It was a classic friendly match, with substitutions aplenty, as FC Helsingør on Saturday afternoon beat HIK 3-2 at home in Helsingør.
Throughout the match, FC Helsingør applied high pressure on HIK, and it was most successful in the first half, when there were still many first-team players on the pitch. It was therefore only a little over eight minutes in when Dalton Wilkins dribbled his way brilliantly through on the left side and reached the byline. From there he played a low cross back into the box, where one of today's trialists, Andreas Smed, stood free in the area. Smed finished confidently, and FC Helsingør were ahead.
1-0 FCH
Jeppe Kjær played the first half and was on fire in the 45 minutes he got. The minute after Smed's goal, he was played through by a good pass from Daniel Norouzi and got ahead of his marker. HIK's goalkeeper came out into the box, but Kjær rounded him splendidly and placed the ball past him. Unfortunately, an HIK player had got back into position on the goal line and was able to clear the finish off the line.
But in the 10th minute, that was no longer possible. Kjær was once again sent through, and this time he was alone with one defender and the goalkeeper. Kjær again got away from his marker, and this time he elegantly chipped the ball over the charging goalkeeper, who flailed in vain.
2-0 FCH
Then the small crowd of 250 spectators who had turned up on the fine day thought FC Helsingør might well run away with a big win, but that was not to be. FCH still pressed high, and HIK had trouble getting through the lines. One half-chance after a cross was all the visitors could manage in the first half.
But after 29 minutes, one of today's trialists, Brandon Onkony, committed a penalty in the FCH box, which the referee judged to be an obvious goal-scoring opportunity and a red card. So Onkony had to go to the sideline for the rest of the half, while HIK converted the penalty confidently. FCH did, however, after agreement, bring on HC “Kritte” Bonnesen, so that they would not have to play 10 against 11 in a friendly match-
2-1 HIK
Three minutes later, things went wrong again. An HIK player got into the box, where he was pushed in the back in a duel, and the referee again blew for a penalty to HIK. Once again, HIK penalty taker Christoffer Monty sent the FCH goalkeeper the wrong way and scored with no chance for the FCH keeper.
2-2 HIK
But a little over five minutes before the break, FC Helsingør hit back. Another trialist, Tobias Pedersen, got through on the left side. He played the ball to Jeppe Kjær at the edge of the box. Kjær took one touch, but where most would probably have expected him to finish toward the far corner, as he usually does, he instead unselfishly squared the ball to an onrushing Oliver Kjærgaard, who only had to side-foot it in to score safely. Fine build-up play by FCH.
3-2 FC Helsingør.
The second half was not played at the same pace as the first and was marked by plenty of substitutions on both teams. Substitute Anders Holst had a good run through the middle just over 50 minutes into the game, where he beat two HIK players. Holst finished from just outside the box after cutting inside from the far side, but his fine shot went wide of the post.
Otherwise, the second half was mostly marked by many duels and playing time for several of FCH's U19 talents, as well as minutes in the legs for Carl Lange and Teddy Bergqvist.
Both Teddy and Carl Lange had a couple of half-chances towards the end of the match, but HIK sat deep and defended well in the lines, and so FCH had to “settle” for a one-goal win in the season's first friendly.
The next match in the build-up is against head coach Morten Eskesen's former employer, the Superliga side Randers FC. It is away in Randers, and the match will be played on 15 August.
FCH: C. Monty, J. Henriksen, B. Onkony (Trialist)(HC Bonnesen ’30), N. Hansen, D. Wilkins, O. Kjærgaard, D. Norouzi, F. Christensen, T. Pedersen (trialist), J. Kjær, A. Smed (trialist)
2. Half: F. Rej-Rosenqvist, M. Christensen, B. Onkony, HC Bonnesen, D. Wilkins (T. ChristiansenU19 60’), E. Just, A. Holst, O. Kjærgaard (Holze U19 60’), T.Pedersen (C. Lange 70’) A. Smed (A. Ementa U19 70’), T. Bergqvist.
Photo: Claus Birch, clausbirch.dk
