Gällivare Malmbergets FF - Swede Dreams Are Made Of This

Saturday 11th of August 2018

Gällivare survive to claim priceless victory..


In this weekends action, it was essential that Gällivare claimed all three points, anything less, and their fate may have been sealed. That is because their closest rivals for the drop Ytterhogdals IK also won, who they face away from home next week. Tonight's game was a tight affair with boss goalkeepers producing some fine saves. The only goal of today's game was scored by Gällivare central midfielder Jimmy Skog on the 34th minute of play. After some fine build up play inside their own half, Skog then drove at the Gottne IF defence, before trying to play in Felix Söderström. Th defender was first to the ball, however the ball broke kindly for Skog who was able to shift it out of his feet, and curl into the far bottom corner. Björn Johansson had this to say of his sides victory today..
Björn Johansson - Gällivare Manager "A huge three points for us today in a really difficult game. They had plenty of chances to grab a couple of goals, but thankfully our keeper was on top form today making some brilliant stops. The goal all started with some good passing and movement. We got a bit of look with how the ball landed, but you can't take anything away from the finish. If we can get a win from next weeks game, and take points away from them, well then we're just the 2 points behind them, and then they really will start to feel the pressure. For us though we know that we need to accumulate more points than them because of their superior goal difference. We've conceded 25 more goals than them, which makes it hugely difficult for us, but hopefully we'll be able to pick up the points to see us through".

Some really good young additions to the squad that were certainly needed! Hopefully they can gel quickly and you can pick up some more wins!

Isac Halma - 16 year old left winger


Isac Halma is a player who possesses plenty of flair as well as some okay other attributes for a player at this level. Hopefully he'll be able to provide real moments of quality when we need it during the remaining games.

George Källström - 17 year old goalkeeper


In George Källström we have our final signing of this window. The 17 year old shot stopper is already head and shoulders above our other goalkeeper at the club, and could hold the number one jersey for a few seasons yet whilst the club develops and grows.

Considering the state of the club when Bjorn first joined, there's been some really good progression!

Saturday 18th of August 2018

6 pointer ends as 2-2 draw..


In today's huge match involving the relegation battle between Gällivare Malmbergets FF and Ytterhogdals IK, the match played out to a 2-2 draw. For the vast majority of the game, it was Ytterhogdals IK who were the better of the two teams, going 2-0 despite the sending off of David Kuba-Kuba. However, a late surge from Gällivare saw them earn themselves a valuable point against today's opposition. Felix Söderström kept up his fine goal scoring form since joining the club, netting his fourth in five games. Jimmy Skog managed to pull the sides level on the 89th minute, a scruffy shot somehow finding its way over the line. Here's how the table looks following today's results with only 6 games left to play..


Here's what Björn Johansson had to say following today's draw..
Björn Johansson - Gällivare Manager "I feel as though today's result is a missed opportunity. We really needed the three points to really put the pressure on them. when they went down to ten men we didn't switch on and they scored a minute later. Thankfully we managed to regroup and at least get something from today's game. Unfortunately it's not in our hands and we're going to be relying on then dropping points and us hopefully capitalizing on that. All we can do is keep going and keep working, but we're starting to run out of games now".

TheLFCFan - Some good prospects now at the club. Some much improved performances ad results. Will it be enough though; only time will tell. Just hoping it doesn't go down to the last day of the season as we have to play the league leaders away from home!

ScottT - Will it be enough though? Starting to run out of games. Up next we're playing bottom of the league, so hopefully that can take us to within 2 points.

A win would have been much more favourable. Every point matters at this stage, after all. Six games left to go and eighteen points up for grabs... five points behind, there's a chance.

Saturday 25th of August 2018

Gällivare now just 2 points behind 12th placed Ytterhogdals IK!


If it wasn't for 16 year old goal scoring sensation Felix Söderström then surely Gällivare would be relegated already. The young striker bagged himself a hat-trick in today's game against bottom of the table Härnösands FF, taking his tally to 7 goals in 6 games. His first of the evening came after 22 minutes; Adam Wallgren claiming the assist from a corner on the right hand side of the pitch; Söderström managed to get ahead of his marker and score a brilliant diving header. His second came immediately after the break; latching onto a loose touch from the Härnösands FF defender, he was able to beat the keeper at his near post to double his tally. He completed his hat-track in added time; following a swift Gällivare counter attack; Jakob Larsson was able to play in Felix Söderström who hit a ferocious shot, leaving the goalkeeper with no chance. Gällivare manager Björn Johansson could hardly keep the smile off of his face when discussing the final result; here's what he had to say following his sides resounding victory..
Björn Johansson - Gällivare Manager "What a win! I'm so proud of the lads. I think that's the first time this season that we've gone into a game being labelled as favorites, which can sometimes add an extra burden, but I thought the lads handled themselves brilliantly. Felix was exceptional, he's been so important for us since signing. We've placed a lot of trust and responsibility in him, and that's asking a lot for a 16 year old, but he's got such quality in his finishing capabilities, he's a top top talent and a pleasure to work with. Hopefully he can bag us a few more before the season is out!"

ScottT - Just the 2 points from pulling level! Still plenty of points to play for in terms of making up the ground. However; our remaining fixtures are against teams in the top half of the table, so its going to be a tough ask.

Saturday 1st of September 2018

Gällivare claim back-to-back wins for the first time this season!


Gällivare have finally claimed back-to-back victories this season! They're also on a four game unbeaten run; claiming 10 points from a possible 12! Could it actually be happening? Is the great escape going to happen? Since Björn Johansson took charge of the struggling side; their performances and results have improved significantly. Today's away victory was a huge result for Gällivare; yes they're still two points behind Ytterhogdals IK, however they've managed to pull other teams into this scrap for survival. In today's game against Kramfors-Alliansen, it was Mac Chahrour who provided the inspiration for the victory; scoring twice and providing the assist for the other goal. The league table below showing just how close things are getting down there at the bottom of the table..


Björn Johansson had this to say following his sides crucial away victory this afternoon..
Björn Johansson - Gällivare Manager "I'm absolutely delighted with today's result! Everyone was saying that we had no chance in the build up, and the best we could hope for was a respectable loss. Well, we proved them wrong didn't we! I'm loving every second of this run that we're on! When we needed someone to step up for us today, Mac Chahrour did exactly that! A collective brilliant team display, but without Mac today, we never would have got that result. Four games left; we've managed to pull other teams into the battle now which is exactly what we wanted. Instead of us just chasing Ytterhogdals, a few more teams are now looking over their shoulder. We can't get ahead of ourselves though, it only takes one slip up and we're 5 points behind again. We all need to remain focused until we're mathematically out of this situation".

You’re getting there mate! Wins are hard to come by at the bottom of the table so getting back-to-back wins are essential and more important to use those wins to grind out as many points as possible, especially now being so close to survival!

Saturday 8th of September 2018

Gällivare move out of relegation places for the first time this season!


For the first time since the opening day of the season, Gällivare Malmbergets FF have moved out of the relegation places following today's 2-0 home win against 8th placed IFK Östersund! The in-form Mac Chahrour gave Gällivare the lead on 11 minutes, before Östersund were awarded a penalty. Up-stepped Anders Eriksson only to be denied by 17 year old goalkeeper George Källström! The remainder of the match was a nervy affair right until the point Gällivare were awarded a penalty in added time. Adam Wallgren coolly converted the spot-kick, sending the keeper the wrong way. The current league standing I'm sure will bring joy to the Gällivare players and fans alike, in what has turned out to be a very difficult season until the appointment of Björn Johansson.


Björn Johansson's post match comments to follow..
Björn Johansson - Gällivare Manager "Another excellent result for us! It brings a huge relief to everyone associated with this club. Its been such a challenging season both on and off the pitch. We can't rest on this though; we're not guaranteed to stay in this league just yet. We've got three cup finals left for us, hopefully we won't need all three, but we've still got to give everything in these remaining fixtures to ensure that we get over the line".

Jack - Finally out of the bottom 2! Couple more games to go; hopefully we'll be safe before the last game because we face top of the league away from home. Realistically in that game, we're going to take a bit of a beating, so hopefully we have it wrapped up before then.

Great work! Now is the easier/tough part (you choose!) in ensuring the intensity doesn't drop and your players now see the job out. Three HUGE games for your season. It would be awful to see your fight-back go to waste.

ScottT - Difficult games coming up as well; away to 4th next, then home to 5th, and end the season away to 1st. Not the ideal run-in any team fighting for survival wants. We're on a good run though; unbeaten in five. Hopefully that form will carry us through until the end!