Saturday 15th June 2024 ko 13:15

Division 3 Södra Svealand

BOO FF 5 (Hellström 31 Tsilicheistos 45+4 Medew 53 58 Nilsson 69)

FC BRANDBERGEN 3 (Katourgi 9 24 36)

Att 79 at Boovallen

Free Entry

The Swedish Hop’s cost of £320 included bed and breakfast for two nights, all transport in Sweden, together with entry fees for all games, and a goodie bag!

From our close-to unplanned trip to northern Stockholm we picked our way back through the capital’s tunnels towards Kim Hedwall’s planned base for the hop, Nacka and Saltsjöbaden- we even passed within sight of our hotel in Hammarby Sjöstad along the way. You could see Kim’s motivation, the area is idyllic, so he knew he’d be showing off his country in the best possible light.

The small town of Boo is so close to its larger neighbour Saltsjöbaden it’s sometimes referred to as Saltsjö-Boo. The prefix Saltsjö refers to the Salt Sea baths which gave the area its prosperity as a spa town. That said I didn’t see anything during our stay there that referenced the longer name, and to English tongues Boo will always raise a smile, even more so when I discovered a teddy bear for sale in the club shop. Would two of them make a Boo-Boo Bear, and if so, where would be Yogi?

If dear reader you’re new to Swedish football, then Jellystone, sorry Boovallen is as perfect an example as you’ll ever see of the quintessential small town football ground. There’s the ice hall, the pretty as a picture clubhouse, and would you believe a dog agility training course at one corner! The backdrop though is what makes Boovallen what it is with the red painted wooden houses and the area lined with trees. You really couldn’t have imagined a more pleasant place to spend an afternoon.

If Boo is quietly affluent then Brandbergen is the contrast. Translating as “Burning Mountain” the district of Haninge to the south of Stockholm comes with a troubled reputation, including riots in 2013. The area has seen a significant level of inward migration and it is to the great credit the clubs like FC Brandbergen have, and are providing help to the young people of the area. Kim and I visited the area for the other ground in the area, Torvalla IP and I can vouch for two things, the sense of community, and that the kebabs were superb! And on reflection the area is where legendary Swedish Hop coach driver Thomas hails from so there can’t be much wrong with the place can there?

We were served up our second wonderful game in less than 24 hours too. Bachir Katourgi’s two goals looked like the start of Brandbergen steamrollering their hosts, but my the time he’d completed his hat trick Boo had found their feet via Bob Hellström’s reply and with hindsight Minos Tsilichristos’ goal in first half stoppage time was pivotal.

Because Brandbergen failed to score again, William Medew’s brace won the game for Boo, with Adam Nilsson applying the coup de grace. It was breathless stuff, over and above the warm weather, and certainly one of those afternoons where everything was right with the world.