Sunday 27th May 2012 ko 14.00

Division 3 Södra Svealand

IFK HANINGE/BRANDBERGEN 3 (Ljobdje 10 87 Gonzalez 58)

IFK ESKILSTUNA 1 (Alias 6)

Att 171 (h/c)

Entry 50sek

No programme

Burger 35sek

Can Coke Zero 10sek

With the car back at the hire company, and Kim and I back in Stockholm, the plan was two games at nearby Skytteholms. Trouble is, I’ve watched games on Skytteholms before, and fine facility though it is, I fancied something new. So, Kim studied the internet and I spent 115sek on a one-day pass on Stockholm’s buses and trains, and away we went.

Torvalla IP is easily found from Handen rail station, in the southern suburbs of Stockholm. This is isn’t blond hair and blue eyed Sweden either, this is an area that’s seen significant Turkish immigration over the years. What that meant in my terms was an excellent barbeque and some interesting names to jot down. This season has seen Haninge absorb local side Brandbergen, which translates as Burning Mountain. That gave the club a place in Division 3 but there seemed to be little other reference to the second name elsewhere.

What the team did have at Torvalla is a choice of pitches. There’s a grass pitch within a running track, but this time the somewhat worn 3G pitch was used. I’d seen Eskilstuna before, a year previously at their Tunavallen home, and they’d looked a decent team. That encounter will always be the time I had a press pass for a free entry game!!

On this occasion Eskilstuna were second best to an extremely solid home side. It didn’t stop the visitors taking the lead, with Henrik Rodriguez crossing from the left and Gabriel Alias heading in from a yard or two out. And that was more or less it from the visitors save for the odd flurry. Put simply Haninge shut them down, and soon found parity as Dario Ljobdje headed powerfully home from Alexis Gonzalez’ corner from the right. Gonzalez scored the second himself, running on to a neat layoff from Stankovic to shoot past Richard Larsson in the visitors’ goal.

Larsson was the best player on show, and may well be one to watch. He’s formerly of Eskilstuna City of Division 1 Södra but opted to drop down to fellow Tunavallen tenants IFK. He’s impressing many so expect a move up soon.

He could do nothing with the winner either, and facsimile of the opener. Again the Gonzalez corner from the left and again the Ljobdje header powered in. So worthy winners, but this was neither a game nor a performance to savour.

Perhaps the real bonus was that Thomas, the coach driver of the Swedish hop came down to see us. He’s no football fan, but enjoys ferrying us around for some reason. Its was lovely to catch up and I put in for a coach with a jacuzzi for this year’s hop!