Johansfors IF v Konga SK, Swedish regional division 6

 

Johansfors IF 3-2 Konga SK
Swedish regional division 6, tier 8
Saturday 26 September, 12:00 kick-off
Johansfors Idrottsplats, Johansfors
Crowd: officially 48 (I counted about 60)

As the local football season here draws to a close I visit another club at the very bottom of the league pyramid, Johansfors IF, who are propping up division 6 (Emmaboda area). The village of Johansfors has a population of about 400 and has been built around a glassworks and sawmill. Johansfors IF were founded in 1929 and have, like so many village teams, an important social function in the community with teams for boys and girls. They play in all-blue. The club's main claim to fame is that the three Elm brothers (Rasmus, Viktor and David) started their careers here. Swedish readers will know all about them as they all played a part in Kalmar FF's sensational Swedish championship win in 2008 and two of them, Rasmus and Viktor, also won many international caps. I spotted David in the crowd today! 

Konga is a similar sized village about 43 km away and built around an iron works and then a paper mill. Both industroes have gone now but there is still a factory for making pipes and robot welding. The football club was founded in 1933 and has played in the lower divisions since then. They play in red and white.

Both teams are marooned at the bottom of the league with Johansfors on 5 points from 19 games and Konga on 11 points. Today's game is the last of the season and since there is no relegation they will both hope for better times next year. 

The ground

A pleasant and tidy ground situated beside a campsite on the edge of the village. This area has plenty lakes and rivers and is quite popular for tourists in the summer. The entrance is on the south side and for a senior like me the admission was a mere 20 kronor (about £1.50 or €1.80). There is a clubhouse with kiosk and changing rooms on that side and even a covered area in case of rain. There are several benches for fans. As at many small grounds here there was a guy grilling sausages on a barbeque outside. Full marks to the kiosk staff for rustling up a up of tea for me despite that beverage not being on the menu. I also bought the attractive club club mug for a friend.

The north side has a long line of benches plus the wooden dugouts and beyond that a solar power plant. The west end has an old fashioned mechanical match clock and the east end is empty.

The game

This was a hard-fought and very enjoyable match and the hosts fully deserved getting their second win of the season with great jubilation and relief at the end. Johansfors is a proud little club and have seen much better times so finishing bottom will hurt, but closing the season with a win like this will give them hope for better days next year.

It was end-to-end action from the start and Konga's Jafari had a decent shot against the post in the opening minutes. Then the hosts took the lead after 8 minutes when a fairly weak shot from Truls Eriksson Jonsson somehow found its way into the net. They could have doubled the lead when defender Johansson made a fine solo run but couldn't finish. Konga replied in the 25th minute when a throw-in from the left was cleared as far as Nooh Meary on the edge of the box and his rather mis-hit shot looped into the net. Johansfors went back upfield determined to regain their lead and did so with a goal from Monir Jafari, scrambled home after a corner from the left. At the break the hosts were well worth their lead.

Konga came out determined to get another equaliser and it came through a lovely header by the tall defender Kevin Ljungberg from a corner on the left. The hosts pushed yet again for the lead and tough forward Oscar Ahlström should have scored when he battled free of the defenders and rounded the keeper only to miss the open goal. As the game progressed things got more tense and tackles got tougher. in the 67th minute Johansfors' Melvin Linnér got a straight red card after bringing down a Konga player who was almost through on goal. 

Despite playing with 10 men Johansfors really wanted to win this one and they got their reward when a through ball found Milo Östgran who rounded the Konga keeper and slotted home what proved to be the winner. The visitors went all-out for an equaliser and things got rather intense. Konga's Nooh Meary was sent off just before the end for dissent and in added time the Konga keeper went up as an extra attacker but to no avail. Home keeper Randewall made some good saves and the hosts held on for the three points. The relief at the end was enormous and the team came off the field to a cheering home crowd.

IFK Kalmar v Hovshaga AIF, Swedish women's division 2

 

IFK Kalmar 2-0 Hovshaga AIF
Swedish women's division 2, South-east Götaland (Tier 4)
Saturday 19 September 2026, 13:00 kick-off
Gröndals idrottsplats, Kalmar
Crowd: 52 (plus 2 big dogs)

IFK Kalmar was founded in 1970 and since 2005 it has only fielded womern's and girls' teams. I've seen them before but haven't taken photos or written about them so today is a good chance to change that. They play at a lovely ground on the north side of town as I hope my photos demonstrate.

The club has had a dramatic rise and fall in recent years. Only 3 years ago they were relegated from the top league and have since slithered down to the regional division 2 in the fourth tier of the national pyramid. In 2023 they were close to bankrupcy with debts of 1.8 million SEK and dreams of grandeur collapsed as they were relegated and sold most of their players. They eventually avoided going bust with contributions from the council and supporters but have been forced to start over with hopefully more realistic ambitions and finances. 

Today they have a secure position in the middle of the league well out of relegation danger but too far from the top teams. Their current form is not great with one win and a draw from their last five matches. They play in dark blue kits.

Today's opponents, Hovshaga AIF come from Växjö and are almost certain to be relegated unless they win all their three remaining matches and other teams lose all theirs. Hovshaga were founded in 1986 and have both men's and women's teams as well as several other sports. They also play in all-blue but today turned out in their away kit of white tops and blue shorts.

The ground

An attractive ground that only a few years ago hosted matches in the top flight of Swedish women's football. The entrance is in the south-east corner and today consists of a simple table with the QR-code for mobile payments (50 kronor). Outside the kiosk was a barbeque for the hot dogs and burgers. The north side has a large clubhouse with changing rooms and kiosk all painted appropriately in blue and white. The team benches are also on this side. Behind the east end is a large sports complex and home to the town's tennis club. The south side features two open wooden stands with five rows of plastic bucket seats that are in need of a serious clean-up with a power hose. I wouldn't recommend sitting here if you're wearing your best white disco trousers. The ground has floodlights.

The game

The dogs gaze longingly towards the barbeque

A lunchtime kick-off on a dull and overcast autumn day. IFK Kalmar deserved to win this rather scrappy game with few serious chances. The hosts looked sharper in the first 15 minutes or so but neither team could string many passes together or hold possession for long. The only chance of note was when Kalmar's nippy forward Alma Muharemovic broke through but she was forced wide by the keeper. 

Kalmar took the lead after 19 minutes. A corner was headed clear but only as far as midfielder Selma Ström who hit a looping shot from the edge of the box into the net. It wasn't particularly hard and she looked rather surprised that it went in but they all count. The rest of the half was fairly uneventful and neither keeper was troubled so the hosts went in at half time with a narrow lead.

The second half continued in the same vein and play confined to the midfield. Then after 54 minutes Alma Muharemovic scored with a lobbed shot from outside the boz and over the keeper for 2-0 and that really wrapped the game up. The visitors fought well but when they did get a chance the ball flew harmlessly past the post or over the bar. The hosts could have extended their lead on a couple of occasions. Silje Jörgensen forced a good save from Hovshaga keeper Björnfot and a few minutes later a free kick from Ström was tipped over the bar. In the dying moments of the game the visitors had their best chance of the game when a free kick from captain Ebba Nilsson hit the underside of the bar.

Not the best game I've seen this season but there was no lack of effort from the girls. Tomorrow I'll go and watch Kalmar FF again but they've already been covered twice here so I'll leave my notebook behind.

Alstermo IF v IFK Borgholm, Swedish regional division 4

 

Alstermo IF 1-2 IFK Borgholm
Swedish regional division 4, tier 6
Saturday 12 September 2026, 13:00 kick-off
Amokabel Arena, Alstermo
Crowd: 57

Alstermo is a village surrounded by forest with a population of around 850. It was built up around a paper mill and today is the home of Amokabel a company that makes electric cables.  the football club, Alstermo IF, was founded in 1927 and has several sections for football, skiing, orienteering, gymnastics and tennis. They have played a few seasons in division 3 but no major honours to speak of. The village's sporting interest is centred however on their successful handball club, Amo HK, who play in the second highest league in the country and usually fill the hall for home matches (handball is a very popular sport here in Sweden).

I saw Borgholm, from the island of Öland, only a few weeks ago and they looked impressive that day beating Kalmar Södra 5-1, see my report from that match.

Alstermo are currently adrift at the bottom of the league with 12 points from 18 games and need a lot of luck to avoid going down. Borgholm occupy a mid-table position but are only four points away from a play-off place so they still have a lot to play for. Alstermo play in white and red kits whilst Borgholm play in all-blue.

The ground

The Amokabel Arena as it is so grandly named is situated on the edge of the village. You enter on the east side usually by mobile payment or cash (60 SEK for seniors, 70 SEK for adults). On the left is the wooden clubhouse, kiosk and changing rooms and on the right is the main east side of the ground with an open wooden stand where most of the small crowd sat. There's also a two-storey wooden building with a scoreboard. The west side has some benches, the dugouts and electronic scoreboard. There's a white perimeter fence around the pitch but few other facilities.

One nice feature was that the kiosk offered free coffee and biscuits to us all and you could also get hotdogs and soft drinks at a reasonable price. A nice gesture. Last time I was here they had a catering wagon with street food and I was rather hoping to see it again but sadly no. But the half time coffee was fine.

The hotdog grill

The game

This was an enjoyable tight encounter and Borgholm came away with a narrow win and may well have condemned Alstermo to division 5 next year. They are now 7 points adrift with three games to play. The win puts Borgholm into the battle for a play-off place to division 3.

The first 20 minutes were relatively uneventful with the teams sizing each other up but no clearcut chances to note. After 20 minutes Borgholm came close with a nice free kick that went straight into the keeper's arms. But then a minute later the guests had better luck when  Jacob Petersson beat the home keeper to the ball and flicked it over his head into the net. Alstermo went for an equaliser and it came only three minutes later. Kujtim Shkreta passed into the box to an unmarked Isak Bonillo Abrahamsson who shot past the keeper. The visitors then pressed to regain their lead and came close on a number of occasions. Emanuel Thorsen had a shot against the bar and then after 37 minutes he scored what proved to be the winner with a hard shot from outside the box.

After the break Alstermo pressed for a leveler and although they showed great effort and some nice build-up work they couldn't penetrate the solid Borgholm defence. Midfielder Kujtim Shkreta and defender Giga Chkheidze were particularly active with strong runs and good passing but the points eluded the home team today and I suspect that this has been the theme of their season. They deserved a draw here and the disappointment was clear at the end.

Lessebo GoIF v Värnamo Södra FF, Swedish regional division 4

 

Lessebo GoIF 3-1 Värnamo Södra FF
Swedish regional division 4, tier 6
Sunday 5 September, 13:00 kick-off
Lessebo Idrottsplats, Lessebo
Crowd: Officially 45 but I counted about 70 plus two dogs (one large and one small)

From the tifos, passion and intensity of last weekend's matches I return to a quieter setting deep in the forests of Småland and a first visit to Lessebo GoIF. I know the place and area very well having hiked a lot round here but have not seen a match here, until now! Lessebo is a small town built around a paper mill and for many years was instantly recognisable by the distinct smell coming from the aforementioned industry. No smell these days but the paper mill is still the hub of the town. The population today is just under 3,000.

Lessebo GoIF was founded in 1925 and play in yellow and black. Back in the thirties they played a couple of seasons in the second tier of Swedish football but since then they have played in the lower tiers.

Värnamo Södra were founded in 1949 and have lived in the shadow of the town's main club IFK Värnamo who were relegated last season from the Allsvenskan (see previous post about Landskrona v IFK Värnamo, June 2026). They have played a few derbies in the lower leagues over the years. They play in all-red but today were in their white away kit.

Lessebo are in the relegation play-off place with 15 points from 17 matches and only two points from their last five matches. Värnamo Södra are mid-table with 19 points with a couple of convincing wins behind them but are still a long way behind the promotion places.

The ground

This is a lovely old ground and the focal point is a fine wooden stand that I suspect was built in the 1950s. The entrance gate is also a throwback from grander days with two old iron turnstiles still in place but unused in these days of mobile payments. The good people of Lessebo did not turn up in numbers today which is sad considering that it was a fine early autumn afternoon for football.

At the entrance end (north) there is a kiosk selling the usual selection and a guy was busy grilling sausages and burgers to order just beside the kiosk. There's also the electronic scoreboard and today there was even a gazebo tent for the local social-democratic party to engage in canvasing for the general election next week.The east side is crowned by the vintage stand nicely painted in club colours and housing the changing rooms. The west side has the fine wooden yellow and white team benches and space for people to stand. The south end has a high fence to catch wild shots and behind that is a fairly new artificial pitch used no doubt for training and early season matches when the grass pitch is unplayable. There's an old green metal fence around the field but no floodlights.

The game

Lessebo got three much needed points in a close match that was entertaining all the way. I sat in the stand most of the time but it was almost empty except for about 20 lads who sat at the back and cheered their mates in the team when they did something good. 

Värnamo looked good at the start and a hard shot from Lindberg was well saved by home keeper Christoffer Ahl who had a good game. Then after only 8 minutes the hosts took the lead when a fine shot from the edge of the box by Rasmus Holmström flew into the net. There was action at both ends with the visitors coming close again with a shot from Oliver Issal scraping the bar and just before the break the home defence had two extremely narrow escapes. First Kerim Musa shot from close in and the ball hit the post and rolled along the line before being cleared by a defender. Then a minute later Paukovic missed from close range and so the teams went in at the break with the hosts leading 1-0.

Värnamo Södra pressed for an equaliser directly after the break and got their reward when Jesper Claesson headed home a corner from the right. But the lead didn't last long. Lessebo got a free kick to the left of the box and defender Rasmus Dahlman blasted the ball into the far corner of the goal. A lovely goal and I managed to get a photo of it too. Dahlman played a good game otherwise and looked solid in defence.

2-1 to Lessebo

The game flowed from end to end after that and there was always a threat that the guests would get another equaliser but the deal was sealed four minutes from time when Khuluf broke free on the right and passed into the centre of the box where Mio Vuckovic slotted home Lessebo's third. Värnamo tried to push at the end but with no result and right at the end Kerim Musa got his marching orders, I think for dissent and maybe something else.

Relief for Lessebo and this gives them a bit of breathing space at the bottom. A good afternoon for me and another ground to put on my map.

IK Sirius v Malmö FF, Swedish Allsvenskan

 

IK Sirius 0-1 Malmö FF
Swedish Allsvenskan, tier 1
Monday 31 August, 19:00 kick-off
Studenternas Idrottsplats, Uppsala
Crowd: 9,672

Sirius from the historical university city of Uppsala have suddenly found fame as the runaway leaders in the Swedish top league. Until a few weeks ago they had a lead of 13 points over their nearest challengers and looked like certain champions. Then they sold their star Scottish striker Robbie Ure to Sevilla and have since collapsed to three defeats on the trot and suddenly the lead is down to six. The hardest defeat was away to last year's shock champions Mjällby. Sirius conceded a three goal lead to lose 4-3 and now the flair and style has vanished. Today's game was massive as they tried to regain their confidence and push on to the finish line.

Sirius was founded in 1907 and has spent most of its history in the lower leagues, mostly tier 3 and below. However, the club has blossomed in recent years gaining promotion to Allsvenskan in 2017 and slowly moving towards today's dizzy heights thanks to shrewd scouting, youth work and good management. A major boost for the club was the rebuilt stadium that was completed in 2020. As they have established themselves in the top flight the crowds have grown and the support has become increasingly vociferous. They play in Inter-style black and blue stripes.

Visitors Malmö FF have had a very mixed season and occupy a mid-table position. They have lost a lot of players in the past year or so and a new generation is still finding its feet. Rebuilding takes time even for the richest club in the country.

The ground

This is one of the nicest modern grounds in the country; modern but with character. Most fans approach it through a lovely park beside the river, Fyrisån, The contrast to the area around the Strawberry Arena that I visited yesterday is dramatic - from a concrete jungle to leafy riverside paths.Outside the ground there were plenty of fun things for children and adults and even a dancefloor where couples were jiving, not a common sight at football matches! I doubt that the dancers moved on to the match however. In three of the corners there are restaurants with good views of the ground but also out into the beautiful park beside the river. 

Inside it is a tight stadium with fans close to the action. Today's match was sold out and the atmosphere was excellent with a sizeable away support adding to the volume. The main west stand is impressive with two tiers of seating for theseason ticket holders, guests, corporate hospitality, media and suchlike. The rest of the ground is mainly wooden and has a modern but intimate atmosphere. Everyone is under cover. The east stand is all seating whilst the two ends are mostly terracing with the home support in the north end and the away fans in the south stand. As the home support has grown some of the south stand has been allotted to home supportersand this evening the away fans were given the south-west corner. During the game both sets of fans unfurled banners complaining about how midweek matches are tough on travelling fans. As in most top leagues these days the TV companies want fixtures spread out over the weekend and if you are a dedicated fan a round trip of over 1,000 km is a tough call on a working day.

A stadium well worth visiting though the catering was sadly very predictable (see many of my previous posts from the Swedish top leagues).

The game

Highlights video:

Despite the vociferous support and plenty of effort Sirius just couldn't break their losing streak and the title race could well go all the way to the final day of the season. Luckily nearest challengers Hammarby also lost so the gap at the top is still six points but Sirius will need regain their confidence very soon if they are going to win their first ever league title. It's a fairly common phenomenon in sport where a team or player suddenly gets an attack of self-doubt and starts losing games they would have won a few weeks previously. There's no lack of effort and skill but today they lacked the finishing touch in front of goal.

It was an intense and tough match with play moving rapidly from end to end and both sides well aware that these three points would mean so much. There were few clear chances and both keepers dealt with whatever came at them. Malmö's new defender Stian Gregersen was resolute at the back, blocking a shot from Sirius striker Bjerkebo plus many effective tackles and headers. Just before the break came what proved to be the winning goal when Malmö's Diego Garcia headed home from a fine cross by Lundbergh. That stunned the home crowd as they headed for the half-time break.

The second half saw Sirius putting on the pressure as they battled for an equaliser. Again they came agonisingly close but Swedish international keeper Robin Olsen was in good form and saved several dangerous chances. The hosts made several changes as the match wore on and one of them, Zalán Vancsa, a new signing, looked like a very wise acquisition. He reignited the home offense with smart position play and dribbling runs towards the box. Midfield dynamo Heier also worked hard but sadly the breakthrough never came. When the final whistle came many of the home players slumped to the ground in disappointment and no doubt some frustration.

It would be a major tragedy if this fairytale campaign crashlanded but Sirius will need wise coaching to put this losing streak behind them and get back on track. I'll be rooting for them from afar.