Monday 13th March
The game between Sandefjord and Malmo had been eagerly anticipated as I knew Saloman Toure & Pape Pate Diouf would be in the stands watching, maybe a good performance would help them with coming to a decision. I took charge of the match with Anders aiding me in the team-talk before the game, we told the players to relax and enjoy the run out as we knew they’d all of been disappointed with the result against Follo. I was interested to see how both strikers, Junior and Pode would react to the news spreading fast around the club that Diouf may be signing a deal with us. Hoping for a positive affect on the team, I took my place in the dugout and urged the team on.
Sandefjord started brightly and rattled the post within the first 5 minutes, I glanced at Anders as he leapt out of the dugout to sort out the defence. We managed to gain more momentum and had a header from Pode flick off the top of the bar. Then the deadlock was broken after 24 minutes, Jonathan Johansson the former Charlton man punished Sandefjords defensive frailties and slipped it past a helpless Vegerd Berg. 7 minutes later I was off the bench again in celebration as Daniel Andersson thumped home a 25-yard screamer, we were in a commanding lead, I was determined not to have the same outcome as the Follo game. We went in at half-time Sandefjord 0 Malmo 2, I told the players I was pleased with their performance but reminded them of what happened against Follo.
The second half started and Sandefjord had a shot cleared off the line by Christian Jardler, we were living dangerously. I began to make changes 60 minutes in to the match, I’d learnt from my last game not to make wholesale changes, as this was my downfall in my previous friendly. My defensive pairing of Olof Persson and Jon Inge Hoiland had played solid all game and except for an early scare never looked like conceding. I slowed the tempo of the game down and Leutrim Jasiqi tapped in the third on the counter-attack, the 16-year-old deserved his goal, I’d be keeping an eye on him. The full-time whistle went, it finished Sandefjord 0 Malmo 3. I went back to my hotel room happy that I’d got my first win, albeit a friendly game. | 
