Myresjö/VetlandaGround: Myrvalla Visits: 2
Date: 25th May 1997 Match: Myresjö - Gunnilse 0-1 (Division 1 Södra) Attendance: 238
Date: 16th October 2011 Match: Myresjö - Kållered 0-0 (Play-off to Division 2) Attendance: 325
Between 1995 and 1997 I lived and worked in Vetlanda in northern Småland. In these parts bandy and speedway are the most popular sports and the best football team in the area have for many years been Myresjö IF. Myresjö is a village south of Vetlanda with a population of around 650 and in the 80s and 90s they played several seasons in Division 1, then the second tier of Swedish football. Being supported by the huge house manufactorer Myresjöhus the club managed to build a decent team. The ground, Myrvalla, is more than decent. Few grounds in Division 2 & 3 in Sweden are as nice as Myrvalla. The West Stand has 540 covered seats, very unusual in Division 2 & 3 to have these facilities. With no running tracks Myrvalla is a proper football and since I didn´t take any pictues when I visited in 1997 it has been a ground I have wanted to revisit for quite a while. With Myresjö dropping down the divisions there hasn´t been many matches interesting for me to attend but this year Myresjö finished 3rd in Division 3 Nordöstra Götaland. They won the first round of the play-off and in the final play-off round they were drawn against Kållered, who finished 10th in Division 2 Västra Götaland.
Last weekend I experienced my worst weather ever at a football match. This October weekend the conditions were much better. It was frost in the morning but a crystal clear sky meant around 10° C and a very nice day to finally revisit Myrvalla. I was at the ground an hour before kick-off and could notice the ground looks exactly the same as it did 14 years ago. When the match finally started neither team could create any really good chances and it was 0-0 at half-time. The second half was better, Myresjö scored from a header but the goal was disallowed for foul on the keeper. In my opinion it was a correct goal but a minute later Kållered a penalty appeal turned downed. It was a dead certain penalty so I guess it was 1-1 in that department. Despite making their best to score that important goal neither Myresjö nor Kållered could find the net and the match finished goalless. I think Myresjö have a very good chance of winning next Saturday and hopefully they will celebrate promotion back to Division 2 when they visit Kållered IP. For me this Saturday was a bit of nostalgia, I haven´t been to these parts since I moved 14 years ago and I couldn´t help thinking what my life would have been like if I had stayed here.
Myrvalla
West Stand
A closer look at the West Stand
North End
East Stand
A closer look..
South End
View of play
Kick-off
West Stand
View of Myrvalla
Players on their way onto the pitch
East Stand
View of Myrvalla
Pano
Pano
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