It was a match where FC Helsingør had to fight for every meter, and where Hvidovre pressed well for large parts of the match, but where FCH's physical edge and good substitutions decided the match at the very end, and secured FC Helsingør a place in the top-six round, and thereby also secured that the Helsingør team are assured of a new season in 1. Division next year.
However, in the first quarter of an hour it was the home team that put tremendous pressure on the visitors from Hvidovre. Both Lucas Haren and Nicklas Mouritsen delivered good crosses, but Hvidovre defended well.
But when we passed eight minutes, FC Helsingør got the first big chances. First Philip Rejnhold carried the ball up the pitch, and from a position on the right side of the box the right-back sent a sneaky shot toward the far corner, which goalkeeper Filip Djukic managed to tip just over the junction of the post and crossbar. And seconds later Anders Holst fired a thunderous shot toward the far post, but just wide.
Just before we reached a quarter of an hour, Hvidovre got their first chance, and it was a big one. Mikkel Nøhr drove up the left wing in a counterattack and played a fine cross to the near post. Oscar Buch was quite free there, and the forward got up well to meet his header. But he sent the ball just over the goal.
That gave Hvidovre a bit more blood in their teeth, and a period followed where the teams were more even, and the game flowed between the two penalty areas. But neither team could deliver the decisive blow. The closest came from Lucas Haren, after Callum McCowatt won a second ball and sent Nicklas Mouritsen through. Mouritsen played Lucas Haren with a cutback, and Haren finished with a delicate left-footed shot that caught Djukic on the wrong foot, but unfortunately also hit the inside of the post and went back into play. A sublime finish from Haren, who had deserved better.
Hvidovre were, however, looking for quick counterattacks, and had a couple of half-dangerous efforts wide of the goal, which did not really test Kevin Stuhr Ellegaard in goal.
In the 37th minute, Callum McCowatt came close. Oliver Kjærgaard made a good dribble up the middle and threaded the ball to McCowatt at exactly the right moment. However, McCowatt had on a "trench coat," in the form of a big Hvidovre defender, and under heavy pressure Callum's otherwise fine finish went straight at Djukic in goal.
In the last ten minutes of the first half, Hvidovre were in charge of most of it, and the visitors managed to play around the FCH press, but there were no goals, and the teams went into halftime with 0-0 on the scoreboard.
The second half began as the first ended, with a high press from Hvidovre, and a Helsingør team that was a bit on its heels. FC Helsingør's defense, however, stood firm, and the very big chances failed to materialize. It was only when a well-playing Oliver Kjærgaard or hard-working Callum McCowatt got the ball that there was danger brewing from the home side. But far too often Hvidovre's defense got back into position before McCowatt or Kjærgaard could find a teammate in the box.
After 62 minutes the coaching staff acted and made three substitutions in an attempt to get a bit more pace in the feet of the home side. Eli Just, Liam Jordan and David Boysen replaced Callum McCowatt, Lucas Haren and Anders Holst.
Five minutes later came the first shot of the second half. Liam Jordan received a good ball in the middle, took a nice touch, and burst past two men centrally. Jordan reached the edge of the area and sent a dangerous shot on goal, but it went just over the crossbar.
There was more energy in FCH's play, and up to the 75th minute FCH swarmed around Hvidovre's box. Liam Jordan and Philip Rejnhold produced several good crosses, and from one cross from Rejnhold it was close to Nicolai Geertsen, who had crept forward, being able to slide the ball into the net. But his finish went just wide.
In the 81th minute David Boysen came close. Frederik Juul won the ball centrally and drifted out to the right wing. Juul sent in a good ball in front of goal, where Boysen struck it first time. But Djukic was alert, pulled off a big save, and sent the ball onto the post. A superb finish from Boysen.
But toward the end of the match Hvidovre dropped deeper and deeper on the pitch, and in the 87th minute it could no longer hold for the visitors. Eli Just found Nicklas Mouritsen, who played a flat cross to Liam Jordan, who got to the ball first among friends and foes and calmly put it away.
1-0 FC Helsingør
And just as stoppage time began, Liam Jordan drove through centrally and played a perfect through ball to Elijah Just on the left wing. Eli had shaken off his marker, cut into the box with the ball and slotted it ice-cold past Djukic for the goal that definitively closed the match and secured FC Helsingør a place in the top-six round.
The final task in the regular season is away against Skive next Friday at 19.00
FCH: K. Ellegaard, N. Mouritsen, N. Hansen, N. Geertsen, P. Rejnhold, F. Juul Christensen, D. Norouzi, A. Holst (’62 E. Just), O. Kjærgaard (77′ F. Bay), L. Haren (62′ L. Jordan), C. McCowatt (62′ D: Boysen)
Photo: Claus Birch, clausbirch.dk
