Hullbridge Sports 6 Canvey Island 0 / Hutton 3 Braintree Town 2 - Hullbridge Sports thrash a sorry Canvey Island whilst Hutton produce huge shock by seeing off Braintree Town to reach Round Four of the BBC Essex Senior Cup

BBC Essex Senior Cup Third Round, Tuesday 12th/Wednesday 13th October

It was back to the bread and butter of local football back in the UK, after my two and a bit weeks over in Norway, and I returned to action back in blighty with a couple of County Cup ties in the good old county of Essex, in the Third Round of the BBC Essex Senior Cup, and I attended two of the sixteen ties taking place this week in the round, and it all began at Lower Road on Tuesday night.....

Tuesday 13th October

Hullbridge Sports Vs Canvey Island

This tie brought together Essex Senior League highflyers Hullbridge Sports, who had began the season very well indeed, sitting in third spot in the table with seventeen points from their eight leagues games thus far, with only one loss in those games and five wins, visitors Canvey knew they would be in for a tough game, especially as they had not started their campaign quite as well.

Yes, the Gulls are in the league above, the Isthmian North division, but they are fifth bottom and just above the drop zone by a solitary point, having lost six of their ten league games so far and only picking up two wins, it was therefore expected that this was a potential banana skin for Canvey, but they would have still been expected to put up a good showing here and potentially see off their lower league opponents.

However, they were to be outplayed by their opponents in the opening forty five minutes, and it was no surprise and indeed totally deserved when Hullbridge took the lead midway through the first period, a long ball finding Kieran Jones perfectly in stride for him to send an effort beyond Kasey Clark, and then on the half hour mark Nick Dembele doubled the home sides advantage when firing a nice left footed effort across Clark and into the far corner.

Canvey tried to rally late on in the half and saw ex keeper Bobby Mason, now in goal for the hosts, punch away an effort, but it was a rare attempt on goal for the visitors who went into the break with plenty of work to do to try and get back into a tie they were second best in across all areas, the hosts had been superb and probably could have had a bigger lead at the break, but it was a lead that was to increase.

It came nine minutes into the second period, and it was another lovely finish, a ball across the box into the path of Archie McFadden saw him side foot beyond Clark to had the hosts a three goal lead, and a clinical hosts then made it four nil after Fred Agyemang burst clear of the back line to finish beyond Clark with twenty five minutes still to go, it was becoming an embarrassing evening for the visiting side who had no answer to a superb home outfit.

Things then got even worse for the visitors when they saw skipper Elliott Ronto shown a straight red with eleven minutes of the game remaining, and the hosts were to net twice more late on to really rubber stamp this incredible showing, Agyemang netting a second of the night when powering home a close range header in the 88th minute, and then seeing Matas Machovas complete the scoring in stoppage time and seal a wonderful dominant performance.

As good as Hullbridge were, and as impressive as they were, Canvey were equally as poor and disappointing, and will want to forget this night in a hurry, it was a very humbling experience against a side a level below them, although you would have thought Hullbridge were the Step Four side and Canvey Step Five, it was that comprehensive, a very good performance then from the hosts who are now into Round Four of the competition and will be ones to avoid for many.

Full time Hullbridge Sports 6 Canvey Island 0

 

And on Wednesday I was back over at New Lodge to see a tie between Step Five and Step Two, let's see how that one went.....

Wednesday 14th October

Hutton Vs Braintree Town

On paper this looked like a foregone conclusion, Hutton, who are in the Essex Senior League, were taking on a side three leagues above them in the pyramid in the Enterprise National League South, Braintree Town, and with the visitors going strong in this tie as well, surely the visitors would be able to put a difficult start to their season behind them and record a comfortable win here.

Braintree have not had the best of starts to their season in National League South as said, they were only above the drop zone on goal difference after just three wins in their opening eleven games, losing seven of those two, but up against a side who were at their first season in the fifth tier of non league football, you would of felt they would have enough against the hosts.

Hutton themselves had started their season slowly before a great week saw them net back to back wins in the league to kick start their season, so they had momentum heading into this one, but even with that it looked too much to continue this against a side who play at a much higher level, and in the opening twelve minutes, this seemed likely to be the case.

Only five minutes were on the clock when Town went in front, Andre Changunda firing home from inside the box, and when Alfie Matthews header back across goal went in off a defender, it looked as though it would be a long night for the home side, but not a bit of it, Hutton rolled up their sleeves a duly pulled one back immediately, with a ball across goal being converted by Ryley Duggin who was left totally unmarked.

And after Hutton had missed further chances to level, they did manage to equalise midway through the opening half when more poor defending from the visitors saw Johnny Ashman convert from close range, and all of a sudden Hutton were the ones in the ascendency and looking to go in front, some turnaround and not what anyone expected.

It remained level for sometime thereafter, Hutton missed more chances to go in front, Braintree did also miss some really good openings, two being headers that were somehow put wide from close range, and as the second half wore on it looked as if Town were starting to look stronger as the hosts appeared to be tiring, understandably, after all the effort they had put in against a Step Two outfit.

However, this wasn't to be the case, as Hutton then completed the turnaround with seven minutes remaining, a cross from the right finding Adam Vyse, on as a second half substitute, free inside the box to nod home and punish more poor defending from the visiting side, and it meant that Hutton were on the brink of quite an upset.

The hosts then had to dig in to prevent the visitors from finding a late late leveller to take the tie to spot kicks, but they did just that to record an incredible win against Braintree and dump the National League South side out of the County Cup, a superb achievement for the club, and a very embarrassing night for the visitors, especially after starting the contest so well too.

Full time Hutton 3 Braintree Town 2

So, two superb wins for Essex Senior League sides this week against higher league opposition to send them both into Round Four, along with fourteen others sides who also won through this week, here are the results from the other fourteen ties across the week.....

Monday 12th October

Redbridge 5 - 2 Brightlingsea Regent

Tuesday 13th October

Colchester United 2 - 0 Maldon & Tiptree

Little Oakley 4 - 0 Southend United

Rayleigh Town 3 - 2 White Ensign

Concord Rangers 2 - 2 Aveley (Aveley won 4-2 on penalties)

Takeley 0 - 2 Stanway Rovers

Wivenhoe Town 2 - 0 Chelmsford City

Hashtag United 3 - 0 Walthamstow

Witham Town 7 - 1 Bowers & Pitsea

Tilbury 3 - 1 Halstead Town

Brentwood Town 0 - 3 Billericay Town

Waltham Abbey 6 - 0 Basildon Town

Dagenham & Redbridge 6 - 0 Great Wakering Rovers

Wednesday 14th October

Grays Athletic 8 - 0 Hornchurch

Stand out results saw Rayleigh Town knock out White Ensign, that's step six knocking out Step Five, Witham Town smashing seven past fellow Isthmian North side Bowers & Pitsea, and Billericay winning the fierce derby at Brentwood although The Blues look a very decent outfit this season.

Southend United, Chelmsford City & Hornchurch all were beaten at lower league sides although all fielded academy/youth sides hence the results in those games, but valuable experience for those youngsters for sure, other bigger sides like Dagenham & Redbridge & Colchester United took things a bit more seriously and saw off lower league opposition to progress.

The draw for the next round I believe is on Friday 16th October, which will be broadcast live in BBC Essex of course, the main sponsor of the competition.

And enjoyable return to football here then, and good to see two Essex Senior League sides fly the flag for the division too in a very impressive way indeed!!!

Staal Jorpeland 0 Vag 4 - Vag all but secure Norsk Tipping-ligean status for next season with victory at Staal Jorpeland's very picturesque Sparebanken Norge Arena, Madla take a step closer to promotion, Brodd all but safe after big win, Flekkeroy, Vindbjart promotion chances suffer major blow

Norsk Tipping-ligean Avdeling 4, Saturday 10th October

My final weekend and indeed final full day in Norway for this trip saw me take in more Norsk Tipping-ligean Avdeling 4 action as I made my first trip over to Jorpeland, which to get to it by bus from Stavanger required a trip under Horgefjord, through Ryfylketunnelen, which is NINE miles long & is currently the world's longest subsea road tunnel, & the deepest tunnel of any kind, so even before I had reached the game it was already an experience.

My choice of game for this round of fixtures in the division was at Sparebanken Norge Arena Ryfylke, for a game towards the bottom of the division, as Staal Jorpeland were hosting Vag, it was my first visit to their of course and the hosts were very gracious in giving me and club cap and scarf as a thank you for coming to their game, so that was another good reason for picking this one.

It was also quite an important game, especially for the hosts, in terms of strengthening their chances of staying away from the drop zone, but before the action from Jorpeland and the rest of the divisions action on Saturday, their was a game on Friday evening to start the weekend, involving sides in differing needs for the points, let's see what happened shall we.....

Friday 9th October

Flekkeroy 0 Odd 2s 1

Hosts Flekkeroy, or Floy as they are also known, were looking for the points to put pressure on the top two, they sat four points behind second placed Mandelskameratene and six behind leaders Madla who occupied the one promotion spot, so they knew that with only four games to go a win was pretty much needed, visitors Odd 2s were just three points above the drop zone and in need of points to get themselves away from the bottom three.  Well, it appeared as if this one would end goalless and both sides picking up a point, however, that was until the 90th minute when Mikkel Tonheim popped up to net a late winner for the visitors and make it six points in less than a week, and take a giant stride towards safety, and hand the hosts a very damaging defeat, especially if the top two win at the weekend too.

Ok, lets now look at what happened on Saturday, starting at my venue today, Staal Jorpeland's Sparebanken Norge Arena Ryfylke.....

Saturday 10th October

Staal Jorpeland Vs Vag

It's certainly one, if not the most, picturesque ground I've been too in a part of the world that has many, and a nice modern new stand has been built in the last year or so as well, which is very useful when the weather isn't playing ball, although despite the not such great forecast, it turned out to be a very nice day, making the surroundings look even more spectacular. And, as I briefly touched on in the blog intro, this was an important game towards the bottom of the division.

Staal were only three points above the drop zone and had actually dropped to fourth bottom as a result of Odd 2s win the night before, so the hosts were in direct firing line of Hinna and Haugesund 2s, who were in the drop zone and looking to try and pull themselves out of it at Staal's expense.  Vag were also still looking over their shoulders but were in a slightly more comfortable position despite this.

Vag were a further three points ahead of Staal and six clear of the bottom three, so a win here would all but secure safety and football in the fourth tier for next season, defeat would see today's opponents draw level with them and if results below them went against them too, make things very interesting down their for sure with three more rounds to come.

Staal's form heading into this one was mixed to say the least, but they had netted a big win last time out at Hinna in what was a huge six pointer down at the bottom, in fact over the last four games they had picked up seven points, very useful at this time of the season, Vag themselves though were in decent nick over the last few games, with the last five bringing four wins and a draw.

However, when the two sides met earlier in the season, Staal had netted a 1-0 win at Vag's Karuss Kunstgress, the hosts were certainly hoping for something similar today, but how would they cope against a side who had netted fourteen goals in their last five outings, only time would tell as they say.

The hosts should have been ahead early on, Gustav Stople cutting back onto his right foot before bending what looked like a lovely effort into the far corner, but visiting keeper Michael Crowe produced a wonderful save to tip the ball past the far post, and Crowe had to be smart to stop another close range effort from the home side, and this luck in front of goal was to be the story of the day for Staal.

The had plenty of openings but were lacking a cutting edge, Vag themselves also had plenty of attacks too, their best chance was a sitter as well, Salai Mahlaw bursting in down the left but his ball across goal was somehow poked wide of a gaping goal, however, in the 38th minute Vag did edge themselves in front, Daniel Roppestad broke clear down the right hand side and his lovely ball into the danger zone found Christian Wahlstrom who managed to beat his marker and apply a neat finish beyond home keeper Simon Amdal.

Staal then had work to do in the second period to turn this one around, and in first half stoppage time they made their task even more difficult when they went down to ten men, courtesy of a silly challenge from Jarand Veland, who was already on a booking & took out Mahlaw who was about to break down right, and he was duly shown a second yellow and sent for an early bath.

It was certainly a blow for the home side, but, despite these couple of late setbacks in the first period they came out all guns blazing in the second period, and were the better side even though they had a player less, but, yet again chances came and went and their lack of guile in front of goal was costing them, and once Vag had got through this and as the half entered it's final twenty minutes or so, they began to get more of the ball and more attacks against a now tiring home side.

And with ten minutes left it took a majestic ball from substitute Rahmanudin Manan to unlock the home defence, finding Wahlstrom who duly lifted a lovely finish over keeper Amdal for his second of the game, and all but seal the game, it was hard to see the ten man hosts coming back from that, and with Staal now feeling the affects of playing with a man light for the whole second half, and after all the effort they had put in, Vag were picking them off in the final few minutes. 

In the 87th minute a ball through sent another substitute, Ole Fuglestad, clear in on goal, and he lifted over keeper Amdal beautifully for another decent finish, and then in stoppage time a third substitute, Mateusz Radgowski, fired home at the back post after a ball across the box had found him totally free, sealing what in the end looking like a comfortable victory for the visiting side, but it was anything but.

The score line was very harsh on the home side who for large parts of the game were the better side, but, lack of cutting edge up front cost them dear, and tiring legs after a second half with ten men ended up too much in the end and Vag were able to put more gloss on the score line, and take for them a very big win and pretty much seal their survival this season, something that cannot be said for Staal who are still in a battle down at the bottom.

Full time Staal Jorpeland 0 Vag 4

An enjoyable afternoon for me at least, sadly I could not bring Staal Jorpeland any luck, but they certainly made my day special with the free gifts, and also the spectacular views too, certainly a place I will come back to again in the future for sure, the scenery is unbelievably good!!! 

Right, onto the remaining action on Saturday then, with another three games....

Varhaug 1 Madla 3

With the hosts in fifth and nine points behind today's opponents and league leaders Madla, the chances of promotion were almost non existant, but could they dent the visitors chances of promotion by inflicting defeat on them? Madla were of course coming into this having suffered a surprising loss at home last weekend to local rivals Brodd, and really didn't want another negative outcome as it could see them end the weekend off top spot as a result.  Mathias Dessingue handed the visitors a 19th minute lead,  but the hosts levelled just before half time through Arian Odegard, however, Madla were to go on and net a very important win as Sebastian Sandtorv restored their lead early on in the second period & then Jonas Halsne sealed the win with four minutes remaining and take them a step closer to their goal.

Brodd 4 Hinna 0

After Brodd's stunning win at league leaders Madla last weekend, it saw them really strengthen their grip on survival after it took them seven points clear of Hinna who occupied that final relegation spot, Hinna needed wins and help elsewhere to have any chance of survival so this was a must win game, like they all were now, but if Brodd could net a win it would pretty much guarantee their spot in the division next season, and almost consign the visitors to the drop if other results went against them.  Well, it was to be another difficult afternoon for the visitors, they went behind after just six minutes when Vegard Aasen netted for the hosts, and it was two just past the midway point of the first half after Isak Hebnes, the scorer of the winning goal last weekend, netted once again.  Martin Sveingard then made it 3-0 in the 66th minute before the scoring was completed five minutes from time courtesy of Magnus Bergesen, which all but seals Brodd's safety now.

Viking 2s 5 Vindbjart 1

Vindbjart has extra incentive to win at the Lyse Arena in Stavanger, as after Flekkeroy's defeat on Friday night meant that a win for the visitors here would see them leapfrog Floy into third spot and also take them as nearest challengers to the top two, taking them to just two points behind second place and four off the leaders if both slipped up this weekend, whereas Viking 2s were just above mid table in sixth with nothing to play for and were just chilling as their season came to it's conclusion, so the pressure was all on Vindbjart to get a result. Viking led by two at the break courtesy of Sondre Bakken's 13th minute goal & one from Romano Postema right on half time, giving Vindbjart a mountain to climb, and it was one that was to get bigger when Postema added another from the penalty spot just before the hour mark.  Max Hagen then made it 4-0 in the 65th minute, Vindbjart did pull one back through Sander Svela's goal with twelve minutes to go, but Postema then completed his hat-trick late on to seal the deal and all but end the visitors promotion chances.

Let's see how the table looks after the weekend games so far, and ahead of the final two remaining Round 23 fixtures taking place on Sunday & Monday.....

Madla opened up a five point cushion once again but know Mandelskameratene play at home on Sunday against Stabaek 2s, with a win for the second placed side taking them back to two points behind with three rounds remaining, it's looks more than likely to be between those two now to see who wins promotion to the third tier after defeats for Flekkeroy & Vindbjart this weekend.

Down at the bottom, with both Staal Jorpeland and Hinna losing 4-0, it remains the same as before, just the three points between them, Haugesund 2s could climb above Hinna and go just one point behind Staal if they win their bottom two clash at home to Akra on Monday, with anything other than a win for Akra resulting in the bottom side being officially relegated, although they looks inevitable anyway.

It does look like the teams going down will come from the bottom four places now, with teams above that looking more and more likely to have enough points to stay in the division now with just three more rounds to come. Vag & Brodd's wins today certainly all but cemented their status at this level for another year you would have thought.

Anyway that brings to an end a very enjoyable day over in Jorpeland, thanks once again to the club for their gifts, and the spectacular scenery will never been forgotten or topped for a while if ever, it also brings to an end my Norwegian adventure for this edition, so until next time, thank you and goodbye to Norway, and thanks once again for all who took the time to read, it's always very much appreciated.

 

Madla 0 Brodd 1 - Visitors end league leaders eleven match unbeaten run to pick up a vital three points, Staal Jorpeland, Mandalskameratene, Flekkeroy, Vag, Stabaek 2s & Odd 2s also pick up wins in latest round of Norsk Tipping-ligean Avdeing 4

Norsk Tipping-ligean Avdeling 4, Friday 2nd - Monday 5th October

My second game of the weekend and fifth of this trip to Norway saw me back over to Madla Handelslag Stadion, which is a short bus ride away from my mum's, they had a local derby against fellow Stavanger side Brodd who had travelled from the other side of the city, around 8km, to be here today, both clubs know each other well of course and both are having differing season's that's for sure.

This was part of seven games across four days over this weekend (Friday to Monday) in the Norsk Tipping-ligaen Avdeling 4, which is the fourth tier in Norway, with this league being one of the two Rogaland area sections in this division, as their are several Fourth Divisions around the country split into regions, as is the case with most divisions/levels in the country.

I had done a couple of games in this division back in April around Easter time when I was last over here, when the season was just getting underway, here are links to those two games I watched, one of which included Brodd...

https://pedroslocalfootiefix.blogspot.com/2026/04/hinna-5-stabaek-2s-3-hinna-win-classic.html

https://pedroslocalfootiefix.blogspot.com/2026/04/brodd-2-flekkery-1-second-half-goals.html

This division has fourteen teams within it, with top spot the only one available for promotion (there is no play offs for this level) and three relegation spots (again no play off relegation spots, just straight down if you finish there) so it's a hard league to get out of upwards that's for sure. And right now it was Madla who occupied that top spot, so they were in the driving seat heading into the final few games.

Brodd however were in danger of heading the other way and were in a precarious position, let's take a look at these things in more details and see how that game I attended panned out before looking at the other games in the division this weekend.....

Sunday 4th October

Madla Vs Brodd (Madla Handelslag Stadion)

As briefly mentioned above, these two sides may only be 8km apart but in terms of seasons they are having this campaign, they are a lot further apart, eighteen points and nine places in a division with fourteen clubs in it, so quite a vast gap you could say, Madla were leading the league by two points heading into this contest following other results earlier in the weekend, but knew a win would take them five clear once again with just four games remaining.

For Brodd it was a a game they wanted to upset the apple cart in and grab a vital three points, they were down in tenth spot and only four points above the bottom three, the drop zone, so they were nervously looking over their shoulders for sure but knew if they could grab a shock win here today, it would give them a huge gap to the bottom three and much more breathing space heading into the final few games.

However, this looked a tall order against a Madla side who had not lost at home in the league all season, and hadn't lost a league match since June 22nd, that's an eleven game unbeaten run, and the hosts had not failed to score in any of their league games this season and as said were the league leaders, so not many gave Brodd much hope of getting something from this one, especially as the visitors had not won in four matches, conceding ten goals combined in those games too.

Football is a funny old game though isn't it, and it had been a big week for Madla leading up to this fixture, on Thursday night they had taken on arguably the best side in Norway, current Eliteserien champions and current Champions League participants, Viking, at home in the Norwegian Cup with 2,447 packed into their small stadium, so they may have had a hangover from this only three days after, who knows?

Well, it certainly appeared this way early on and indeed for the majority of the opening forty five minutes, Brodd started well and were ahead in just the fifth minute, a ball fired into the box appeared to strike the hand of a defender, resulting in the visitors claiming handball, that fell on deaf ears, but as the ball bounced around inside the box it fell to centre forward Isak Hebnes who fired beyond keeper Nicolai Gundersen and handed the visitors a shock early advantage.

Brodd were growing in confidence and could sense the early frustration of the home side who didn't appear to be playing their normal free flowing football, the hosts did see a lot of the ball but the only time they did test the visiting keeper, Adrian Andreassen, when Moses Mairah found himself in on goal but when trying to round the keeper he saw him block the effort to thwart him, they found the visiting back line to hard to breach.

Brodd in fact could and should have doubled their lead too, Liban Abdi somehow heading wide from close range when he seemed destined to score, but they reached half time a goal ahead and with plenty of confidence they could actually pull off a stunning result here, Madla just needed to get in, regroup, and find a way to penetrate this tough and mean defence, something that hasn't often been said about Brodd this campaign.

The second half pattern was as follows, Madla having plenty of the ball but finding the visitors very tough to break down, and seeing Brodd play on the counter and cause a few issues when they did, however, the longer the game went on and the deeper it got into it, Madla were the ones applying all the pressure, but Brodd defended so well and were just not going to let the hosts in, frustrating the hosts on more than one occasion.

The best example of this 'thou shall not pass' mantra came when Madla substitute Fredrik Osmundsen found himself with a clear shot at goal from close range, it seemed he would finally bring Madla level, but a last ditch block denied him, it was probably a goal saving challenge, and it typified the visitors effort all afternoon, it was as good as a goal in all honestly, and appreciated by his team mates and coaches, and the fans who had travelled from the other side of the city.

It just wasn't going to be Madla's afternoon in the now pouring rain, it was to be their first home defeat of the season in the league, and the first time they failed to score in a league match all season, against a side who had kept two clean sheets in the league all season, as I said before, it's a funny old game isn't it, but for all of Madla's woes today, Brodd deserved this for all the effort and desire they put in today, it was this that got them through the game and saw them pick up a huge three points.

Madla are still top of the table and have a two point cushion with four games to go, so it's still in their hands despite this result, for Brodd though it was a massive result, and it takes them seven points clear of that bottom three and to be honest probably keeps them in the division now, the celebrations I could hear in the changing rooms as I walked past afterwards certainly showed how much it meant to Brodd, and they knew how big a win this was too. Well played...

Full time Madla 0 Brodd 1

So, a shock at Madla Handelslag Stadion then, what else went on in the latest round in the division, let's find out.....

Friday 2nd October

Hinna 2 Staal Jorpeland 4

This was a six pointer in every sense of the word, both sides were locked together on 23 points with Hinna occupying the final relegation spot only on goal difference, so a win for either was massive, Brage Woie handed the visitors a 17th minute lead, but when the hosts saw Brede Fiksdal level just past the hour mark and Kristian Selmer hand them the lead right on half time, things looked good for the hosts.  But, Woie then levelled the contest up nine minutes into the second half before Ruben Maeland then handed them a 66th minute lead, and Woie then completed his hat tick with nine minutes to go to hand the visitors the win and take them three clear of the drop zone.

Saturday 3rd October

Akra 0 Mandalskameratene 4

Hosts Akra are in a dire situation in the division, bottom and eight points from safety heading into a game against a visiting side who were in second spot and Madla's nearest challengers to the title and promotion, well, it went the way most people anticipated.  Mathias Hagen's 21st minute goal had the visitors ahead at the break and they pulled away in the second period, doubling their lead through Alf Abrahamsen in the 54th minute before Joachim Andreassen made it three on the hour mark. And they sealed a thumping win when Hagen netted his second of the game with four minutes to go, cutting down Madla's lead at the top to just two points.

Vag 4 Varhaug 1

Hosts Vag are another team who needed points to try and get themselves further away from the bottom three, and they were taking on a Varhaug side who were in fifth and were not really in promotion contention, well, the hosts bigger need for points shone through in this one.  Christian Wahlstrom gave the hosts a 24th minute lead and then Salai Mahlaw doubled this lead three minutes later, Sondre Dvergsdal did pull one back early in the second half but Daniel Roppestad then restored the two goal cushion with just over twenty minutes remaining before Aleksander Kovac sealed the points with fifteen minutes to go.  Varhaug also ended the game with ten men after Noa Aarrestad was shown a late red card to cap a miserable afternoon for the visitors.

Vindbjart 1 Flekkeroy 2

Flekkeroy knew a win here and defeat for second placed Mandalskameratene would see the third placed side only a point behind and almost nearest challengers to leaders Madla, and also leapfrog their opponents in the process and stop them potentially going into second spot themselves.  A big match up then, and won by the vistors courtesy of two first half goals, Levi Eftevaag handing them a 12th minute lead, and Tobias Knutsen doubling that lead in the 25th minute, Noah Heggestad did pull one back late on but it wasn't enough to prevent Flekkeroy from taking a big win.

Sunday 4th October

Stabaek 2s 4 Haugesund 2s 1

The hosts were only four points above the drop zone, the visitors were in that drop zone and a point from safety, so a big game for both, but the occasion appeared to get to the visitors more as they found themselves three goals down in half an hour, Gottfrid Rapp netting in the 20th and 28th minute before Edvard Varvin-Kvamme added a third on the half hour.  The visitors did respond immediately to pull one back through Libo Seone, but an early second half goal from Richard Ferrington sealed a welcome three points for the hosts, taking them seven clear of the drop zone.

Monday 5th October

Odd 2s 3 Viking 2s 1

Hosts Odd certainly needed the points more, they came into this one after all the results this weekend only out of the bottom three on goal difference, they were up against a Viking side who were comfortable up in sixth place and with no real chance of going either way, so it was all on the hosts to get a result here. Casper Andersen gave them the ideal start by giving them a tenth minute lead but that lead was quickly snuffed out as Sondre Tveiten brought the visitors level four minutes later, Noah Akogyeram-Fjeldberg restored the hosts lead though just before the half hour mark to hand them a half time lead.  And Andersen netted his second with fifteen minutes to go to seal the win for the hosts, although it appeared a bad tempered end to the contest after nine yellow cards were shown in the final thirteen minutes, with seven of them in stoppage time & two of them to each bench, Odd won't care though as they pick up a very important win. 

Here is the updated table after Round 22 of the season.....

Madla lead the way with four games remaining but it's only a two point lead over a Mandelskameratene side they face on the penultimate round of the season, so that could be a title/promotion showdown, the teams a few points below them will hope the top two get end of season nerves otherwise it's unlikely they will be unable to catch them.

Down at the bottom Stabaek 2s, Brodd, Vag, Odd 2s & Staal Jorpeland all picked up vital wins to pull themselves further away from the drop zone, which for the sides currently in it and who all lost, this was the worst possible outcome. Akra are all but down now and could be relegated next weekend, Haugesund 2s & Hinna are both hoping for results and help from others above if they are to climb out of trouble.  

Four rounds left then, I am likely to be covering this league next weekend too, below are Round 23s fixtures.....

Friday 9th October

Flekkeroy Vs Odd 2s

Saturday 10th October

Varhaug Vs Madla

Brodd Vs Hinna

Staal Jorpeland Vs Vag (This is likely to be the game I will be attending)

Viking 2s Vs Vindbjart

Sunday 11th October

Mandalskameratene Vs Stabaek 2s

Monday 12th October

Haugesund 2s Vs Akra

That's all for now and my latest blog, hope you all enjoyed reading, and thanks for taking the time too, it's very much appreciated.

 

 

Norwegian 5.Divisjon Avdeling 2 (Tuesday 29th September - Saturday 3rd October) - Pol Tasta see off Jarl, Austratt put four past Mastra, there are also wins for Bogafjell & Staal Jorpeland 2s in the latest round of fixtures

Norwegian 5. divisjon avdeling 2, Tuesday 29th September - Saturday 3rd October

(Action from the very picturesque Iglemyr Gras as Austratt took on Mastra)

My latest round of games in Norway saw me take in three of the five contests taking place in one of the local (Rogaland) 5th Division leagues, that's the sixth tier in Norway, throughout this week (29th September to 3rd October), the sixth tier is split, like most of the other leagues in the country, into regions (there are several of them) and two of them are in the Rogaland region, with this being one of them.

And with the five games taking place across the week, it was possible for me to go and take in three of them, starting at the very local one to my mum, the Tananger Stadion, which is a short walk up the road, before moving onto Jarlabanen just outside Stavanger city centre on Thursday evening and then finally on Saturday heading to Iglemyr Gras just outside the city centre in Sandnes.

It meant taking in six sides as well, there is only eleven in the division so that's over half the league covered in a matter of days, and the only money paid to watch these was two bus fares which came to about fifteen quid in total as entrance to all the games is free of charge (in fact the only levels that charge an entrance fee in Norway are the top three divisions, and even some of the third tier don't charge, so marvellous stuff!!!).

Let's head to the action then, starting on Tuesday evening at The Tananger Stadion.....

Tuesday 29th September

Havorn Vs Sola 2s (Tananger Stadion)

Tananger side Havorn have, let's just say, had a rather difficult campaign, sixteen games played, sixteen losses, and zero points, already relegated with four games to go, with the only thing to play for now was pride and also trying to at least grab a point before the season was out.

On this evening they were welcoming Sola's 2nd team from the other side of the airport, a journey which takes around 10-15 minutes, to their Tananger Stadion home, the visitors sat in sixth spot ahead of this contest and realistically didn't have much to play for, they were well clear of the relegation play off spot, and also equally nine point off the promotion play off spot as well, so it was hard to see them going either way.

An away win was of course expected, but the two did play out a close contest back in may at the Sola Stadion which Sola 2s won 2-1 thanks to an 87th minute winner from Benjamin Munkvoid, could the hosts possibly go one better and grab their first point(s) of the campaign?

Well, sadly football was to take a back seat on this rather harrowing evening as it turned out, Havorn had actually played well and did not look like a side who had lost every game this season, but with the game locked at 0-0 in the 27th minute, football became irrelevant after the visiting keeper collapsed whilst about to take a goal kick, suffering a cardiac arrest.

And only the quick reactions of players, physios and the clubs saved him from losing his life, CPR was administered and the players formed a barrier around the stricken goal keeper, it was too much for me to watch I can tell you, but thankfully they brought him round but it had been a very harrowing experience for all.

The emergency services were their very quickly as well and he was soon put into an ambulance and taken away, all of this in around half an hour or him collapsing, so everyone involved must be applauded for acting so quickly and effectively, this is why you train for things like this and have the equipment on site for such moments, and thankfully their actions saved a man's life this evening.

It certainly puts everything into perspective for sure, football doesn't matter at a time like this, all that does matter is the guys health and that he makes a full recovery and is returned to his friends and family to continue life and hopefully sport as well, it certainly left me in shock and feeling numb, it's one of the worst things I have ever witnessed, and my thoughts and prayers go out to the keeper and also the club and everyone associated with him and them.

Havorn 0 Sola 2s 0 (match abandoned after 27 minutes due to medical emergency)

Later that evening I received news that the keeper was stable, awake and talking, and that my best wishes would passed onto him, it was just the news I was hoping for, so this ended the day on a positive note for sure!!! I hope and pray that he continues to recover and is soon returned to his loved ones.

(I did take some photos before the game was abandoned, so here they are)

   

I did feel after those events at Tananger Stadion on Tuesday evening that carrying on writing this blog not knowing if the keeper was ok or not was rather insensitive of me, but after hearing news that he was stable, it gave me the boost to carry on with this blog, so, onto Thursday now, and the game from Jarlabanen.....

Thursday 1st October

Jarl Vs Pol Tasta (Jarlabanen)  

Hosts Jarl were embroiled in a battle to stay out of the second bottom position, the relegation play off spot, and heading into this round of games were sandwiched in between two sides who had the same number of points as themselves, so slipping up at any point from now till the end of the season could be very costly indeed.

This would be a tough match though against a Pol Tasta side who were currently occupying second spot in the division and the one promotion play off place in the division, winning the league was probably out of the question as they trailed leaders Bogafjell by ten points, but they still needed wins to keep themselves ahead of teams below, third placed Stavanger were only below them on goal difference, and fourth placed Austratt were just three points back, so it was as tight for the promotion play off as it was for the relegation one.

Two sides then who needed the points for differing reasons, the corresponding fixture back in May at Pol Tasta's Stemmen Kunstgress ground saw the promotion chasing side win 2-0, so advantage to the visitors today? 

Well, the relegation threatened hosts certainly had the better of the opening forty five minutes, with most of the attacking threat coming through Aram Azad & Hamsa Ahmed, the former had half of their openings but just could not find the net as Jarl certainly gave the promotion chasing visitors plenty to ponder.

Pol Tasta's only real chance of the half was a good one, and saw skipper Nicolai Garder send a close range effort against the near post, but the visitors would have been the happier at the break not to be behind and still level, two more chances came and went for the hosts early in the second half but then were made to pay for these missed opportunities when they have away a penalty ten minutes into the second period.

And Jorgen Johansen kept his cool to slot the penalty into the far corner, sending the keeper the wrong way, and Pol Tasta had a lead they barely deserved, but, they had the lead, and thereafter seemed to gain more confidence, the chances certainly dried up for the hosts after that but they were always in the game, it had been a frustrating evening for Azad, and his evening ended on a rather sour note when he was dismissed late on for I think dissent, and it left Jarl a man light for the last ten minutes or so, not helping their cause to get something from the contest.

And in the 85th minute, Pol Tasts sealed the deal, after substitute Marius Gautason planted a header beyond the keeper and meant the visitors, who for half the game were the ones on the back foot, managed to dig in and come away with a very useful three points, and left Jarl still right in the mire in terms of the relegation play off zone.

You can see why both sides are where they are in the table, Jarl played very well but lacked a cutting edge, whereas Pol Tasta had to defend for a lot of the time, especially first half, but managed to score at key points in the game and find a way to win, that's the difference between success and failure most of the time, and Pol Tasta continue their quest to take that second spot and a chance of promotion.

Full time Jarl 0 Pol Tasta 2

There was one other game on Thursday evening so let's see briefly how that one went.....

Vaulen 1 Staal Jorpeland 2s 2

This game was between the two sides who were battling Jarl to stay out of that relegation play off zone, Vaulen were above Jarl on goal difference whilst Staal Jorpeland 2s were below Jarl on goal difference, so this game was certainly a six pointer. well, it was the visitors who held a slender advantage heading into the break courtesy of Aleksander Galka's goal eleven minutes before the break.

And that lead was duly doubled on the hour mark thanks to Leander Jakobsen, giving the visitors some breathing space, and although Vaulen did pull a goal back late on through Tobias Nielsen, it was too little too late for the hosts as Staal Jorpeland 2s held on for a huge win down at the bottom of the table. 

Right, before we look at the game I was at on Saturday, their was one game on Friday night.....

Friday 2nd October

Bogafjell 4 Stavanger 0

The home side were the league leaders and had a healthy seven point cushion heading into this Friday night encounter against a side who were trying to be the side to finish in the runners up spot behind them and grab the chance to gain promotion with them in the playoffs.

Stavanger stared the evening ten points behind tonight's opponents in third spot but more importantly only three back of second placed Pol Tasta (the side I saw win the night before) so if they could grab a win at the runaway leaders in this one, they would draw level once again with second spot, albeit below them due to their inferior goal difference, how ever that was going to be tough against a Bogafjell side who fourteen of their sixteen games this season.

And by half time the game was a good as done, the hosts roared out of the traps and were two goals up inside fifteen minutes, Elliot Larsen handing them a seventh minute lead before Pelle Hoie-Holgersen doubled their advantage after just thirteen minutes, and when Jonas Gausdal made it three nil nine minutes before half time, Stavanger were in damage limitation mode.

They did this to some extent but conceded a fourth with ten minutes remaining when William Langeland netted for the hosts, sealing a thumping 4-0 win and leaves Bogafjell needing just one more win from their final three games to win the title and automatic promotion to the next level.

And now onto the final game of the round, and the third of five that I went to see this week in the division as I headed down the road to Sandnes.....

Saturday 3rd October

Austratt Vs Mastra (Iglemyr Gras)

Sandnes side Austratt (who I did see earlier this season in April, blog here https://pedroslocalfootiefix.blogspot.com/2026/04/vaulen-1-austratt-3-second-half-goals.html) are one of the sides battling behind leaders Bogafjell for the runners up spot and a playoff promotion spot for a chance of going up to the next level, so I made my way over to the very picturesque Iglemyr Gras for a rare match on grass over here, grass that had been well watered by nature you could say, to see them host a side in the shape of Mastra who are at the other end of the table and only four points above the relegation play off spot.

The hosts came into this one in fourth spot, six points behind second placed Pol Tasta, so winning with pretty vital if they wanted to continue their chances of grabbing that second spot, especially as the sides above them would have a game in hand on them after this contest, although against a side who were three places below them and eleven points better off of, they should have fancied doing just that.

Mastra are the definition of inconsistent this campaign, six wins, a draw, and eight losses having scored and conceded the same amount (32 each) it's hard to know what Mastra will turn up, this is why they are looking down rather than up right now, but you would think one more win should see them far enough clear of the bottom two to breath slightly easier, but would that win come here today?

Well, it's worth noting that Austratt have lost three games in a row, one being at home, and that's half their losses for the whole season, so a late season wobble from the home side, but, they had won six in a row prior to that, however, another thing to note, Mastra were the last side to beat Austratt before that winning run, 2-1, at Rennesoy Footballbane back in May in the corresponding league fixture, after the then hosts came from behind to win, so today's game was certainly one that had the potential to go either way.

Well, the hosts certainly fired out of the blocks and were determined to end that losing streak and get back on track, and took the lead in the 11th minute when they carved open the Mastra back line and Jacob Aanonsen applied a neat finish beyond the keeper from an angle, and only four minutes later the hosts had doubled that lead, it was a lovely goal too, Mama Mohammed producing a wonderful flick into the path of Emil Vassbo who calmly slotted into far corner and Austratt were cruising.

You thought after this start the hosts would go on and totally dominate proceedings, but Mastra managed to settle after this slow start and were probably the better side for the rest of the first period, however they could not find a way back into the contest, that was until nine minutes after the break when they pulled a goal back, Mata Ueland played a ball across the box for Ola Nesheim to slam home, and you felt that momentum was all with the visitors and expected them to get something from this contest.

However, instead of Austratt getting edgy, conceding this goal actually galvanized them into action once again, and they had two great chances to restore their two goal cushion, with one of them an excellent move which saw the brilliant Vassbo played in down the right and his ball across was somehow struck wide by Mohammed, but twenty minutes into the second period they were handed another chance to grab a third goal, this after Andreas Svela was brought down inside the box.

And Aanonsen, who had also been very good in this contest, converted the resulting spot kick to restore the hosts two goal cushion, and pretty much snuff out any chance of the visitors mounting a comeback, and with ten minutes to go, they totally ended any hopes of a comeback when Austratt netted another beautiful goal with some more gorgeous football. 

Fredrik Garnes sent a lovely pass to pick out Mohammed, and his lovely back heal into the path of Dis Undheim saw the latter finish beautifully beyond the keeper, it was another assist for Mohammed and another classy one too, and Austratt were now cruising towards a much needed win.

They were ending the game how they began it, totally dominant, Mastra were right in the contest at one stage after the hosts wobbled a bit after such a good start, but once the visitors grabbed a goal back, Austratt never looked back, and got themselves right back on the promotion charge, as for Mastra, who did net late on but saw the flag go up for offside to deny them a second goal, are still nervously looking over their shoulders after this defeat.

Full time Austratt 4 Mastra 1

Let's see how the latest round of fixtures in the division affects the table.....

Bogafjell need just one more win to take the title and automatic promotion after their latest win, with the runners up spot and the promotion play off spot likely to be battled out between Pol Tasta, Austratt & Stavanger, with just three points between them heading into the last few games.

With Havorn down and confirmed as finishing bottom the second bottom position and the relegation play off is likely to be between four different clubs who are all separated by just four points, they are Mastra, Staal Jorpeland 2s, Jarl & Vaulen, it certainly proves to be a very stressful last few games for all of them!!!

Now talking of bottom side Havorn, who had lost every single game until this week, obviously had that abandoned game at home to Sola 2s for those terrible reasons mentioned earlier in something I do not ever wish to see again, but I suspect (I don't know this for certain though) that the 0-0 score line at the point where the game was abandoned in the 27th minute, will probably stand as why would either side want to come back and play again, especially after what happened and also because neither side have anything to play for, it does mean if that is the case Havorn will at least have a point, although not in the circumstances they'd of wished for obviously.

So, after a week that began in terrible circumstances at the Tananger Stadion, two more games were witnessed and both were good contests with some good football played, it's been fun in the main to cover it and I hope you all enjoyed sharing this experience with me by reading it, and thank you for taking the time too as well, it's always appreciated.

Finally, I wanted the last word to be for Sola FK and their 2s keeper who collapsed on Tuesday, and dedicate this blog to him and them, I am so glad the keeper's life was saved by the brilliant medics, and he is now stable, I was him all the best in his recovery and I wish the club the best going forward, it must have been a harrowing experience for them for sure.