Lindås-Långasjö FF 1-2 Nybro IF
Swedish regional division 4 (South-east Småland), tier 6
Saturday 14 June 2026, 13:00 kick-off
Långasjö Idrottsplats, Långasjö
Crowd:110
I've decided to ignore the World Cup for a number of reasons (FIFA's blatant corruption and hypocrisy, Trump and his hideous regime, exploitation of fans etc) and instead focus on watching local football which goes on regardless. Today it's another trip into the forests of Småland to another charming village, Långsjö (population 332). The football club here meged a few years ago with neighbouring Lindås and that explains the double-barrelled club name. This is quite a common phenomenon here as many small clubs realise that they cannot survive unless they join forces. The deal is usually that the new team's home matches are shared between the two clubs' grounds and today it was the turn of Långasjö to host a game. It's a good way for small clubs to survive.
Lindås-Långasjö have had a tough start to the season and sit at the bottom of the league with 6 points whilst the visitors, Nybro, are in fourth place with 18 points. I plan to visit Nybro next week so I won't write much about them here apart from the fact that they are a team that would prefer to be a couple of levels higher in the pyramid given their history and the size of the town.
For today's game the home team lined up in black and red whilst the visitors were in their usual red and white stripes.
The ground
A very tidy little ground surrounded by forest, as is so common round here. If you've read other posts in this blog you have probably got the idea by now. The entrance is on the west side with a pavillion including changing rooms, store room and even the local fire brigade/emergency services. There is a simple wooden stand and the substitute benches. At the north end there is a long wooden building with the kiosk and toilets. On the east side there are two simple uncovered wooden stands with room for maybe 20 people in each.
The official attendance came to 110 which is pretty common in the lower reaches of the pyramid and it often makes little difference if a club is in division 4 or division 6. Unusually they even had a match programme, or rather a team sheet, but at least you knew who was playing, often impossible at many games.
The match
An entertaining game with plenty of chances at both ends but Nybro just about deserved the win on the basis of their first half performance. The visitors started very positively and dominated most of the first half with skillful passing and very tricky wingers in Hilowie and Ndayabahika who were a constant threat to the home defence. They took the lead in the 11th minute after a corner from the left was shot home from close range by Lukas Quist. Two minutes later the lead was doubled after som neat passing and a blocked shot broke to Ndayabahika on the edge of the box and he made no mistake with his shot. It looked as if Nybro would score more as they lined up several good chances but somehow the hosts survived and slowly clawed their way back into the game.
The second half saw the home team go up a gear or two and put Nybro under pressure for long periods. The visitors were dangerous on the breakaway and could have added to their lead but the home defence stood firm. Then after 59 minutes a long ball found tall striker Felix Hellström and he beat his marker and shot past the diving keeper to reduce the deficit. Things got increasingly tense as the match wore on and the hosts were frustratingly close to equalising on several occasions. But the Nybro defence held out and Nybro took the three points to keep them in the promotion race. Frustration of course for Lindås-Långasjö would remain at the bottom of the league but there were many positives to build on, especially from their second half performance. Sharpness in front of goal is what is lacking at the moment.
Next week I plan to see Nybro at home, one of the nicest lower league grounds round here.
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