[[FM18] Around the North Sea - Gerry Peters]

April 2018

It wouldn't have been a bad start had we been able to hit the target in our final match of the month at Asta. A 1-0 defeat gave an otherwise reasonably promising start to the campaign a slightly disappointing hue.

On the positive side we've come from behind in both of our opening two league matches to salvage a point and then put an amateur side to bed in the first round of the cup. 

That defeat leaves us in 11th place, one position and one point above the drop zone. Four league matches to come in May as well as hosting a Premier Division side in the 2nd round of the Norwegian Cup, so plenty of opportunity for things to pick up.

The board are relatively content with my performance, the one issue remains the level of support for me from the dressing room - something that has been low from the moment I took over. No concerns over my future as things stand.

 

[[FM18] Around the North Sea - Gerry Peters]

2018 Pre-season

After our survival was assured I was offered a 1-year extension which I signed and then proceeded to tie down the club's best players to the club. Thankfully, I had plenty of wriggle room in my wage budget even though it was reduced from 2017.

Transfers

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Six players came in, two to add quality to the first XI and the others to add a bit of depth to the squad. It was more players than I'd typically like to sign but needs must if we are to have a better season.

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Expectations

I had told the players and the board that I would keep the club in the division and work towards finishing in the top-half of the table during the 2019 season - assuming of course I'm still at the club at that point.

The bookies and press feel that this should be achievable, predicting an 11th placed finish.

In addition, I've set myself the following targets:

1) Increase the average attendance - last season 509

2) Two players to score more than ten goals

3) Give three youth products their debuts

Let's see how we go!

[[FM18] Around the North Sea - Gerry Peters]

6 minutes into the afternoon and Mesut Can gives Skeid the early advantage tapping in from close range after a corner was headed on at the near post. This after a couple of efforts had gone close at the other end to give us the lead. Still 0-0 between HamKam and KFUM Oslo.

Into the 13th minute and we look dead and buried. Can is left unmarked again to head home from a corner. 2-0 down and an absolute mountain to climb.

Less than a minute later and Can turns provider for David Tavakoli to tap in at the far post. 3-0 down. My head is in my hands.

22 minutes and Can is the provider once again, this time for Jon Erik Okland to make it 4-0.

24 minutes and Borys Gwarda reduces the arrears with a neat near post finish. 4-1. Still goalless at HamKam.

27 minutes... Gwarda this time turns provider as he seizes on some defensive hesitation to send a cross into the box for William Magnusson to fire home from 10-yards. 4-2.

Two minutes before half-time and Bilal Khan fires a shot against the base of the post for us. 

Half Time:

Skeid 4-2 Brumunddal

HamKam 0-0 KFUM Oslo

We're not entirely out of it yet. Were HamKam to win by two goals and keep a clean sheet with no more goals in our game, we'd stay up on goals scored. All to play for still.

58 minutes still goalless at HamKam. Meanwhile, at Skeid, William Magnusson gets down the left flank and sends a cross into the box. It's touched on by Gwarda for Dardan Rexhaj to meet first time and find the far bottom corner. 4-3... Surely not??!!

76 minutes, I send everyone and everything forward in pursuit of the equaliser that will, as things stand, keep us up. 17-year old Somalian midfielder Mahad Abdillahi fires a 20-yarder that glances off the outside of Skeid's post.

Desperate for news of a late HamKam goal.

77 minutes and disaster as Can seizes on a gap in our back four to complete his hat-trick. 5-3. 

81 minutes and we're back in with a shout. Rexhaj crosses from the right and Gwarda glances home at the near post across the goalkeeper. 5-4! Still no goals at HamKam.

87 minutes and Martin Andersen hacks a Can header off the line to keep us just the one goal behind.

92 minutes and a murmur from the away fans. News filters down - Jan Kvernstuen has just scored for HamKam - they're 1-0 up against KFUM! We're halfway through four minutes of stoppage time here and WE'RE OUT OF THE DROP ZONE! There can't be another twist, surely?

After an extra 54 seconds, the referee brings our game to a close. Everyone is waiting to hear what's happening elsewhere. They're still playing at HamKam.

And then - the cheer! We've done it! Somehow, we've done it! I mean we've lost, but we're staying up by virtue of scoring more goals than KFUM. 

What an absurd, beautiful, cruel afternoon. I hope I never see the like of it again.

[[FM18] Around the North Sea - Gerry Peters]

We were moments from going into the final day with our destiny in our own hands.

A 1-0 defeat at home to Asker, where young Njal Kristiansen had been sent off on the hour mark for a second caution, saw us fall two points behind KFUM Oslo and with our visit to Grorud taking place on the Sunday, the side based in the capital extended their advantage to 3 points the day before.

A must-win game then, which we duly delivered on. 2-0 thanks to a couple of goals from on-loan Lillestrom striker William Magnusson took us level on points, but with an inferior goal difference.

KFUM were at Skeid whilst we had a tough assignment at Alta, who still had a remote chance of winning the title. 

Skeid took an early lead against KFUM whilst 18-year old striker Borys Gwarda gave us a 36th minute lead at Alta from the penalty spot. Two minutes later and Gwarda had headed home emphatically to double our advantage. 5 minutes after the break it was 3-0, Gwarda completing his first ever hat-trick and even as Tomas Braaten's own-goal made it 4-0, the news that KFUM had levelled things up couldn't dampen our delight on the bench.

Alta netted a late consolation, but it wasn't until we got back to the dressing room that news filtered through from Skeid that in the 4th minute of stoppage time KFUM had snatched a late late winner to move them back out of the relegation zone on the basis that they have scored 32 goals to our 31.

Things couldn't be tighter going into the final round of matches. We visit Skeid, whilst KFUM visit newly crowned champions HamKam. 

The equation is simple. Better KFUM's result - even if they win - and we stay up. 

[[FM18] Around the North Sea - Gerry Peters]

Five points from those 3 matches.

A 0-0 draw at bottom of the table Follo was followed by a surprise 1-0 victory away at Kjelsas and then a late penalty gained us a vital point at home to Valerenga's second team. The gap to KFUM Oslo has been narrowed to a single point.

Four matches remain in the relegation dogfight and I think we have, on paper, the toughest run-in.

[[FM18] Around the North Sea - Gerry Peters]

Things began brilliantly. 

A 2-1 win over Nybergsund lifted us immediately out of the relegation zone. However, we failed to then win any of our next six matches. A 2-1 defeat to Skeid was followed by an excellent 0-0 win over table-toppers HamKam - a game we would have won had we not missed a penalty - but then a series of disappointing results saw us take just 2 points from our next three matches. Most disappointing were our two home games against KFUM Oslo and Finnsnes. 3-0 up in both games with 25-minutes to go, we ended up hanging on to salvage a point in the end. 

This was the club's worst run of the season and left us in 12th place, four points from safety. Our next three matches, all against clubs below or just above us in the table, were absolutely vital. No less than 7 points were needed if we were to have any chance of avoiding the drop and, by extension, the sack!

A big couple of months ahead...

[[FM18] Around the North Sea - Gerry Peters]

Whilst awaiting the release of FM20, I've started a career under the guise of 24-year old Englishman, Gerry Peters.

Following a number of interviews in the summer of 2017 I was appointed manager of Norwegian Second Division Group 1 side, Brumunddal Fotball.

Approaching the halfway point of the league season the club were lying bottom of the pile although, pleasingly, only six points off 5th placed Nybergsund. 

I was offered a six month contract at £150/week to take me to the end of the season and with the target of battling bravely against relegation. Not enough to live on, luckily I was able to do part-time data analysis on a consultancy basis to mean that I was able to take a decent room at 

Our form isn't good, only two league wins in those opening dozen games and the squad was pretty young. Full of potential but without much in the way of experience. 

My idea is to try and attack my way out of trouble - perhaps a bold move, but goals win games and we're not going to score too many by persisting with the 4-4-1-1 defensive formation favoured by my predecessor who has since moved on to become Director of Football. The only minor issue was the absolute dearth of options up-front. When the transfer window re-opens I'll aim to bring in one or two loanees if I can.