Kosta IF v Kalmar City BK, Swedish regional division 3

 

Kosta IF 4-0 Kalmar City BK
Swedish regional division 3, tier 5
Sunday 4 October 2026, 14:00 kick-off
Ekevallen, Kosta
Crowd: about 100

Another new local ground for me and a match between the two clubs at either end of the league. Both have had incredible success in the last few years rising rapidly through the league system even if Kalmar City seem to have hit a wall and are relegated to division 4 next season.

Kosta IF are a village team that has won four promotions in a row to go from the lowest level (division 6) to division 2 next year and on the way broke the Swedish men's record for unbeaten games - an incredible streak of 63 matches. The village of Kosta has a population of just over 800 and its main claim to fame has been the glassworks that produces superb artistic glass creations as well as everyday objects. However the village has been transformed in recent years since billionaire Torsten Jansson bought the glassworks, built an exclusive hotel and shopping centre and is now investing in the football club, aiming to take them into the upper echelons of the league system. The club, which previously lead a quiet life in the lowest divisions has been catapulted into the limelight and show no signs of slowing down. Players with merits from the top divisions have been recruited and they have simply outclassed all opposition for the past 5 years, though this season they actually lost two matches.  There are plenty of examples from around the world of this type of development and the bubble usually bursts after a few years. Let's see how things go for Kosta in the next few years. They play in black and amber striped kits. Curiously I can't find their website despite numerous searches.

Kalmar City are a new team, formed in 2016, and have also climbed quickly up the leagues. However, in contrast to Kosta, they have found division 3 a step too far and are already relegated with only 6 points from 19 games. They play in sky blue and white, possibly inspired by a rather bigger club also called City.

Today's game is the last of the season and there is nothing to play for. Kosta were crowned champions last week and Kalmar City have been doomed to relegation for several weeks now. However, the home team will celebrate their league win today and should win easily.

The ground

This is still really a typical village ground though the pitch is beautifully kept and they have new floodlights. There are plans to develop the ground into one with a capacity of about 2,500, anticipating a further rise up the league system but that is not in place yet. However, they have attracted several top clubs to have training camps there and earlier in the summer hosted a friendly between Swedish champions Mjällby and Halmstad.

Today however the spectator facilities are pretty basic. The north side has a grassy bank and a fine little wooden clubhouse at the top. There's also a wooden kiosk selling the usual hotdogs etc. There are only four benches to sit on and most spectators seem to bring their own chairs, otherwise they stand. The opposite side has the substitute benches and nothing else. Behind it a new training pitch is being prepared, also with floodlights. The dressing rooms are quite far away from the pitch at the west end of the ground.

The match

It was a beautiful autumn afternoon though distinctly chilly when the sun went behind a cloud. As expected Kosta ran out comfortable winners, but it took into the second half before the goals started coming and Kalmar City were no easy opponents despite their lowly league placing. 

Kosta had most of the possession and passed the ball around with great confidence but didn't really create many serious chances in fromt of goal in the first half. Crosses from the left were the most common route forward but the Kalmar defenders dealt easily with the threat. There were several good shots on goal with Jesper Andreasson and Melvin Lockby creating the chances. Just before half time a cross from the right found Vllasalija at the far post but he hit the side-netting. The visitors had a few counter attacks but didn't threaten the home goal. 0-0 at half time.

The hosts continued to dominate after the break and a goal looked inevitable. After 60 minutes a through ball found Butrint Vllasalija and he ran past a defender before slotting the ball past the onrushing keeper to put Kosta into the lead. Five minutes later they doubled the lead when an unmarked Oskar Bolin volleyed in a cross from the left. The visitors kept plugging away and had a few promising counter attacks but they didn't lead to any serious chances and they didn't have a single shot on goal. The points were all wrapped up but Kosta managed to score two more before the end. After 76 minutes a perfect cross from Vllasalija found the head of Nedanovski for 3-0 and a few minutes from the final whistle Darmin Sobo scored the fourth with a speculative shot that found its way past the keeper.