This is it, folks. We’re coming to the end of the 2021 season, and this looks like being the year in which Marit Enstad and Lyn 1896 finally make it out of the 2. divisjon!
Lyn enter the end-of-year run-in standing top of the table. You can read about their most recent results here to get yourself caught up before the big finale.
When you’re ready, read on to see if Marit’s men can get the job done – and book their place in the 1. divisjon for next season.
THE RUN-IN
Hei, det er Marit, and I’m quite excited about what could happen over the next few weeks!
As you can see, we’re eight points clear at the top of the Avdeling 1 table, with just four matches left to play. Indeed, because our goal difference is so high, we basically only need four more points to secure the title – and automatic promotion to the 1. divisjon.
We can’t rest on our laurels yet, though. All the other teams in the top half have at least a mathematical chance of beating us to the championship. Five of them – Raufoss, Eidsvold Turn, Asker, Lørenskog and Strømmen – are in contention for automatic promotion but can still aim for the play-offs if they fail. Don’t forget that 5th-placed Rosenborg 2 cannot go up beyond this level [hence their absence from the screenshot above].
Our run-in begins with a couple of away matches. The first of them is against Lørenskog, who are in exceptional form and have perhaps the easiest run-in of the chasing pack. We will then travel to Rosenborg 2, whose attacking threat cannot be taken lightly.
If we haven’t secured promotion by then, we will have two more chances back home at the Bislett. Our final visitors in the regular season will be Stjørdals-Blink and Hønefoss, both of whom are fighting to stay in the 2. divisjon.
Hønefoss pipped us to a play-off place in the final minutes of the 2019 season, but can they break our hearts again? One thing’s certain: we don’t want to give them even a chance of doing that.
LØRENSKOG vs LYN 1896 (2. divisjon, Avdeling 1 – Match 23)
First up for us was probably the toughest match of our run-in. Lørenskog were the division’s form horses, and they burst out of the gates as they went looking for a seventh straight victory.
Riki Alba had Lørenskog’s first attempt on goal after two minutes, narrowly missing the target. The hosts’ next shot on target – in the 26th minute – was more successful. Jonas Jacobsen’s right-wing cross was nodded out of the Lyn box by Eirik Bækkelund, only for flame-haired midfielder Kristian Bjørseth to fire in an unstoppable half-volley.
Bækkelund made another costly mistake 11 minutes later to gift Lørenskog a second goal. That time, he could only nod a Joakim Nilsen cross as far as winger Adrian Fritzøe Östman, whose strike left us with a mountain to climb.
The home team continued to run the show in the second half, with centre-back Vetle Kristoffer Rygh having three chances to increase their lead to 3-0. If it hadn’t been for some brave goalkeeping from Alexander Vangen, the game would surely have been all over…
…but come the 79th minute, it certainly wasn’t! Barely a minute after Kot Chol Tafesse set up a maiden Lyn goal for substitute Gaute Høberg Vetti, a massive defensive calamity gifted us an equaliser! Lørenskog left-back Dadi Dodou Gaye cut out a cross from his counterpart Nikolas Walstad and tried to square the ball to Rygh. Much to Rygh’s horror, Gaye overhit the pass, allowing Adil Zahid to seize on it and fire home!
Then, in the 86th minute, it looked like we were set to complete another comeback from 2-0 down at half-time. Tafesse chipped a lovely ball to winger Yannis Moula, who skipped past a shaken Gaye and just had to beat goalkeeper Andreas Håskjold from a tight angle. Håskjold managed to block Moula’s shot, and we had to settle for just one point – but it was one point closer to promotion.
Things can go horribly wrong in those kinds of matches. That we came out of this with a point said a lot about our character. Now… what of our other title rivals?
Asker were effectively knocked out after losing 4-2 to Fram Larvik. They were nine points behind with a far worse goal difference than us, as Lørenskog were.
2nd-placed Raufoss were still in the running for automatic promotion after beating Elverum 3-1. 3rd-placed Eidsvold Turn kept their hopes alive too with a 1-0 win over Strømmen, who could now only aspire for the play-offs at best. With three games to go, Raufoss and Eidsvold were six points off the lead, and Rosenborg 2 were another point adrift after leaving it late to beat Hønefoss.
Our route to promotion had been made even clearer. One more win would surely be enough now.
ROSENBORG 2 vs LYN 1896 (2. divisjon, Avdeling 1 – Match 24)
Another in-form team awaited us at the start of October. The previous two months had seen Rosenborg 2 win seven of their eight matches, only losing to Lørenskog. That surge had put them back in the title race, but only another victory here would keep alive their hopes of leapfrogging us.
I was wary of the threat RBK posed, having seen them almost erase a 3-0 deficit when we last played them in June. They were slightly the stronger team in a low-key first half, forcing Vangen into three saves (two from midfielder Teodor Haltvik, the other from defender Roy Trondsen).
Meanwhile, Martin Trøen was having another difficult afternoon in front of goal, which meant we would have to rely on someone else for goals. During a short spell of Lyn pressure midway through the second period, Tafesse produced the goods just when it mattered. Though only 5ft 10in tall, he outjumped the even smaller Rosenborg winger Kim Nielsen to head in a right-wing cross from Oskar Hansen and put us ahead!
As expected, RBK threw everything they could at us. Robert Williams entertained the home fans with a couple of long-range efforts, one of which had to be tipped over by Vangen. Our number 1 made an even more dramatic save in the 89th minute, pushing a powerful attempt from Brede Frøysa behind his goal.
Home keeper Julian Faye Lund – now a Rosenborg first-teamer who would win his first senior cap for Norway the following week – was also kept busy late on. He made several saves to keep our lead down to 1-0, though he was almost caught out by a 76th-minute strike from Jesper Sandberg that struck his left-hand post. While we couldn’t beat Faye Lund for a second time, we had still done enough for a precious victory.
Elsewhere, Raufoss’ slim title hopes were dashed by a 3-0 defeat to Lørenskog. Eidsvold jumped ahead of them into 2nd by scraping past Træff 1-0, but our victory meant that we stayed six points ahead – with six more up for grabs.
Unless something extraordinary happened in the final weeks, we were the champions. It would take two Lyn defeats, two Eidsvold wins AND a 20-goal swing in goal difference to knock us off the table now.
NEW CONTRACTS
With promotion almost secured, I could now begin planning my squad for next season. For starters, I offered new contracts to several players whose existing deals would expire at the end of year, and who I reckoned could still be useful in the 1. divisjon.
Captain Anders Lübeck was one of the first players I decided to keep on. Though he was now 30 years old, Anders had dismissed claims that he was ‘past it’ by returning to form this term. With his experience and knowledge of the club, he was also the only Lyn player who could be considered a ‘team leader’ (though Trøen was slowly establishing himself in the hierarchy).
Realistically, Lübeck wasn’t likely to be starting regularly for us in the second tier, and he understood that too. He therefore agreed to take another pay cut and accept that he would mainly be a ‘backup’ player moving forward.
Vice-captain Joakim Rishovd and his fellow full-back Hansen were two other players who’d been with Lyn since the beginning of my reign. They too would stay on for at least another year to provide reliable cover, as would right-winger Yannis Moula after showing real promise in his first season at the Bislett.
Also extending his stay was goalkeeper Vangen, who’d become an unlikely star in 2021. When he signed his new contract, Alex effectively sealed the fate of our other goalkeeper Knut-André Skjærstein, whose third season at Lyn would now be his last.
There were still several players that I still had doubts over. Central defender Marc Vales was 31 and declining, while 24-year-old forward Simen Vedvik had probably hit the ceiling of his potential at the third tier. The contracts of 30-something midfielders Erik Lundanes Jonvik and Martin Holmen would also be up for renewal, and they each had valid reasons to either be retained or released.
LYN 1896 vs STJØRDALS-BLINK (2. divisjon, Avdeling 1 – Match 25)
We finished the season with back-to-back home games, knowing that just one more point would secure promotion and the league title. For the first of them, we were in a rather more relaxed mood than our opponents Stjørdals-Blink, who were battling against the drop.
We couldn’t have dreamed of a better start, as three of our defenders combined to put us ahead after seven minutes. Hansen’s corner delivery found Lübeck, whose flick-on to the near post was met by a simple tap-in from centre-back partner Benjamin Zalo – and delighted cheers from the Bastionen.
Stjørdals showed great resilience to get back level through a corner of their own in the 27th minute. Henrik Rolland’s inswinger to the near post was headed in by defender Lars Arne Togstad (who’s actually a midfielder by trade).
Remarkably, another corner would result in the game’s third goal being scored barely a minute later! Jørgen Sollihaug intercepted a rare poor delivery from Hansen, but Holmen got to the loose ball and lashed in a cool low finish! 2-1 to Lyn, and promotion was within reach!
Lübeck and Tafesse each had chances to send us 3-1 ahead just before half-time. Even better opportunities would arise in the second half as we looked to assert our dominance. Trøen had a close-range header caught by Jørgen Vordal in the 56th minute, while Jonvik nodded a Hansen free-kick against the post nine minutes later.
As the minutes ticked down, though, we started to fully realise what we were about to achieve. In the 77th minute, Zalo rushed into a clearance that allowed Stjørdals to counter-attack. In the Blink of an eye, midfielder Vebjørn Strypet hammered in a 25-yard shot that caught Vangen off his guard, losing us the lead.
For the next quarter-hour or so, we were torn between protecting a draw – which would still be enough for glory – and going for the win just to make sure. 17-year-old winger Tor Gulbrandsen came on for his senior debut seven minutes from time, so make of that what you will. Otherwise, I could hardly watch what was happening on the field until the referee blew his final whistle at the end of the 93rd minute.
We did it! But even if we had lost late on, it wouldn’t have mattered – because Eidsvold Turn couldn’t break the deadlock against Hønefoss!
“VINNERE!”
Lyn 1896 will be playing in the 1. divisjon next season, for the first time since the original club folded in 2010! You don’t know just how great that makes me feel!
DOUBLE GLORY
Indeed, it was a weekend to remember for another Lyn team. Less than 24 hours later, the youth team spent their Sunday afternoon attempting to secure a place in the National Under-19s Championship for next year.
Lyn had already won the Oslo Under-19s Championship with plenty of time to spare. Our starlets scored almost at will against far weaker opposition, eventually finishing the season with 128 goals from 34 games, which consisted of 33 wins and one draw. That’s 100 points out of a possible 102!
Winning our regional league got us into the play-offs, where we were among 16 regional champions battling for four promotion spots into the National Championship.
First up was a two-legged Semi Final against Nordland champions Brattvåg, who hosted what proved to be a bizarre first leg. They took the lead after only six minutes through Kristian Bell [the actress from “Forgetting Sarah Marshall”?], but a hat-trick from Glenn Bjørnar Svendsen put us 5-4 up at half-time! There were no more goals in the second half, and things weren’t quite so hectic in the return fixture, where we won 3-0 to secure an 8-4 aggregate win.
The stage was now set for the Bislett to host an all-or-nothing Playoff Final between Lyn and HamKam – the Indre Østland champions. Whoever won that would take their place amongst the 14 best youth football teams in Norway for the 2022 season.
We didn’t get off to the best start, conceding from a direct free-kick after just 19 minutes. Thankfully, left-winger Steffen Skrede took just four minutes to retaliate before another free-kick – this time from playmaker Kim Akselsen – put our noses in front. Svendsen then scored in the final minute to decide a tense match 3-1 in our favour and spark more promotion celebrations.
Just two years ago, we could only finish 4th in the Oslo Under-19s Championship. We now found ourselves amongst the likes of Molde, Rosenborg and Strømsgodset – at least at youth level!
For several of these young players, this would probably be the highlight of their football careers. For some prospects, though, there was a pathway to the senior team – and a potentially bright future.
LYN 1896 vs HØNEFOSS (2. divisjon, Avdeling 1 – Match 26)
With our mission completed, we could now relax and enjoy our final match of the season against Hønefoss, who were themselves celebrating survival after a difficult year. A crowd of 875 – our biggest home attendance of the season – gathered at the Bislett for a promotion party.
I gave some of our title-winning youth-teamers a chance to join in the celebrations. Holding midfielder Reidar Huus made his senior debut from kick-off, with centre-back Marius Skorpen also receiving a first start. Several more youngsters were named on the bench, from which Eirik Melby replaced Skorpen at half-time for his first competitive appearance.
Our starting line-up also included several familiar faces, such as Hansen, who capped off a truly remarkable season with yet another assist. The first half-hour was just coming to an end when Oskar’s hanging cross was headed home by Moula. Yannis had strained his calf early in the game and would be replaced by Gulbrandsen at half-time, but his first year at Lyn had ended on a high.
I’d also kept Trøen in the side, hoping that he would score just one more goal to match his 13-goal haul from last year – and take us up to 50 for the league season. Sadly, both of Martin’s efforts were saved, and he ended 2021 with a whimper, going goalless in five straight games. The goals had also dried up for Marcus Mehnert, who failed to score in his last six outings, going back to August.
Hønefoss didn’t exactly finish with a flourish either, though they did grab an equaliser against the run of play in stoppage time. The promising 16-year-old winger Christer Håskjold cut a corner delivery across to experienced midfielder Tor Øyvind Hovda, who drove through a crowded box and found the net. That denied us a victorious finale – and Skjærstein a clean sheet on what would be his final Lyn appearance. Oh well.
Meanwhile, Eidsvold Turn secured 2nd place – and a shot at the play-offs – by winning their final match 3-0 at Bærum. That denied both Raufoss and Lørenskog the opportunity to overtake them at the death. At the other end, relegation beckoned for Stjørdals-Blink, Fram Larvik and – most surprisingly – Odd 2.
The final Avdeling 1 table made for a pretty sight, with us sitting top on exactly 50 points – four more than Eidsvold, and 17 more than we managed last season!
Forget for a moment that we only won one of our final six games, drawing the other five. It was that 11-game unbeaten run earlier in the season which put us in this position. As soon as we hit our stride after a mediocre start, we were always going to take some stopping.
Making subtle tweaks to our defence have made a huge difference to our performances this year compared to last. We always had the firepower to compete with the very best teams in this level, but keeping things tight at the back had been a problem. Not anymore.
Now thoughts must turn to next season in the 1. divisjon. While I think we already have several players that can hold their own at the higher level, there are also plenty of areas where we really need to strengthen. For example, with all due respect to Vangen, I don’t think he’ll be keeping many clean sheets against teams of the stature of Fredrikstad and Bodø/Glimt.
At the end-of-season team meeting, I told my squad that – with some reinforcements – we would have it in us to secure survival next term. Almost everyone agreed, except Trøen, who actually thought I wasn’t being ambitious enough and that I should be aiming for the top half finish instead. Time will tell if Martin has a point, or if he’s living in fantasy land…
At last! This is the 10th season I’ve played across three different saves on Football Manager 2019 – and this is the first time I’ve won a trophy and/or promotion! Good things really do come to those who wait, as the old Guinness advertising slogan goes.
I’ve really enjoyed this season, which has rekindled my love for FM19, and I hope you have too. I know interest has dropped off a bit at this stage in the game’s life cycle, but it’s encouraging to see that many of you are still reading along.
Don’t forget to come back later in the week for the Season 3 review, where we’ll toast our success and look ahead to a brighter future in a higher division. The first chapter of Season 4 – where we rebuild the squad for the 1. divisjon – will go live early next week.
“Takk for lesing!”
Fuller FM 
You must be logged in to post a comment.