the lead.

A stunned home crowd could not believe it, but in just the sixth minute Viking had levelled, Zlatko Tripic, skipper and talisman of the hosts, slipped Kristoffer Haugen, back after a spell with Molde, in down the left hand side, and he crossed into the dangerzone for Peter Christiansen to apply the finishing touch and send the ball past visiting keeper Nikita Haikin, sending the decibel meter up in the stadium as the home fans celebrated a quick response from their side. 

They were only celebrating for eight minutes though as after Viking probably should have gone in front, they conceded again when ex player Sondre Auklend, who was booed and whistled every time he touched the ball, set up striker and visiting skipper Kasper Hogh to fire beyond Klaesson and restore the visitors lead.

However, after Bodo had missed an absolute sitter to make it 3-1, Viking went down the other end just before the midway point of the half and won themselves a penalty, and that man Tripic stepped up to bury the spot kick and level the game up at 2-2 after only 22 minutes, it was time for a drinks break for the players, and for everyone to get their breath back after an absolutely bonkers start to this contest!!!

The best thing about this game though was the fact I was watching it with my bro and niece & nephew, so that was nice, I even turned to my bro during this drinks break and said this could finish 5-5, it was that crazy, although the chances of both sides keeping up this frantic pace was low you would think.

Despite the scoreline though, Bodo appeared the better side, they certainly had more of the ball and were looking the more dangerous side, having said that Viking did almost find a third to go in front but Bodo keeper Haikin somehow kept out a powerful header, however, it was Bodo who were to go into the break with a 2-3 lead as seven minutes before half time to restored their lead again after Odin Bjortuft fired home from close range, it had been a breathless half of football, could Viking fight back again or would Bodo finally make all that possession count and see off the league leaders?

Bodo thought they had put daylight between themselves and Viking early in the second half, firstly seeing a close range effort saved by Klaesson, which saw the keeper injure himself and have to be replaced by sub keeper Arild Ostbo, and then moments later find the net with a thumping header that went in off the bar at pace, however, the flag then went up and VAR confirmed the crosser of the ball was a tad offside, a relief to the hosts no doubt.

The game was still in the balance then, and it was Viking's turn to think they had scored and restore parity once again, but no, the flag then went up and again VAR confirmed it was the correct decision as whoever headed the ball back across goal before being volleyed home had strayed a fraction to early, meaning Bodo still held a 3-2 advantage.

What would happen next, well it would see Bodo pretty much seal the contest you felt with a fourth goal with twenty minutes of the ninety to go, another attack saw them burst down the left and a superb ball into the dangerzone ended up coming off the boot of Viking's Joe Bell and beyond keeper Ostbo and into the net, allowing the Bodo players to celebrate in front of their adoring fans at that end.

Viking tried to find a way back into the game in the remaining time available but were always in danger of being countered on, they huffed and puffed but were unable to breach the visitors again who comfortably saw out the game and win what had been an epic encounter in Stavanger, it had certainly lived up to it's pre match hype and had been a joy to witness.

Viking hadn't played that badly if truth be told, but they were just beaten by a better side on the day, and by the same scoreline Viking had triumphed by back in May, so that aggregate score reads 6-6, these two have played out two cracking contests this season for sure, but this one sees Viking lose back to back games now, although Brann lost themselves so the gap remains six points to second place.

However, the charging Bodo are up to third, seven points behind with three games in hand still, so it's in their hands now, a long way to go for sure, pretty much half a season in fact, but if they continue to play the way they did in this contest, they will be pretty hard to stop that's for sure.

Full time Viking 2 Bodo/Glimt 4

Brodd 1 Hinna 0 - An early second half goal from Martin Sveingard saw Brodd net victory over local rivals Hinna in their Norsk Tipping-ligean avd.5 contest in a sunny Stavanger

Norsk Tipping-ligean avd.5, Saturday 19th July

My first competitive game of the new 2025-26 saw me in the beautiful country of Norway as I was back seeing family for three weeks, and my first game of the day and of the trip was over at a ground called the NSE-banen Midjord kunstgras, home of Brodd, and they were hosting a very local rival in the shape of Hinna in a Norsk Tipping-ligean Avd.5 contest, the third division, Norway's fourth tier.

Facilities in Norway are normally top notch, and this facility was no exception, two small stands on one side, and a big building on the other with a small seating area built into it, and at the back of that a nice small area inside with plenty of memorabilia and trophies on show from the clubs past, and also a nice tea bar selling hot dogs, pancakes etc, so a typical Norwegian set up you could say.

So good impressions then on my first visit then, and plenty of shaded area to sit/stand to keep out of the warm sunshine that was on offer here too, which certainly helped, but what about the game on offer here today?

Well, the two teams are only ten minutes apart on the bus (and a fifteen minutes walk from the bus stop!!!) but this was in every sense a local derby, there are a few of them in this division though seeing as these divisions are regionalised very locally indeed, both sides were inside the top six as well and only separated by goal difference, the hosts in sixth and the visitors in fourth at kick off.

Both were some way off leaders Vidar though, eight points to be precise, but a win for either side would not only put them above each other, but could potentially reduce the gap to the top in the process, and with fourteen league games still to come after this one, anything was still possible.

A good thing about this level in Norway is there is no entrance fee to watch the games, so that certainly helps too, the official crowd according to the website was 300, so not bad indeed for this level (I think!!!) although with no entrance fee I do wonder how they record such figures, I guess the old counting the crowd method is in full force!!!

So, how would the game go? Well, the first forty five minutes didn't yield to much in the way of goal mouth action, Brodd had a huge penalty shout which to me looked like a stonewaller, but the referee thought otherwise, which did eventually lead to the hosts manager receiving a yellow card a few minutes later in another challenge on one of his players, he was probably still seething from that non award.

Hinna themselves saw a decent effort blocked down the other end, and another opening fired way off target, apart from that there wasn't much else noteworthy to write about, so I was hoping for a better second half if truth be told.

It did look promising as well when four minutes into the second half Brodd edged ahead with pretty much the games first attempt on target, an attack down the right saw the ball cut back across goal for Martin Sveingard to side foot home first time from close range and give the home fans something to cheer, would that be the catalyst for am exciting free flowing attacking second period? 

In a word, not really, Brodd did have some openings to double their lead but couldn't, Hinna didn't really offer much going forward at all, the hosts keeper, Erlend Jacobsen, had very little to do throughout the entire game, frustrating for their manager who was sent off near the end for saying something to the referee, clearly frustrations getting the better of him as his side were heading towards defeat.

The hosts then would go on to complete a 1-0 win and take themselves up to third in the table, three points above Hinna who dropped to fifth as a result, however with Vidar winning again, Brodd did not close the gap to the summit, and Hinna lost more ground too, it had been a rather scrappy well contested contest as is what normally derby games are like, but overall Brodd deserved it I feel, and a good way for them to return after the summer break.

Full time Brodd 1 Hinna 0

Southend Manor 0 Witham Town 6 - Isthmian North Witham Town net six as they brush aside Thurlow Nunn South side Southend Manor in both sides latest Pre Season showing

Pre Season Friendly, Tuesday 15th July

My final pre season outing before the start of the season, this because I fly off to Norway for three weeks the day after this fixture to see family etc, brought together two sides who have played a major part in my life and are the two closest Non League clubs to my heart for sure, Southend Manor & Witham Town.

The hosts, Manor, will be playing in the Thurlow Nunn South Division again this season, that is Step Six in the non league pyramid, whereas their opponents Witham Town are two levels above and will again be competing in the Isthmian Division One North this campaign, I live just the other side of the park to Manor's ground, and was involved with them in an official capacity for some years over a decade or so ago now.

And Witham is where I grew up and went to school, and me and my father were heavily involved with them in the late 90s and early 00s, and a number of their officials came to my father's funeral in 2008 and also had a charity game in his honour the season after that, so both clubs hold a special place in my heart for sure, so it seemed fitting my final pre season game would be between these two.

Manor were obviously expected to find this match tough seeing as they were up against a side in a division two steps higher, but it was the hosts who settled the better in the opening five minutes and almost took the lead but stuck the bar, however it was the visitors who struck first in just the eighth minute when they pounced on an error at the back to get in, round the keeper and slot home.

It was frustrating for the hosts who had made a lively start, but they were soon two goals behind as Witham produced a lovely move down the right and it ended with a ball across goal being tapped in at the far post, and although Manor certainly competed with their opponents in the opening forty five minutes they conceded again on the half hour mark when a lovely ball through the back line saw them run onto the pass and beat the keeper to the ball and find the net as a result, 0-3 at the break, tough on Manor if truth be told but Witham showed their ruthless side as they made the most of what they produced.

The second period though did not begin well for Manor though as they quickly found themselves four behind when after the home keeper has made yet another save to deny the visitors, the rebound was thumped home, and then twenty minutes into the period Witham added a fifth in a game that was now one way traffic for sure.

The home keeper was making several saves now to keep the score line down as Witham were totally overrunning their opponents now, and they did manage to find a sixth with twelve minutes remaining when after Manor failed to clear, the ball was fired home from close range, and that completed the scoring as Witham ran out comfortable winners in the end.

New Manor boss Billy Cove would have been pleased with his sides first half showing despite the score line, although they did fall away in the second period but no doubt he would have learned a lot from this, Gary Kimble in the other dugout may have been concerned with some stuff in the first half an hour perhaps, but would have been pleased with how his side kept their foot on the gas throughout the game, especially second half.

Full time Southend Manor 0 Witham Town 6

My blog from Garon Park which saw Rayleigh Town get the better of Old Southendian & also saw Toby come from behind to see off Old Southendian Reserves in a Pre Season double header

Pre Season Friendlies, Saturday 12th July

The final weekend of pre season for me before I head to Norway on Wednesday saw me pop up to Garon Park for not one, but two pre season games on the 3G there, first up was Essex Olympian Premier Old Southendian against Thurlow Nunn South side Rayleigh Town, before Olympian Two Old Southendian Reserves then had an outing against Olympian One Toby.

Both games were to be played in pretty warm conditions as the heat wave continued in the UK, although their was a pleasant cooling breeze at times which was welcome for all, anyway the first game kicked off at 1pm, lets see how that one went:-

Old Southendian Vs Rayleigh Town

These two were regular opponents in the Essex Olympian Premier for a number of years before the visitors won promotion to Senior Football the season before last, beating today's opponents to the title along the way, and with the squads not being to dissimilar to those days it's fair to say both knew they would be in for a tough test in this latest friendly.

And in that season Rayleigh had narrowly won at Garon Park thanks to a stoppage time winner before OS stunned their opponents in the return game, winning that one 2-0, and in the early exchanges in this contest it was the Step Seven hosts who had the better of the contest, but it was Rayleigh who were to take the lead in the 25th minute when a header back across goal was converted at the back post.

OS though didn't take long to respond, as four minutes later a cross fired in from the right saw a defender come across the near post to try and clear but instead power a header into their own net, it was the least the hosts deserved after they had created the majority of the chances in the opening forty five minutes, the visitors would have been delighted to have gone into the break all square if truth be told.

And the visitors were even happier seven minutes after the break when they restored their lead after a ball into the box was scuffed towards goal and although the defender tried his hardest to get back to clear, the ball ended up in the far corner, OS then thought they had restored parity when converting a rebound, however the flag had gone up, much to the dismay of the hosts, but thereafter Rayleigh took control as they performance improved somewhat.

And with three minutes remaining they sealed the win when a cross from the left was glanced home by a head into the far corner, and Rayleigh had notched a hard fought win in their latest friendly, a good test for both in the heat of Southend, a very good watch as well.

Full time Old Southendian 1 Rayleigh Town 3

Onto game number two of the afternoon now, let's see how that one panned out:-

Old Southendian Reserves Vs Toby

OS Reserves ply their trade in Olympian Division Two, they had a solid if not spectacular season last time out, and they were up against a Toby side who were pretty much brand new from the one who struggled last season as they were relegated from the Olympian Premier Division so now will be competing in Division One in the upcoming campaign.

The new look Toby, under the stewardship of Matt Cardy, certainly created most of the openings that came in the opening forty five minutes, but they did find themselves behind in the 16th minute after the hosts lashed home pretty much their only real chance in the first period, Toby did manage to convert a chance eventually in the 34th minute when a cross from the left was powered home at the far post with a header, meaning the game was all square heading into the half time break.

Toby though did manage to get their noses in front early in the second period, a lovely slick move from defence to attack ended with a neat finish beyond the keeper, you felt at that point the visitors may go on and win this contest well, but fair platy to the hosts who did come back into the contest although they could not find a telling finish and restore parity.

And with five minutes remaining Toby sealed a decent win and a morale boosting one for their new boss and squad when a decent strike from range seemed to catch out the keeper who could not prevent the ball flying past him and into the far corner, and Toby had come from behind to record the win.

Full time Old Southendian Reserves 1 Toby 3

A decent day of football then, and two good competitive contests, very enjoyable in the sunshine even if it was a tad hot at times!!!