StabaekFotball

Finally – the Stabæk we know and love. A top effort and a will to win all duels on the field - and eventually the match. Fully deserved. 2 –1 does not accurately reflect the play on the field. The Blues could have scored both one or two more goals before referee Berntsen blew the final whistle. Mix, Johan and Jørgen all had chances to add to the tally, but an awake Opdal in the Brann goal prevented a further humiliation for the team from Bergen.

After having witnessed a rather tame version of Stabæk last weekend against Haugesund, the Blues stepped it up one notch against Rosenborg mid-week. They lost 2 – 0, but the game still represented an improvement on the Sundays performance. And against Brann the game was lifted yet another notch. Johan and Diogo were back in the starting line – up. Our Brazilian friend had to leave the pitch after 20 minutes, but he did in that time show that he will be a valuable contributor as the season progresses. Johan also had to leave the pitch 20 minutes before the end: “I have not been able to practice properly for the past three weeks, and not been able to play on grass to much before this match, so I got a cramp in my leg that forced me off the field after approximately 70 minutes. It is probably not serious, and it is the knee that has been troublesome, and it feels very good. We will have to see how it all feels tomorrow, but right now it feels better than expected. We win today because we are the better team. I felt that we had control during the match, even when they equalized. This was a match we wanted to win, and we fought our way to three points in a tough match. Brann is a very physical team, and we made the decision not to lose any duels today. I think we succeeded in this, and as I see it there was a visible difference between the two teams today. We could have scored more goals, we deserved the three points, and hopefully this represents a change in our fortunes. Today we play the way we ought to play, and it was great fun being on the pitch today”, smiles the young Swede.

Tor Marius Gromstad has not started many matches before the match against Brann, but as Skjønsberg is out with injury he has been given a chance – a chance he has taken very well care of. A tremendous effort and possibly man of the match for the young center back. Hardly a duel lost and he plays with confidence and authority – playing as a veteran. Tor Marius himself was quite pleased with his own performance: ” Yes, it felt good out there. Both for me to start the match, and that we as a team succeeded. We had made a decision today – we were going to win, and it showed in our whole attitude on the field. We planned to be aggressive and win the duels. I think we succeed in denying Huseklepp any room to run in behind our defensive line and he is not given many chances. For myself, it is probably my best match playing in Blue. I haven’t played that many matches, but I am quite happy with my performance today”, he says. Possibly good enough to become a regular starter?, we ask. “That is not up to me. I must take care of the opportunities I get and do my best, and then it is up to Janne to decide if I am good enough. I concentrate only on doing my best” concludes the defender.

Espen Hoff knows Ullevaal as well as the back of his hand, and he seemed to thrive on his own old home ground. First with a cannon into the upper right hand corner of the goal, and later with the assist to Bjarni’s header into the same corner spot. ”It felt incredibly good to win this match. We have struggled a little lately, but today I feel that the entire teams puts on a good performance. We win the duels on the pitch, are good up front and solid defensively. We win today because we are the better team, says Espen.

There has been a certain amount of turbulence around Janne Jönsson lately. Primarily as coach for a team that is supposed to play for medals and that have not performed as well as expected, and also due to speculations about his coaching future. “Yes, this was an important victory for us. We were intent on scoring the first goal this time. We have not been able to do that in the last ten matches we have played, so it was about time that we got noted first on the score card. We played well at the beginning of the season, but this was probably our best match thus far, after a couple of matches we have not been happy particularly with – first against Viking in Stavanger, where we appeared weak and indecisive. We did, at least, not concede any goal against Haugesund, and against Rosenborg we do manage to make an impression on the game, despite many injuries. But today there was a lot to be happy about. Both in the way we play and make a stand against a physically tough team, the back four were solid and we are becoming recognizable in our attack formation. We have another two or three chances where we have opportunity to add to our tally, but a 2 – 1 victory is very acceptable. It was important for us to turn the negative trend we have been in lately, and we show good moral, strength and a determination to win. We deserve to win, and there is much to be pleased about” says a relieved Stabæk coach.

The situation for Brann coach Steinar Nilsen is not enviable. As Stabæk, Brann has not performed as well as expected during the first third of the season, and they currently hold the 13th position in the league table. “It does not look good right now – no reason to deny that. We have to begin to win football matches, or we will remain at the bottom of the table” says he. Though there is no talk about relegation, Nilsen is willing to talk about the league table. “We can be relegated. We are not a team too good to be forced down one division. If we do not begin to win matches, as opposed to losing by one goal, we will have trouble as the season progresses. We play well at times, but we are unable to score during periods when we do dominate. We must find that hunger to win again. There will be a lot of “cup” matches for us going forward, and the Cup has not yet even begun”, concludes the Brann coach.

All Stabæk supporters, however, will have to hope that our men in Blue continue to play as they did today. With efforts like this it will be fun to be Stabæk supporter going forward - for there were many with me with broad smiles on their faces as we left Ullevaal on Sunday. This is the team we know and love.

And particularly encouraging – the Stabæk youths are beginning to make their mark on the game. Mix, Vegar, Jørgen, and not least Tor Marius played an important part in this victory.

The injury list is still long, but we hope that players will continue to come off the list ready to play. Our next match is against Strømsgodset, in Drammen, on the 16th of May. And Drammen is not further away than it is possible for all Blue supporters to make the trip to lift our players towards another victory.

Ticktets can be bought in StabækButikken. See you there!

Kampfakta: Stabæk - Brann 2-1

Photo: Johan Stub