Season 2022: May
An Overview Of Peimari United In May 2022
Kalle Koskinen:
"Going into May, we were looking to secure our first trophy of the season. We had a Suomen Cup semi final to play, with the possibility of then going onto the Suomen Cup final at the end of the month. We were looking to add to our trophy cabinet, as well as make good progress in the Veikkausliiga. With Europa League qualifiers to begin in July, we knew that it was important for us to get a good run of form domestically early on, before the real fixture congestion begins."
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Transfers
Peimari United Brought In Croatian Wonderkid Silvio Tokic On A Free Transfer
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Players In
Silvio Tokic joined at the start of the month. The teenage Croatian midfielder was a youth player for Dinamo Zagreb but left the club for ventures new, and joined us to earn some first-team football at a young age. He was a brilliantly well-rounded midfielder with a great knack for set-pieces. As well as his technical ability, Tokic was also incredibly athletic. His pace and acceleration made him a phenomenal threat in midfield, and he instantly became one of the quickest midfielders in the Veikkausliiga. He joined to become an instant starter, and he was a major coup for the club.
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Players Out
Two more players left on loan. First up was Antti Pokela. With Claeys, Santanen and Nielsen in the senior team, Pokela had become fourth-choice up front. He left on loan to get some first-team football, with a view to moving on permanently soon enough. Young striker Ari Mero also left on loan. He was highly rated and had the potential to become a top player in the Veikkausliiga in the future. His loan move was seen as an opportunity for him to put his skills into practice in a competitive senior environment.
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Results
Peimari United Enjoyed An Incredibly Successful Month Of May Which Provided Them A Trophy Win
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Veikkausliiga
We hosted FC Lahti in our first Veikkausliiga game of the month. Kevin Larsson was on form as he scored a delightful brace for us. We looked strong throughout the game but couldn't score a third goal. Lahti scored late on through Streng to end the game with some hope, but we managed to hold on to all three points come the final whistle.
Our next league game was a visit to AC Oulu. They were tough, as usual. The side showed great tactical discipline and their midfield battled well to make things difficult for us. They took the lead fairly on through Gullstein. Jesper Santanen rescued a point for us with a goal early on in the second half.
The big league game came next. It was Peimari United versus HJK at Liedon keskuskenttä. They were tough, as expected, and showed their true ability by beating us. The goal came early on from HJK's captain Moshtagh Yaghoubi, who scored from range in the opening ten minutes. It was a tough result to take, but we knew that HJK had, by far and wide, the best squad of players in the league.
We then made the short visit to FC Inter Turku in search of redemption following two games where we didn't win. English defender Richard Latham was our hero, as the central defender scored a powerful header from a corner kick routine early on in the game. The three points were vital, and gave the players a much-needed lift ahead of the bulk of the Veikkausliiga season.
SJK were tough, as expected. They had put together an incredible attacking team full of talent capable of scoring from any area on the pitch. Joonas Karlsson scored from left full-back for us just before half-time to give us a promising lead. However, Robinho continued his impressive scoring record for SJK with a deft curling effort on the hour mark to level the game. Akseli Ollila came off the bench for us to net the winner with less than ten minutes remaining, as he got on the end of a deep cross to head the ball into the back of the net.
Our final Veikkausliiga fixture of the month was an away trip to KuPS of Kuopio. The game was very even in the first half, but I was somewhat disappointed with how my players performed in transitional play. I ate their heads off at half-time and they performed much better in the second half. Kevin Larsson opened the scoring early on in the second period, and Jesper Santanen scored a good brace in the final few minutes to entertain our fans with a big win.
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Suomen Cup
We played out a tense Suomen Cup semi final against VPS. Midfielder Sasha Popovitch opened the scoring in the second minute as he found himself unmarked in the six yard area to poke home a loose ball. VPS struck back from the penalty spot before the half-hour mark as Bloomfield scored from twelve yards out. Guido Claeys scored the winner in the second half, as the Belgian got on the end of a long pass before calmly sliding the ball beyond VPS' goalkeeper.
HIFK awaited us in the final. The game was played at Töölön jalkapallostadion in front of a fairly large crowd. Jesper Santanen impressed in the game, and he opened the scoring just before the half-hour mark with a half-volley. Mats Köhlert scored a good goal as he cut in from the left before picking out the far corner with a low curling effort. Santanen killed off the game completely with less than ten minutes remaining, prodding home a rebound to secure the Suomen Cup trophy for Peimari United. Ulmanen scored a consolation goal for HIFK in stoppage time, but the Suomen Cup trophy was going home to Peimari United! HOORAH!
Player of the Month
Jesper Santanen Was Peimari United's Star Player During May 2022
Jesper Santanen was our hero in May. The teenage striker moved ahead of Guido Claeys and Rasmus Nielsen in the pecking order for the one striker position with some strong form, and scored five goals in an impressive month. Santanen was crucial in the Suomen Cup final, scoring twice against HIFK to help Peimari Untied to another trophy.
Jesper Santanen's Monthly Stats
![]() Overview
Appearances: 7
Goals: 5
Assists: 0
PotM Awards: 2
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![]() Disciplinary Record
Fouls Committed: 11 (1.57 per game)
Fouls Against: 11 (1.57 per game)
Yellow Cards: 1
Red Cards: 0
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![]() Attacking Play
Shots On Target Ratio: 80% (12/15)
Dribbles Completed: 4 (0.57 per game)
Key Passes: 2 (0.29 per game)
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![]() General Play
Pass Completion Ratio: 79.38% (77/97)
Headers Won: 12 (1.71 per game)
Average Rating: 7.21
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![]() Defensive Play
Key Tackles: 0 (0 per game)
Tackles Won Ratio: 100% (2/2)
Interceptions: 2 (0.29 per game)
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Assistant Manager's Report
Value: €215,000
Wage: €300 p/w (Until: 30/11/2023)
Current Ability: ![]()
Potential Ability: ![]()
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Veikkausliiga
Peimari United Moved Up To The Top Of The League With A Strong Run Of Form
May was much improved for us in the league. We marched all the way to the top of the table, with two points separating us from second placed SJK. Our defensive record was the best in the league, which made for nice reading after having a very shaky defence last year. We were wary of HJK creeping up the table and, with only a third of the season played, we were aware that there was still plenty of work to do. We had made a good start, but we needed to continue to improve to secure the title.
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Upcoming Fixtures
Peimari United Was To Play Six Veikkausliiga Games During The Month Of June
With the Suomen Cup all over, we had just Veikkausliiga football to look forward to during June. With Europa League qualifiers due to start in July, we knew that we had to take advantage of a relatively uncongested month of football. The tricky games were predicted to be against HIFK, RoPS and FC Lahti, but we wanted to win six from six. We needed to be at our very best.
Comment Section
ScottT | We can fully expect to see HJK rise up the table again. As for the cup, it belongs to us again
Previous Update: #101 - Season 2022: April
Next Update: #103 - Peimari To Face Slavia Praha In Europa League Qualifiers
Jokes aside, a good start to the league season and hopefully the start of an excellent season for Koskinen and his side. HJK's poor start will certainly give sides the confidence that they can take advantage and seek to win the title at the end of the season. It has to be remembered though, HJK endured a poor start last campaign - albeit not to the same standard - and recovered to salvage the title, so it's far from over at this early stage.
Transfers
Results
Disciplinary Record
Veikkausliiga
SK Slavia Praha 2-4 Peimari United 
Soucek (6.4)
Bellarabi (6.3)
Ngadeu-Ngadjui (6.8) 
Poli (6.3) [64']
Băluță (6.6)
van Buren (6.5) [57'] 
Sulejmani (6.7) [64']
Dzadzamia (7.3)
Lehtinen (7.6)
Yuri (7.0) [76']
Faye (8.6) 
Claeys (7.4) 
Latham (N/A) [76']
