Saturday 19th May 2012 ko 16.00

Division 1 Södra

SKÖVDE AIK 2 (L Johansson 3 8) L Johansson sent off 74 (2nd Booking)

QVIDING F.I.F. 1 (Mukiibi 90)

Att 381

Entry 60sek +20sek transfer

Programme FREE

With a leisurely start to the day in Stockholm, it was a simple enough task to collect our hire car from close to the soon-to-be closing Råsunda stadium and head around 250 miles south-west to the town of Skövde, in Västra Götaland. Unusually the town is built on a grid system, a reflection on the almost total destruction of the settlement by fire in 1759. St Helena was apparently from here. Nowadays the area is best known for the production of Volvo engines, and two units of the Swedish army.

By the way the two sides are pronounced Shurv-der, and Kur-vee-ding.

The Södermalms Idrottsplats reflects the club’s status as a division 1 club. The multisport element is still in evidence, there’s a running track after all, but the Idrottshallen (Sports Hall) is over the road, with the Ice Rink beyond that. This is very much a football ground foremost, and there’s a 3G pitch with underlying heating for those sub-zero pre-season friendlies, behind the main stand.

I can see the main pitch being converted to artificial turf too, as the current grass main pitch looked bumpy. It didn’t worry the hosts though as they raced into a 2-goal lead, with 8 minutes. Both times it was Linus Johansson applying a clinical finish, firstly at the end of a 3 man, one-touch passing move through the right of midfield, then a beautifully executed diagonal ball from Bilos Yonakhir on the left completely threw Qviding’s offside but Johansson still had plenty to do to fire into the bottom left hand corner, from an acute angle on the right.

The press box immediately commented that that “That’s the man of the match award sewn up!” I commented that was unless he got sent off! As it transpired we were all correct! As Qviding subsituted to tighten up a leaky defence, the tackles went flying in from both teams, and it just so happened that Linus was responsible for two of them!

Qviding looked short of ideas, their only real chance of the first half came from Alex Vrebac whose powerful shot from 20 yards out hit the crossbar, before Mårten Gustafsson’s shot was scuffed wide when clean through for Skövde.

The second half saw Qviding tighten up still further in defence, but Skövde still found ways through.  A corner routine saw Gustav Karlsson’s shot acrobatically saved, before Skövde had a decent shout for a penalty turned down after Filip Andersson was brought down in the box. In fact it was a surprise that Qviding did score, Ronald Mukiibi nodding in at the back post following a free kick from the right. It was so deep into injury time though, that it was a irrelevance. It was a pleasing game, and a really friendly club but I was surprised that they had no merchandise at all. After the game they rooted through the office but couldn’t find even a pennant to sell me!