Heil og sæl & Velkomin back fellow Vikings. In our last post we were sitting pretty at the top of Division One with a 100% record and a nice 6 point cushion to fellow promotee’s (not sure if that’s a real word but sound right) Brycg Stowe Rovers.

Surely with the squad we’ve assembled, nothing can stop the Great Heathen Army’s march to the promised land?

First up this week we face Bacardeslim at home. I stick Wonderboy back up top and move Sigurd back in behind. He repays my faith in him scoring either side of a Mills equaliser for Port Vale. Frandsen follows up Ivars’ blocked shot to put us 3-1 up and we’re coasting. I change Ivar for Per Pedersen to give him some game time thinking the job’s done but Jordan and Mills have other ideas and its honours even.

Another home game next as we welcome Oderesfeld. Wonderboy keeps his place and we absolutely batter them in the first half but cant seem to find the back of the net. Thankfully the dam bursts and we score in the 42nd, 45th & 47th minute to give us a healthy 3 goal lead at the break. Champ favourite Graeme Tomlinson grabs a consolation goal for Huddersfield and it finished 3-1.

Next up it’s the second leg of the League Cup away at Sutton. We won 2-0 at home so make a couple of changes to hopefully keep players fresh & interested. It’s a wasteful afternoon for us with 19 shots and only 6 on target. We lose 1-0 thanks to a Richardson goal but progress 2-1 on aggregate. We draw Stokeport in the 3rd round.

Back to league action now as it’s a trip over the Pennines to fellow promoted team Aldehulme. Ivar gives us the lead in the 22nd min, Gudjohnsen doubles it and Ivar nets our 3rd giving us another 3-0 lead at half time. We do our best to throw it away in the second half letting Graham go clean through and then Frandsen conceding a penalty but thankfully we hold out for a closer than needs be win.

Top of the table clash as Brycg Stowe Rovers come to Bootham Crescent. We have the better chances but fail to make the most of them and we go into half time at 0-0. Story of my life as Bennet scores with Bristol’s first (and only) shot on goal giving them the lead. Hagelund pops up and scores our equaliser from a corner and despite going close in the latter stages, it ends 1-1.

We’ve a couple of injuries to key defenders and with Frandsen & Sigurd called up for international duty, I’ve no choice but to ring the changes for our trip to Mameceaster City. Morley gives City the lead early doors and Bjorn gets his marching orders just before half time. I tell the boys they’ve got it all to do in the second half and sacrifices must and will be made. We come out and have chance after chance, hitting the post twice and find Nicky Weaver in imperious form! Unlikely goal scorer Mathisen gets us a much deserved equaliser and we continue to push for a winner. Unfortunately, Weaver stands firm and we have to settle for another 1-1 draw.

Sigurd makes his debut for Iceland and puts in a Man of the Match performance scoring 4 goals. The lad now thinks he’s the shit and is unhappy and wants to move to a bigger club! He get’s told in no uncertain terms that he’s the son of Ragnar Lothbrok and his place is with his fellow brothers and brethren!

Another away day as we travel down the future A1 to Sceaf Utd. We’re totally outplayed in the first half and lucky to go in only 1 nil down at half time. Thankfully we show up for the 2nd half and Ivar gets us level. Chances at both ends but it finishes 1-1. Three 1-1 draws on the bounce is hardly title winning form!

Hopefully we can find some form back at home against Cynsigestun. We’re struggling for goals all of a sudden and it’s 0-0 at the break despite having the better chances. 2nd half comes and goes but Roberts in the QPR goal puts in a MOM performance and its a bore draw.

17th placed Gippeswic arrive in decent form having won 4 of their last 6 games (we’re 2 in 7 with 5 draws). I name an unchanged side hoping that the boys will come good. Ivar bags in the 22nd min to give us our first 1st half goal in 5 games! In the second half we hit the woodwork twice and have a couple of 1 on 1’s which we don’t finish before Gudjohnsen gives us some breathing space scoring late on. Ipswich barely lay a glove on us and win’s a win.

Bjorn is suspended for our trip to Bromleag. Clinton Morrison puts the home team in front, then it goes from bad to worse as Porter extends their lead to put Crystal Palace 2-0 up at half time. Words fail me and I tell the boys it’s up to them to sort out. Morrison grabs his second and Linighan scores late on to hand us our first defeat of the season. Our keeper gets our highest rating of 8 even though they only had 5 shots on target!!! The board decide to chime in telling me its a very poor result. Fair do’s as we were outclassed by a former Premiership team.

I tell the lads to put that result behind them as we travel to Stokeport in the cup. We have all the early chances but it’s Stockport who take the lead through Nash. Wonderboy pegs them straight back to take it to half time at 1-1. Again we have all the early chances in the second half but get suckered on the counter in the 88th minute and that’s us out of the cup. Stokeport…more like Jokeport! They scored 2 from their 3 shots on target, coupled with the last game that’s 6 goals from 8 on target. A chance between the sticks is needed methinks!

Monkwearmouth are in town and have risen to 3rd place in the league. Thorsvedt is back in goal following his injury and I give captain & centre half Karlsen a rest after a few ropey performances. We’re straight out of the blocks and hit the post twice in the first 5 minutes. We then trade blows and its a proper end to end game. Sigurd gives us the lead in the 29th min but Sunderland strike back and score two in 5 mins. They score again in the second half and take all 3 points back to Northumbria.

That takes us into November, Jorvik has officially been captured and as per the rules, I can only name Scandinavian players from here on out (even though I have been all season). We’re still top of the league but only on goal difference as Bristol Rovers have caught us right up. 3 wins, 5 draws and 2 losses will do that to you!

Time to put things right at home to Snotta Inga Ham Forest. Ivar gives us the lead in the 9th min and we have chance after chance to kill the game off but Pascolo is having the game of his life in the Nottingham goal. Ivar grabs his second goal and I make some changes to tighten up at the back, bringing off Gudjohnsen for Karlsen and going 3 at the back. For once it works and we don’t concede within 3 seconds of making the change and take a 2-0 win.

Can we do it on a cold Saturday afternoon in Stoc? You betcha we can! Stoke have a goal disallowed in the 2nd minute and just when I think our luck is changing, Gudjohnsen gets sent off in the 3rd! FFS! Gunnar Halle gives us the lead against the run of play in the 16th min and Ivar finishes them off in the 64th to give us victory on the road. Hopefully we can kick on from here after our recent blip in form!

TREACHERY IN THE CAMP!!! Billy Big Balls Sigurd has been tapping up the Wild Scots in the North and the Germanic Barbarians in Dortmund. He’s had a big club release clause in his contract that I’ve missed and the little Cnut has done a runner. He opts for Rangers and I tell him he best hope that they never meet us in Europe or he’s getting Blood Eagle’d…Ivar, Bjorn & Half Dan will do the honours themselves! The tribunal try to soften the blow by making them pay £6.75mil but that is still below his valuation! I delve straight into the transfer page and luckily Miklos Molnar is interested. I put a bid in and hopefully he can fill the large void left by Sigurds’ departure.

We’ve a home game against Beorma’s Ham. I tell the boys they’ve got to stick to the task at hand and that’s to get us the win and hopefully promotion. With no Sigurd and Frandsen suspended again, Brandal comes in along with Wonderboy. We couldn’t ask for a better start as Wassall gets sent off in the 2nd minute! It doesn’t change anything as Birmingham lead at half time thanks to Peake’s 27th min strike. Brandal equalises following up Ivars blocked shot but Ndlovu has other ideas and grabs himself a brace to give the 10 midlands men the win!

Molnar arrives for the princely sum of £350k and goes straight into the side for the visit of 23rd placed Portesmuda. Gudjohnsen is also suspended so Molnars first game with be behind the front 2 of Ivar and Wonderboy. It’s Ivar who puts us in front in the 12th and Molnar opens his account in the 16th. Both Molnar and Ivar finish with a brace and we run out 4-0 winners. I’ve also gone back to our original centreback pairing of Karlsen and Andersen which might have helped.

We get drawn against Burgh in the FA cup 3rd round.

We travel down to the land of the East Angles next as we visit Norvic. I name an unchanged side hoping that we might click. Norwich score in the 1st and 11th minute in a horrendous start from us. Wonderboy manages to get us in the game but Berg Johansen scores in the 34th to maintain their 2-goal cushion. It stays that way through the second half. We had a couple of chances but they both fell to Halle who put them wide.

That result drops us to second place as Bristol are unrelenting. I’m going to leave it here as the laptop is dangerously close to getting the good news and getting axed to death! Crap results and Sigurd leaving has me wishing I’d never stopped when we were on that 10 game winning streak.

Here’s confirmation of our fall from grace. 15 games and a 9 point swing!

Hopefully we can get our mojo back and actually string some results together to keep us in the running.

Unitl then, Morna!