A few days before the match against Mjällby, experienced coach Magnus Haglund and assistant Pelle Olsson were fired by Halmstad, following a series of losses. Replacement Johan Lindholm, recruited from the club's own leadership, didn't have more than take a seat on the bench before he was forced to see the opponent score. Herman Johansson gave Mjällby the lead after just 39 seconds of play.
"Tough start"
And the home team continued to create scoring opportunities against stressed visitors. After 14 minutes of play, they increased their lead to 2-0, this time with Viktor Gustafson as the last player to touch the ball.
A tough start to the match, against an incredibly good Mjällby. They are fourth with good reason, says Johan Lindholm.
Birnir Snaer Ingason gave his Halmstad a glimmer of hope of taking points home from Blekinge, by beautifully lobbing in a reduction after nearly half an hour of play. The visitors then performed a few good minutes, but were hit by a new cold shower when Elliot Stroud scored 3-1 behind Halmstad's goalkeeper Tim Erlandsson.
The goals come, as they say, psychologically badly, says Lindholm.
Halmstad started the second half much more stable compared to the first, but without managing to create clear scoring opportunities. The entertainment value of the match decreased and Mjällby was seen with full control over the three points at stake. Johan Lindholm made a number of substitutions, but without managing to create any scene change.
I think we have quite good play, considering we've only had two training sessions with the new coach. But we obviously have a lot to improve, says Halmstad midfielder Joel Allansson to TT.
Torstensson back
Mjällby continues to be one of the top teams in a somewhat faltering Allsvenskan table and will soon have their injured head coach Anders Torstensson, who has been affected by cancer, back in full service.
After the upcoming international break, a home match against Elfsborg awaits for a Halmstad in great need of points to secure a new contract. Joel Allansson tells that Johan Lindholm's philosophy differs somewhat compared to previous coaches.
There's quite a big difference, both with and without the ball. Which areas you want to enter and how you want to defend. What we've delivered before hasn't been good enough, says Allansson.
