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LOCAL FOOTBALL

LÅNGHOLMEN

Långholmen FC and the teams to beat

With The Local's partnership football club Långholmen FC starting their league campaign this Wednesday, Keith Moore takes a look at who they will be facing in the 2009 Division 4 Central.

Långholmen FC and the teams to beat
Photo: Per Hägglund

The culturally diverse, English-speaking club have already made it through to the quarter-final of the cup and are unbeaten in pre-season.

“I’m certainly confident that we’ll have a better season than last year,” says Chris Latham, Långholmen’s head coach.

“We have stronger players and a better knowledge of playing at this level than at this time last year.”

“I think that we’ll finish in mid-table at least,” adds Latham.

Björn Dahlman, operator of Avspark Stockholm, a web site reporting on Divisions 4 and 5, comments that Division 4 central is “wide open, with a few teams, including Långholmen, in the running for the title.”

With eleven other teams competing with Långholmen, here we look at the likely candidates for advancement to Division 3 or the short slide down to Division 5.

Ängby

Relegated from division 3 last season, they will be an unknown quantity.

“They have lost a lot of players and will be very young,” says Dahlman, “it’s hard to know at this stage how they will do.”

Boo FF

An academy team for Allsvenskan side Djurgården and fifth placed finishers last season, the young team have high expectations.

“They are very exciting to watch, they’re young and have a lot of pace,” says Dahlman “they may just lack the strength and experience to win the division though.”

Bromstens IK

Promoted after finishing second in division 5 north, Bromsten start the division 4 campaign with a game away to Ekerö.

Dahlman comments that Bromsten will most likely struggle with the step up to division 4 and will spend the season fighting relegation.

Ekerö IK

Under new head coach Matthias Johnsson, Ekerö will be hoping for an improvement on last season’s mid-table finish.

“They will be candidates for promotion this season,” advises Dahlman. “Their player Jimmy Suhr is one of the best in the league.”

FC Krukan/Lo Scudetto

FCK/LS will be playing its first season together having merged two teams.

Långholmen coach Latham expects FCK/LS to be a difficult side to beat having put together the best of two teams.

Dahlman says: “it’s hard to tell how they will do, they have a lot of skill and experienced players but they don’t practice much so don’t have as much stamina as other teams.”

Järla IF

Promoted from division 5, Järla scored more than five goals in a game on seven occasions last season.

“They may not be physical enough to be at the top of the table,” adds Dahlman “but they scored lots of goals and have a lot of pace so will do OK.”

Mariebergs IK

Mid-table finishers last season, Marieberg had the division’s top scorer. They start the 2009 season with a game at home to Boo.

“Their starting 11 is good but the squad is too thin to make a serious challenge,” says Dahlman.

Olympiacos FC

Exciting Olympiacos finished just four points from the top of the table last season and are amongst the favourites again this time around.

Dahlman cites Claudio Pereyra as a player of real quality and one to watch.

Reymersholms IK

Formed in 1899, Reymersholm have more pedigree than any other team in the league and as such expectations will be high.

“I expect them to be in the top three this season,” says Dahlman “ they were relegated from division three the season before last. They are a big club.”

Skå IK

Skå were promoted to division 4 for the first time and will play under new head coach Björn Dahlman.

“None of our players have played at this level before,” comments Dahlman. “We need to get a good start or we might struggle to stay in the division.”

Stuvsta IF

Promoted to division 4 by default because of the FC Krukan/Lo Scudetto merger, Stuvsta finished third in division 5 south last season.

Dahlman expects Stuvsta, much like Bromsten, to struggle to stay in the division.

Långholmen FC kick off the 2009 season with a south side derby away to Reymersholms IK.

Venue: Zinkensdamms IP (Map)

Kick-off: Wednesday April 15th, 8.15pm

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FOOTBALL

Playing IFK Gothenburg a ‘dream come true’

Stockholm's international football club Långholmen lost their Swedish Cup draw against league superstars IFK Gothenburg on Monday night, in a fairytale opportunity the team captain called "a surreal dream come true".

Playing IFK Gothenburg a 'dream come true'

Almost 700 fans turned up in Stockholm to see the game, with the vast majority supporting the Stockholm side, however the raucous and non-stop cheers of the crowd were not enough to claim a victory for Långholmen, who lost 0-9.

CLICK HERE FOR A GALLERY OF PICTURES FROM THE MATCH

The Local chatted to club captain Andy O’Sullivan after the game about taking part in what many dubbed as football’s David and Goliath match of the year.

The Local: How would you describe the team’s mood after the game?

Andy O’Sullivan: It was celebratory, there was an overwhelming feeling of pride, and positivity about the future. We all went for a few beers and watched the report on SVT Fotbollskväll and it got a huge cheer! It was bizarre that Manchester United versus Everton was on one TV and Långholmen FC vs IFK Gothenburg was on the other!

The founding members of the club were all in attendance… and I think for them it is a rather surreal dream come true. To see what they have built over 10 years… from having a kick around in the park to playing a competitive match against Sweden’s most successful club IFK Gothenburg.

TL: What was the reaction to the huge turnout and all the international interest?

AO: The atmosphere at the game was electric. All the fans and friends of the club have been revelling in the wider press coverage. From The Guardian to the BBC, The Sun and the national radio, La Stampa in Italy and beyond – the feedback and response to our achievement have been universally positive.

It’s true that LFC has been mentioned as the antidote to the corporate commercially-driven Premiere League on offer. The romance around this game has captured the hearts of a lot of people. We have received well wishes from all across the globe, and I think the fans last night showed what a special club LFC is.

TL: What were the highlights of the match for you?

AO: The players worked so hard, and really gave it everything. Gothenburg came here to do a job and played their first eleven. They showed no mercy and punished us at the end of the game when we were tired. I think it is a credit to the Gothenburg players that they gave us a lot of respect and took the game seriously.

Speaking to Tobias Hysen after the game, he said that they enjoyed games like this too, a game with a real story behind it.

For us, Chris Allen did great in goal despite the score line, and the two centre-backs Andy Mclelland and Ciaron McCormack were outstanding. The whole defence stood up to immense pressure and the squad acquitted themselves very well. It was difficult to keep the ball and match the physical performance level of the Gothenburg players, but we had a little spell in the second half where we managed to keep the ball and maintain our shape.

TL: Was the final score an accurate reflection of the match?

AO: I think 0-9 is a harsh result. They scored in injury time in the first half and 3 goals in the final ten minutes of the game. Obviously the lads were exhausted and this just shows the level of fitness between the professional teams and the rest. They clinically punished our mistakes, and we have no complaints. But I thought 0-6 would have been a fairer score line… one goal for each league between us.

TL: What next for the club?

AO: Onwards and upwards. We have a league match on Thursday night as we fight to stay in Division 4. This is a local derby against FC Krukan, and a very important match. I hope as many fans come down to cheer us on again: Kick off 2000 @ Essinge IP.

Below: Watch as Långholmen fans keep the crowd entertained at the match behind the linesman’s back.

Oliver Gee

Follow Oliver on Twitter here

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