Pain in Bollnäs for the lost bandy party

The restraints of the crown stopped a classic ritual of the second day in Hälsinbland.

Watching bandy.

But Mikael Lingh watched the game alone from his balcony, 100 meters from the ice, and he could see Edsbyn win 6-2.

– I see almost half the field, but I still have better conditions than others, he says.

Mikael Lingh is alone, in a Bollnäs match jersey, on a small balcony. There is also the classic briefcase and the thermos is placed on a table. A hundred meters further you see only half the playing field.

– It would have been better visibility if you cut down a couple of trees. You can talk to the neighbor about this.

Less emotions

Two years ago, on the occasion of the last Bollnäs derby, 6,857 spectators turned out. Sävstaås is now empty. Mikael Lingh, on the balcony, is the only support with a match jersey that follows the game. He his family is sitting in the kitchen.

– It would not have adapted to the crown if it had been two people on this small balcony.

Andreas Westh, one of the classic Bollnäss players, who now belongs to the club’s coaching staff, admitted before the game that the lost crowd party affects the players:

– There will be less emotions and nerves. Personally, I was so nervous at times that you hardly dared to go out and play. This is probably not how the players feel today.

In relation to the start of the game, there were several at the central Bollnäs who felt sad that they could not go to the game.

– It’s so sad. So sorry. This is part of the weekend. I usually watch all the matches on the second day, regardless of whether they are played in Bollnäs in Edsbyn. Now something is really missing, says Lars-Åke Hansson, an Edsbyn supporter who lives in Bollnäs.

Selin Talayhan, who is a restaurateur at the great sports bar in Bollnäs, is very resigned and refined after a difficult year:

– We usually have a lot of people here after the game. Sometimes we have had to close the door because not everyone has a place. We now have eight reserves, who intend to watch the game on television. I don’t know what it will be like afterwards, he says.

At the game itself, there was never talk of Edsbyn winning. Admittedly, they were level in terms of play in the first half of the match and Bollnäs took the lead with 2-1 at the start of the second half. But then Edsbyn showed more weight on the track, which meant they could turn around and win 6-2.

Strong return

Proof that Edsbyn is definitely back after the team’s 18-day crown break, which affected eleven players. Some of them did not skate in 14 days.

– Given this, it is strong of us to return in this way. We put in a good effort today, where we sat in the driver’s seat for much of the game and controlled the event, says Edsbyn coach Magnus Olsson.

He has appeared in around 30 matchday two games against Bollnäs, either as a player or as a coach at Edsbyn. But he has never been in empty stands.

– We had to work more with ourselves before the games to illuminate much more. We know there is support at home in the cabins, but we don’t notice it during games. Now everything became very different. It is very sad that this sports party is not over.

Anders Hansson / TT