European Football Weekends: Lyngby

Showing posts with label Lyngby. Show all posts

Monday 31 May 2010

FC Vestsjælland

Blues are Vi-KINGS of Slagelse

FC Vestsjælland 1-2 Lyngby (30:05:10)

- Click on photos to enlarge image -

The EFW doors are wide open to most ideas. So when the family Pedersen of Copenhagen invited me for a day out to a Division 1 game in Slagelse (that's Slagelse!) on a rainy afternoon in May, I was all over it like a cheap suit. I'd met Ivar Pedersen at the New Firm Game back in March. This time around, I was to be joined by his sons; Hans & Kris plus Ivar's newphew Anders Petersen for the perfect Sunday.

Ivar chose to drive us the 100km or so to Slagelse. As it happens, I'd also been invited by the away team to travel on their supporters coaches. The Blue Vikings were subsidising travel for their fans and giving them free beer and cheap tickets in a bid to get a large and vocal travelling support in what was an important match - it worked. Ivar had also packed a ready supply of beers though so it was a win-win situation for EFW. Just how we like it.

Blokes being blokes, the five of us in the car were best mates within about two minutes. I am now the font of all knowledge on all things Danish football after spending a day with those guys. We fought only to get in our stories and funnies as made our way to Slagelse (fond of saying that place aren't you - Ed) which was a viking stronghold back in the day. Both teams with viking links then - tick.

Now I've been to lots of football grounds but one with a bar in the corner which took the form of a viking helmet? That was new on me and what's more it was bloody marvelous. There just aren't enough pubs in stadiums that are made to look like a viking helmet in my opinion. The ground also had two banks of terracing which probably wouldn't have passed any health and safety regulations but as it was, they were largely empty for this match as it was absolutely chucking it down and so the 1,253 punters all gathered in the main stand - with a roof.

Old sandy terracing which is semi-dangerous - tick.

Thirsty old work this Danish football lark.

Singing in the rain. The home ultras.

The Blue Vikings.

What with surrounding trees, terracing, novelty bars and ready supply of Harboe beer being served - I couldn't have cared less about the rain. This was the perfect Sunday and no mistake. The only thing nagging me was the Danish curse of popcorn. Popcorn does not belong at a football match Denmark. If you want popcorn - go to the cinema. If you really want to talk food, then what about garlic. Apparently, Danes have garlic on everyday aside from Wednesday & Saturday because those are the days they have sex. Arf.

Lyngby are a club on the way back after a few years in the doldrums. Their old nemesis and neighbouring club B1903 seized to exist in 1992 and merged with KB to form FCK (FC Copenhagen). They came back and rid Lyngby of their best players and guy who was also putting money into the club left as well to become Chief Executive at FCK. Lyngby filed for bankruptcy and were demoted several divisions. Since then, despite seeing their best players regularly disappear they're back and in with a sniff of top-flight football again. They also need a new ground as theirs isn't good enough at the moment (great knowledge our kid- Danish Div 1 Ed).

Roared on by about 200 away fans, Lyngby won this game with the last kick of the ball. Their fans gave their anthems a throaty airing and Hans Pedersen (age 11) dug me in the ribs and reminded me that he'd predicted that very result. Hans is already a football guru. Good on you mate! He's our new Danish EFW correspondent.

Patrick Mortensen and his pals in the background.

For the first time in what seemed like weeks, we weren't subjected to the Black Eyed Peas at the full time whistle. Wembley Stadium are all about that song "cos tonight's gonna be a good good night....I've got a feeling ooohh oooohhh..." It's living proof that football fans will sing and dance along to any old rhubarb minutes after winning a promotion play-off final at the home of football.

After stopping off for some emergency beers on the way back into Copenhagen and several airings of the Amateur Transplants I was biding farewell to my Danish pals and back for a night out in town which inevitably ended up with 25 locals singing traditional drinking songs long into the night.

When I started EFW two-years ago, my vision was to unite some like-minded fans from around Europe. Those who prefer a beer and a laugh to a fight. I've met some great people on this journey. The Pedersen family and the lads I met in Malmo the day before were great company. Here's to European Football Weekends all round in 2010/11. Join us for the ride why don't you?