Month: October 2024

First Division. The regular season ended like this:
Hammarby IF – last with 19 points and relegated.
Orgryte IS – 11th with 21 points and relegated.
IK Brage – 10th with 24 points and relegated.
Halmstads BK – 9th with 26 points.
AIK – 8th with 27 points.
GAIS – 7th with 28 points. Finished with curious – and low – scoring record: 17-17.
Malmo FF – 6th with 28 points. Rather weak season for them.
Djurgardens IF – 5th with 33 points.
Osters IF – 4th with 36 points and going to the play-offs for the title.
Orebro SK – 3rd with 36 points and going to the play-offs for the title.
IFK Norrkoping – 2nd with 40 points and going to the play-offs for the title.
IFK Goteborg – dominant winner with 45 points from 12 wins, 4 ties and 6 losses. 41-23 goal-difference. However, nothing was decided yet – the play-offs were next.
The play-offs for the title were played in late October and in the ½ finals
Orebro SK lost to IFK Goteborg 1-1 and 1-2.
Osters IF was eliminated by IFK Norrkoping 4-3 and 1-2. Away goals decided their fate.
The big final opposed the 1st to the 2nd in the regular season – truly, a clash between the best teams this season. Everything practically ended in the first leg – IFK Norrkoping lost at home 0-3. They tried to save face in the second leg and managed 0-0, but lost the championship.
IFK Norrkoping – strong season, no doubts about it, but really the second-best team.
IFK Goteborg – consistently strong from start to finish, permitting no surprises. Well, the strongest and internationally most successful Swedish club continued to be very strong and collected their 12th title.

Second Division Sodra.
Karlskrona AIF – last with 21 points and relegated.
Mjallby AIF – 13th with 28 points and relegated.
Landskrona BoIS – 12th with 29 points.
Gunnilse IS (Angered) – 11th with 29 points.
IF Elfsborg (Boras) – 10th with 30 points.
Markaryds IF – 9th with 31 points.
Kalmar FF – 8th with 32 points.
IK Oddevold (Uddevalla) – 7th with 33 points.
Kalmar AIK – 6th with 36 points.
Jonsereds IF – 5th with 38 points.
Trelleborgs FF – 4th with 42 points.
Vastra Frolunda IF – 3rd with 49 points.
Helsingborgs IF – 2nd with 50 points. Lost the battle for top place by a points, but had the best defense in the whole Second Division: they permitted only 19 goals.

BK Hacken (Goteborg) – clinched the top position with 51 points from 14 wins, 9 ties, and 3 losses. 52-23 goal-difference. Alas, they lost the promotion play-off against GIF Sundsvall 1-0 and 1-4 and were not promoted to the top league. They were so close to success this season – twice – and no luck.

Sweden. Ranked 13th. Changes were scheduled for the next season: First Division was going to be of 10 teams, so 3 were relegated and only 1 promoted (the winner of the promotion play-off between Second Division champions). For the last time – 9th season altogether – the regular season was followed by play-offs involving the top 4 teams to decide the title. Second Division was going to be reorganized from 2 groups to 4 groups of 8 teams each, thus enlarged from current 24 teams to 32. 3 points given for a win.
Second Division Norra.
Tyreso FF – last with 7 points and relegated. They won just 1 match this season and allowed 78 goals in their net during 26 games.
IFK Holmsund – 13th with 12 points and relegated. But their troubles were much bigger: the club folded because of financial reason and therefore not going to play in Third Division next season.
IFK Eskilstuna – 12th with 28 points.
Vasby IK FK (Upplands-Vasby) – 11th with 32 points.
Motala AIF – 10th with 34 points.
BK Forward (Orebro) – 9th with 35 points.
Gefle IF (Gavle) – 8th with 38 points.
IFK Lulea – 7th with 38 points.

Kiruna FF – 6th with 38 points.
Vasteras SK – 5th with 41 points.
Sparvagens GoIF (Stockholm) – 4th with 45 points.
IF Brommapojkarna (Bromma) – 3rd with 49 points.
Vasalunds IF (Solna) – 2nd with 49 points.
GIF Sundsvall – group winners with 61 points after 19 wins, 4 ties, and 3 losses. Scored 69 goals, permitted in their net 27. Without challengers this season, but it was not over: they went to promotion play-off against the winner of the other group and lost the first leg 0-1. At home, they destroyed BK Hacken 4-1 and were happily promoted to the top league. Much deserved promotion too.