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| VSU lay ghost of 19 seasons ago |
After two consecutive draws had slowed their momentum in Division 1a, Viking South Utsira reignited their push for the promised land of the Xpert Ladies top flight with one of their best performances of the season this Tuesday.
The trip to Spearwives of Ygritte is always a tough one, Viking not having won at the Fist of the First Women since their inaugural visit back in June 2018. And that game, in the very same division nineteen seasons ago, on the closing day of the Blood Eagles' maiden campaign at this level of the pyramid, has gone down in infamy on Utsira. VSU pulled out a shock 2-0 victory over the always powerful Ygritte, thanks to a quickfire double late in the first half from Loba Deparvada and Heidi Hovland, which saw them finish the term with an identical record to the Spearwives and sneak ahead of them by 1 on goal difference.
Coupled with other results in a hugely competitive division falling their way, it meant VelvetAndroid's side ended up snatching 2nd place at the last -- an outcome so unexpected Android did not even check the final standings for three days. By which time his unguided team had already played and, inevitably, lost their playoff to reach the top tier.
That monumental lapse proved to be the first, closest and only brush with reaching the Xpert Ladies' highest level. The following season VSU finished three points back from 2nd, with the Spearwives romping to the title, and the one after that they were relegated. Five seasons later they had slumped to the fifth tier, and it took a further seven to fight their way back to Division 1. Now, after five consecutive midtable finishes in Divs 1b and 1a, Android and his team were at last in a position again to stake their claim to a place among the elite after going 7-3-0 from their first 10 games this term.
Having stalemated with closest rivals Queers United a fortnight back, then lost key defender Ylva Hovland to injury last week in a home draw with Badalhocas where they threw away a two-goal lead, Viking's momentum was wobbling however. And when Elza Klovning took a knock early on at the Fist this week there was a collective intake of breath around the away end. She hobbled on, though, and just when it looked like neither side would blink before the interval the Spearwives' defence cracked with a minute to go, Gabriela Klovning slaloming through to slot an opener past Saoirse McNamara.
The Blood Eagles tightened their grip on the contest as the second half wore on, but were unable to consolidate the lead -- until, once again with a minute to go and Ygritte pushing for an equaliser to solidify their place in midtable, Irja Klovning broke away and beat McNamara to replicate that result from back in Season 51 and secure a huge win for Viking.
With Queers thrashing Badalhocas the gap at the top remains 5 points and VSU's goal-difference advantage has been slashed to 2. Yet elsewhere a ludicrous twist of fate was occurring, with 3rd-placed The Norfolk Broads reaching the 92nd minute a player down but two goals up at 5th-placed Laholms FK, only to somehow concede twice deep in stoppage time and see two vital points slip down the drain. It means that Viking are now 9 points clear of the Broads with only 9 left to play for, meaning that they are all but assured a top-2 finish no matter what happens on the run-in. And perhaps a ghost or two from 19 campaigns ago have finally been laid to rest.
The final push begins the day after tomorrow then, with a visit from a presumably buoyant Laholms who have edged themselves 2 points clear of the dropzone after that astonishing last-gasp comeback. After that comes a trip to winless bottom club Anarcho-Capitalists, whose relegation was mathematically confirmed after they failed to beat second-bottom Alafors LC this week, and then the final regular-season fixture follows at home to Alafors whose own demotion or survival may well still be at stake.
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