12 Oct 2027
Tuesday
Process
63 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

11 Oct 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Market

Sturla Ottesen puts it in writing

“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Lillestrom, and it is not being withdrawn.

Squad

Lillestrom count the cost of losing Stefan Hagerup

152 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.

Squad

Camil Jebara signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Camil Jebara commits to Lillestrom for another 3 years.

Player ratings

Kevin Krygård shuts the door

Defensive actions: 21, and a clean sheet at the end of it. A centre-half's best afternoons look like nothing happening, which is precisely the point.

Squad

Sander Moen Foss in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Lillestrom this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Felix Vá

Marked 8.87 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.

Match

Felix Vá sends Lillestrom past Molde

It finished 2‑0, and it was Felix Vá’s afternoon: on the scoresheet when it mattered, and the reason the points belong to Lillestrom.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Thomas Lehne Olsen

Marked 8.33 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.

Player ratings

A defender's afternoon for Lars Ranger

Defensive actions: 19. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.

In brief

Back issues
62 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

4 Oct 2027
From our football correspondent Crisis

Boardroom

The silence upstairs is getting loud at Lillestrom

Nobody on the board has said anything against the manager, which is the point — they have stopped saying anything for him either.

Squad

Marius Nordal keeps the receipts

“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Lillestrom may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.

Player ratings

Espen Garnås shuts the door

Defensive actions: 24, and a clean sheet at the end of it. A centre-half's best afternoons look like nothing happening, which is precisely the point.

Squad

Thomas Lehne Olsen signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Thomas Lehne Olsen commits to Lillestrom for another 2 years.

Squad

Kevin Krygård in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Lillestrom this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Loan watch

14 goals on loan for Kparobo Arierhi

20 appearances at Kalmar FF and the goals keep coming. Lillestrom are watching this more closely than the borrowing club would like.

Match

Thomas Lehne Olsen the difference as Lillestrom beat Rosenborg

Ask anyone on the way out what separated the sides and you will get one name: Thomas Lehne Olsen. 2‑0 against Rosenborg, and the applause at the whistle was mostly his.

Player ratings

A defender's afternoon for Kevin Krygård

Defensive actions: 20. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Thomas Lehne Olsen

Marked 8.55 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.

In brief

61 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

27 Sep 2027
From our football correspondent Crisis

Match

15 matches without a win for Lillestrom

The run now stands at 15, and the questions being asked around Lillestrom are no longer polite ones.

Market

Przemysław Tytoń asks to leave Lillestrom

“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.

Player ratings

Markus Wæhler runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 26. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

Squad

Przemysław Tytoń wants to go home

“I have given this everything, but my family is not here and neither am I, not really.” A footballer can be coached out of bad form. Nobody has ever been coached out of this, and Lillestrom know it.

Squad

Tempers go at Lillestrom

Kevin Krygård was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Player ratings

Thomas Lehne Olsen in the eights

A performance of 8.44 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

Squad

Przemysław Tytoń left out for the big one

A player who expected to start watched it instead. The manager will call it a decision for the team; Przemysław Tytoń will call it something else in private.

Match

Thomas Lehne Olsen rescues a point for Lillestrom

It needed Thomas Lehne Olsen to find the net to bring anything home at all: 1‑1 against Stabaek, and half the dressing room will call it a point won.

Squad

Markus Wæhler gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

In brief

60 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

20 Sep 2027
From our football correspondent Crisis

Match

14 matches without a win for Lillestrom

The run now stands at 14, and the questions being asked around Lillestrom are no longer polite ones.

Match

Lillestrom are in real trouble now

Position 16, 12 points, and a fixture list with fewer games left in it than excuses. The arithmetic is not cruel yet, but it has stopped being kind.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Felix Vá

Successful dribbles: 24. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Squad

Tempers go at Lillestrom

Sander Moen Foss was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Match

A bad afternoon for Lillestrom against Stromsgodset

0‑1 to Stromsgodset, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.

Loan watch

13 goals on loan for Kparobo Arierhi

18 appearances at Kalmar FF and the goals keep coming. Lillestrom are watching this more closely than the borrowing club would like.

Squad

Markus Wæhler stays put

“The easiest signature of my career.” Markus Wæhler and Lillestrom agree another 5 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.

Squad

No hiding place for Andrija Drljo

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Andrija Drljo, and the manager let it.

Squad

The team sheet said everything about Sander Moen Foss

Warm-up bib, ninety minutes of watching, and a handshake at the end that fooled nobody. Big matches tell you who a manager trusts; this one told Sander Moen Foss.

In brief

59 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

13 Sep 2027
From our football correspondent Crisis

Match

No end in sight to Lillestrom's wait for a win

13 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Lillestrom has to find a result from somewhere.

Market

Sturla Ottesen hands in a written request

“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Lillestrom can pretend not to have heard.

Squad

Tempers go at Lillestrom

Kevin Krygård was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Squad

Terry Benjamin stays put

“The easiest signature of my career.” Terry Benjamin and Lillestrom agree another 4 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Thomas Lehne Olsen

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Match

Lillestrom come up short against Viking

Viking left with the points after a 0‑1 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.

In brief

58 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

6 Sep 2027
From our football correspondent Crisis

Match

The wait goes on for Lillestrom

12 without a win now, and the ground has developed the special quiet of a crowd that expects the worst. One scrappy 1-0 would cure most of it; that is the maddening part.

Boardroom

The scrutiny sharpens at Lillestrom

Nobody upstairs has said anything, which is the loudest thing they could do. Results buy silence in this game; the account at Lillestrom is running low.

Boardroom

Lillestrom put Sander Linnes on notice

The board have said in public what they had been saying in private. Results between now and the next meeting decide it, and everybody in the building knows the arithmetic.

Squad

Kevin Krygård in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Lillestrom this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Match

A bad afternoon for Lillestrom against Sarpsborg 08

1‑2 to Sarpsborg 08, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Felix Vá

Marked 8.64 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.

Player ratings

Camil Jebara runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 18. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

Squad

No hiding place for Lars Ranger

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Lars Ranger, and the manager let it.

Squad

Felix Vá is carrying Lillestrom

6 goals and a season average of 7.26. Form like that gets noticed well beyond this town.

In brief

57 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

30 Aug 2027
From our football correspondent Crisis

Match

No end in sight to Lillestrom's wait for a win

11 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Lillestrom has to find a result from somewhere.

Player ratings

Felix Vá runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 24. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

Squad

Felix Vá in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Lillestrom this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Match

A bad afternoon for Lillestrom against Haugesund

0‑1 to Haugesund, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.

Loan watch

12 goals on loan for Kparobo Arierhi

17 appearances at Kalmar FF and the goals keep coming. Lillestrom are watching this more closely than the borrowing club would like.

Squad

No hiding place for Frederik Elkær

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Frederik Elkær, and the manager let it.

Squad

Ruben Gabrielsen asks for a word with the manager

“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.

Player ratings

Thomas Lehne Olsen keeps on missing

Shots: 6, not one of them in. A centre forward is paid for one thing, and on this evidence he has forgotten which thing it is.

Market

Window shut, Sturla Ottesen still here

Lillestrom spent the window trying to move Sturla Ottesen on and nobody came. He trains with a squad that has already told him he is not part of it, and both sides now wait for the next one.

In brief

56 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

23 Aug 2027
From our football correspondent Crisis

Match

The wait goes on for Lillestrom

10 without a win now, and the ground has developed the special quiet of a crowd that expects the worst. One scrappy 1-0 would cure most of it; that is the maddening part.

Match

Lillestrom are in real trouble now

Position 16, 12 points, and a fixture list with fewer games left in it than excuses. The arithmetic is not cruel yet, but it has stopped being kind.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Felix Vá

Successful dribbles: 25. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Squad

Tempers go at Lillestrom

Felix Vá was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Squad

No hiding place for Przemysław Tytoń

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Przemysław Tytoń, and the manager let it.

Match

A bad afternoon for Lillestrom against Mjondalen

0‑1 to Mjondalen, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.

Squad

Ruben Gabrielsen knocks on the manager’s door

“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Ruben Gabrielsen trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.

Squad

A season on the outside for Andrija Drljo

He trains hard, says the right things and goes home to an empty flat. Nobody at Lillestrom has done anything wrong, which is exactly what makes it so difficult to fix.

Market

The Lars Ranger question follows Lillestrom around

Every press conference now starts and ends the same way: with Lars Ranger’s future. The manager has run out of new ways to say nothing.

In brief

55 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

16 Aug 2027
From our football correspondent Crisis

Match

No end in sight to Lillestrom's wait for a win

9 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Lillestrom has to find a result from somewhere.

Market

Sturla Ottesen asks to leave Lillestrom

“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Felix Vá

Successful dribbles: 29. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Squad

Stefan Hagerup: that is not what I was promised

“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Lillestrom have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Squad

Tempers go at Lillestrom

Kevin Krygård was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Match

Odd take the points off Lillestrom

Beaten 1‑3, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.

Player ratings

One of those days for Thomas Lehne Olsen

There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.47, and no argument anywhere in the ground.

Squad

Lucas Svenningsen signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Lucas Svenningsen commits to Lillestrom for another 5 years.

Market

Lillestrom sign Marius Nordal, one for the future

Marius Nordal is 20, and Lillestrom have signed him for the player he will be rather than the one he is. The first team can wait; the point of a deal like this is the years it buys.

In brief

54 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

9 Aug 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Match

The wait goes on for Lillestrom

8 without a win now, and the ground has developed the special quiet of a crowd that expects the worst. One scrappy 1-0 would cure most of it; that is the maddening part.

Market

Sander Marthinussen is a Lillestrom player

The fee is $280.0K, the contract is signed, and the argument about whether he is worth it can begin. Mjondalen drove a hard bargain; time will say who won it.

Squad

Tempers go at Lillestrom

Sander Moen Foss was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Player ratings

One of those days for Felix Vá

There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 9.10, and no argument anywhere in the ground.

Player ratings

One of those days for Thomas Lehne Olsen

There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.50, and no argument anywhere in the ground.

Squad

Stefan Hagerup stays put

“The easiest signature of my career.” Stefan Hagerup and Lillestrom agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.

Squad

Pontus Dahlberg lets one through his hands

A defender's mistake gets tidied up by somebody else; a goalkeeper's ends up in the net. He knew before the ball crossed the line, and so did everybody in the ground.

Loan watch

Armand Wangen has seen enough of Sarpsborg 08

“I am grateful for the games, but I did not become a footballer to be somebody else's spare part.” He wants to be at Lillestrom, and 6 appearances in 25 say he has earned the hearing.

Loan watch

The goals keep arriving from Kparobo Arierhi’s exile

10 goals in 14 games at Kalmar FF — numbers that travel home faster than he does. Somebody at Lillestrom updates a spreadsheet every Monday, and it makes better reading each week.

In brief

53 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

2 Aug 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Match

7 matches without a win for Lillestrom

The run now stands at 7, and the questions being asked around Lillestrom are no longer polite ones.

Squad

Kevin Núñez keeps the receipts

“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Lillestrom may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.

Player ratings

Felix Vá runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 23. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

Market

Lillestrom sell Elscha Furaha for $950.0K

Elscha Furaha has left for Tromso in a $950.0K deal. The accountants are pleased; the supporters are less certain.

Squad

Tempers go at Lillestrom

Kevin Krygård was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Market

Vicente Vergara is a Lillestrom player again

He left as a boy and has come back still knowing where the away end is. Most signings have to be explained to a town; this one needed a photograph and nothing else.

Loan watch

Salieu Drammeh wants to come home

“I did not go to Stabaek to sit and watch. I want to come back to Lillestrom and fight for my place.” 5 appearances in 17 matches say the rest.

Player ratings

One of those days for Espen Garnås

There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.63, and no argument anywhere in the ground.

Market

Lillestrom sign Vetle Holtung, one for the future

Vetle Holtung is 20, and Lillestrom have signed him for the player he will be rather than the one he is. The first team can wait; the point of a deal like this is the years it buys.

In brief

52 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

26 Jul 2027
From our football correspondent Crisis

Match

Lillestrom sink to position 16

10 points, and a fixture list that is running out. The mathematics are not yet cruel, but they are no longer kind.

Match

6 matches without a win for Lillestrom

The run now stands at 6, and the questions being asked around Lillestrom are no longer polite ones.

Squad

Kevin Krygård in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Lillestrom this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Match

Tromso take the points off Lillestrom

Beaten 0‑2, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.

Player ratings

Felix Vá runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 19. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

Squad

No hiding place for Lars Ranger

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Lars Ranger, and the manager let it.

Player ratings

A day to forget for Filip Reshane

Marked 5.70, and generously at that. Nothing came off, and by the end the crowd had stopped expecting it to.

Market

The Lars Ranger question follows Lillestrom around

Every press conference now starts and ends the same way: with Lars Ranger’s future. The manager has run out of new ways to say nothing.

Squad

Camil Jebara knocks on the manager's door

“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Lillestrom, and both men came out saying it was fine.

In brief

51 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

19 Jul 2027
From our football correspondent Crisis

Match

A derby to forget for Lillestrom

Beaten 2‑3 by Valerenga in the one fixture where losing is not allowed. The football was bad enough; the week ahead will be worse.

Market

Sturla Ottesen puts it in writing

“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Lillestrom, and it is not being withdrawn.

Squad

A one-man rearguard from Stefan Hagerup

There were 7 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.

Match

5 matches without a win for Lillestrom

The run now stands at 5, and the questions being asked around Lillestrom are no longer polite ones.

Squad

Tempers go at Lillestrom

Kevin Krygård was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Player ratings

One of those days for Felix Vá

There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 9.02, and no argument anywhere in the ground.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Thomas Lehne Olsen

Marked 8.43 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.

Squad

No hiding place for Ruben Gabrielsen

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Ruben Gabrielsen, and the manager let it.

Loan watch

Terry Benjamin counts the days

“I watch every Lillestrom game from here. That says everything about where my head is.” The loan at SonderjyskE runs its course, but his heart never made the trip.

In brief

50 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

12 Jul 2027
From our football correspondent Crisis

Squad

Lillestrom count the cost of losing Przemysław Tytoń

28 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.

Match

The wait goes on for Lillestrom

4 without a win now, and the ground has developed the special quiet of a crowd that expects the worst. One scrappy 1-0 would cure most of it; that is the maddening part.

Squad

Kevin Krygård in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Lillestrom this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Match

Bodo/Glimt take the points off Lillestrom

Beaten 0‑1, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.

Player ratings

Eric Kitolano runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 16. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

Loan watch

Armand Wangen counts the days

“I watch every Lillestrom game from here. That says everything about where my head is.” The loan at Sarpsborg 08 runs its course, but his heart never made the trip.

In brief

49 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

5 Jul 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Player ratings

Felix Vá runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 28. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

Squad

Tempers go at Lillestrom

Kevin Krygård was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Player ratings

Kevin Krygård shuts the door

Defensive actions: 22, and a clean sheet at the end of it. A centre-half's best afternoons look like nothing happening, which is precisely the point.

Squad

No hiding place for Thomas Lehne Olsen

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Thomas Lehne Olsen, and the manager let it.

Squad

Elscha Furaha named player of the month

The award goes to Elscha Furaha, and nobody around here is inclined to argue with the choice.

Player ratings

The afternoon belonged to Sturla Ottesen

A mark of 7.61, and nobody in the ground would argue with it. He was involved in everything that mattered and most of what did not.

Match

Lillestrom and Aalesund cancel each other out

Nil-nil, and few chances worth the name. Aalesund came to defend and left with exactly what they came for.

Squad

Espen Garnås knocks on the manager's door

“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Lillestrom, and both men came out saying it was fine.

Loan watch

Kparobo Arierhi keeps scoring at Kalmar FF

10 appearances away from home and 6 goals to show for them. Every one of them makes next summer's conversation a little more expensive.

In brief

48 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

28 Jun 2027
From our football correspondent Crisis

Match

Lillestrom sink to position 14

9 points, and a fixture list that is running out. The mathematics are not yet cruel, but they are no longer kind.

Squad

Efe Lucky keeps the receipts

“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Lillestrom may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.

Match

A bad afternoon for Lillestrom against Molde

0‑1 to Molde, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.

Squad

Lillestrom lose Pontus Dahlberg

37 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.

Squad

Tempers go at Lillestrom

Frederik Elkær was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Player ratings

Felix Vá runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 16. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

In brief

47 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

21 Jun 2027
From our football correspondent Crisis

Squad

Tempers go at Lillestrom

Kevin Krygård was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Match

Rosenborg take the points off Lillestrom

Beaten 3‑4, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Felix Vá

Successful dribbles: 19. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Player ratings

Eric Kitolano in the eights

A performance of 8.50 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

Squad

Sander Moen Foss gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Squad

Eric Kitolano finally opens his account

He wheeled away like a man who had been carrying it for months, because he had. Lillestrom have their signing off the mark and one press-conference question retired.

In brief

46 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

14 Jun 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Lillestrom lose Przemysław Tytoń

61 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.

Squad

Kevin Krygård in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Lillestrom this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Felix Vá

Marked 9.05 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.

Match

Thomas Lehne Olsen the difference as Lillestrom beat Stabaek

Ask anyone on the way out what separated the sides and you will get one name: Thomas Lehne Olsen. 2‑1 against Stabaek, and the applause at the whistle was mostly his.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Thomas Lehne Olsen

Marked 8.85 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.

Player ratings

Eric Kitolano runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 19. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

Loan watch

Armand Wangen has seen enough of Sarpsborg 08

“I am grateful for the games, but I did not become a footballer to be somebody else's spare part.” He wants to be at Lillestrom, and 1 appearances in 17 say he has earned the hearing.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Efe Lucky

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Squad

Linus Alperud knocks on the manager’s door

“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Linus Alperud trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.

In brief

45 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

7 Jun 2027
From our football correspondent Crisis

Match

12 matches without a win for Lillestrom

The run now stands at 12, and the questions being asked around Lillestrom are no longer polite ones.

Player ratings

Felix Vá runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 24. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

Market

Eyes on Terry Benjamin again

The phone has started ringing about Terry Benjamin again, and this time the name on the line is AGF. Lillestrom are listening politely and promising nothing.

Squad

Tempers go at Lillestrom

Lars Ranger was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Loan watch

Salieu Drammeh wants to come home

“I did not go to Stabaek to sit and watch. I want to come back to Lillestrom and fight for my place.” 2 appearances in 9 matches say the rest.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Sturla Ottesen

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Match

A bad afternoon for Lillestrom against Stromsgodset

0‑1 to Stromsgodset, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.

Loan watch

The goals keep arriving from Kparobo Arierhi’s exile

6 goals in 10 games at Kalmar FF — numbers that travel home faster than he does. Somebody at Lillestrom updates a spreadsheet every Monday, and it makes better reading each week.

Player ratings

A day to forget for Terry Benjamin

Marked 5.31, and generously at that. Nothing came off, and by the end the crowd had stopped expecting it to.

In brief

44 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

31 May 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Match

The wait goes on for Lillestrom

11 without a win now, and the ground has developed the special quiet of a crowd that expects the worst. One scrappy 1-0 would cure most of it; that is the maddening part.

Squad

Pontus Dahlberg keeps the receipts

“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Lillestrom may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.

Squad

Kevin Krygård in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Lillestrom this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

Pontus Dahlberg out for 72 days

The medical room confirms 72 days on the sidelines for Pontus Dahlberg, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Thomas Lehne Olsen

Marked 8.35 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.

Squad

No hiding place for Lars Ranger

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Lars Ranger, and the manager let it.

In brief

43 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

24 May 2027
From our football correspondent Crisis

Match

The wait goes on for Lillestrom

10 without a win now, and the ground has developed the special quiet of a crowd that expects the worst. One scrappy 1-0 would cure most of it; that is the maddening part.

Player ratings

Felix Vá runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 27. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

Squad

Tempers go at Lillestrom

Kevin Krygård was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Match

Lillestrom come up short against Sarpsborg 08

Sarpsborg 08 left with the points after a 1‑2 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.

Player ratings

Sander Moen Foss in the eights

A performance of 8.59 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

Squad

No hiding place for Julián Benítez

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Julián Benítez, and the manager let it.

Player ratings

Thomas Lehne Olsen keeps on missing

Shots: 8, not one of them in. A centre forward is paid for one thing, and on this evidence he has forgotten which thing it is.

Squad

Sander Moen Foss is off the mark for Lillestrom

The first one is the one every signing is asked about until it arrives. It has arrived, and he can stop being asked.

Player ratings

A day to forget for Markus Wæhler

Marked 5.80, and generously at that. Nothing came off, and by the end the crowd had stopped expecting it to.

In brief

42 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

17 May 2027
From our football correspondent Crisis

Match

The wait goes on for Lillestrom

9 without a win now, and the ground has developed the special quiet of a crowd that expects the worst. One scrappy 1-0 would cure most of it; that is the maddening part.

Squad

Julián Benítez: that is not what I was promised

“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Lillestrom have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Squad

Lillestrom lose Przemysław Tytoń

93 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.

Player ratings

Felix Vá runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 22. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

Squad

Lillestrom count the cost of losing Espen Garnås

32 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.

Match

Thomas Lehne Olsen’s goal not enough for Lillestrom

Thomas Lehne Olsen scored, and precious little else went right: 1‑2 to Haugesund, and a quiet walk to the dressing room.

Squad

No hiding place for Kevin Krygård

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Kevin Krygård, and the manager let it.

Player ratings

Thomas Lehne Olsen in the eights

A performance of 8.55 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

Loan watch

Armand Wangen counts the days

“I watch every Lillestrom game from here. That says everything about where my head is.” The loan at Sarpsborg 08 runs its course, but his heart never made the trip.

In brief

41 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

10 May 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Match

Lillestrom out of the cup

Odd ended it 2‑2. The season narrows to the league now, and everyone in the ground knew it before the final whistle.

Match

No end in sight to Lillestrom's wait for a win

8 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Lillestrom has to find a result from somewhere.

Squad

Stefan Hagerup decides it from twelve yards

1 kept out in the shoot-out, and a stadium that will still be describing them in twenty years. A goalkeeper only needs one of these to be remembered forever.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Felix Vá

Successful dribbles: 28. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Player ratings

A defender's afternoon for Sander Moen Foss

Defensive actions: 24. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.

Squad

Tempers go at Lillestrom

Kevin Krygård was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Match

Still nobody has beaten Lillestrom

The unbeaten run reaches 6. Some of them were wins and some were escapes, but a side that refuses to lose is a side other dressing rooms talk about.

Player ratings

A defender's afternoon for Kevin Krygård

Defensive actions: 21. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.

Player ratings

Markus Wæhler in the eights

A performance of 8.39 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

In brief

40 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

3 May 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Match

The wait goes on for Lillestrom

6 without a win now, and the ground has developed the special quiet of a crowd that expects the worst. One scrappy 1-0 would cure most of it; that is the maddening part.

Squad

Kevin Krygård in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Lillestrom this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

Pontus Dahlberg out for 105 days

The medical room confirms 105 days on the sidelines for Pontus Dahlberg, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.

Player ratings

Felix Vá in the eights

A performance of 8.65 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Thomas Lehne Olsen

Marked 8.57 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Sander Moen Foss

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

In brief

39 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

26 Apr 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Sander Moen Foss: that is not what I was promised

“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Lillestrom have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Match

No end in sight to Lillestrom's wait for a win

5 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Lillestrom has to find a result from somewhere.

Player ratings

Felix Vá runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 22. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

Squad

Sander Moen Foss in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Lillestrom this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Player ratings

Thomas Lehne Olsen in the eights

A performance of 8.64 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Terry Benjamin

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

In brief

38 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

19 Apr 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Lillestrom lose Przemysław Tytoń

125 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.

Match

No end in sight to Lillestrom's wait for a win

4 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Lillestrom has to find a result from somewhere.

Squad

Lillestrom lose Espen Garnås

67 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.

Squad

Tempers go at Lillestrom

Kevin Krygård was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Camil Jebara

Successful dribbles: 20. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Thomas Lehne Olsen

Marked 8.09 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.

Squad

Pontus Dahlberg lets one through his hands

A defender's mistake gets tidied up by somebody else; a goalkeeper's ends up in the net. He knew before the ball crossed the line, and so did everybody in the ground.

Loan watch

Armand Wangen wants to come home

“I did not go to Sarpsborg 08 to sit and watch. I want to come back to Lillestrom and fight for my place.” 0 appearances in 9 matches say the rest.

Match

Lillestrom share the spoils with IK Start

A 1‑1 draw with IK Start leaves the dressing room somewhere between relief and regret.

In brief

37 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

12 Apr 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Ruben Gabrielsen out for 45 days

The medical room confirms 45 days on the sidelines for Ruben Gabrielsen, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.

Squad

Kevin Krygård in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Lillestrom this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Market

As if he never left: Hakon Singh returns

Some transfers need a press campaign. This one needed a shirt with the old number on it. Hakon Singh is a Lillestrom player again, and the town has its story of the summer.

Market

Patrick Sorloth is a Lillestrom player again

He left as a boy and has come back still knowing where the away end is. Most signings have to be explained to a town; this one needed a photograph and nothing else.

Market

As if he never left: Bjorn Linnes returns

Some transfers need a press campaign. This one needed a shirt with the old number on it. Bjorn Linnes is a Lillestrom player again, and the town has its story of the summer.

Market

As if he never left: Erling Hauge returns

Some transfers need a press campaign. This one needed a shirt with the old number on it. Erling Hauge is a Lillestrom player again, and the town has its story of the summer.

Player ratings

One of those days for Felix Vá

There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.62, and no argument anywhere in the ground.

Player ratings

Eric Kitolano runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 18. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

Match

Lillestrom share the spoils with Tromso

A 1‑1 draw with Tromso leaves the dressing room somewhere between relief and regret.

In brief

36 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

5 Apr 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Tempers go at Lillestrom

Lars Ranger was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Squad

Przemysław Tytoń keeps his manager's vote

The message was aimed at the stands as much as the dressing room: Przemysław Tytoń plays, and the argument is closed until the manager decides otherwise.

Market

Salieu Drammeh goes out on loan

The minutes were not coming at Lillestrom, so he will look for them at Stabaek. Everybody involved calls it development; for the player it is simply a chance to play.

In brief

35 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

29 Mar 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Market

Lillestrom turn down Orebro for Terry Benjamin

The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.

Squad

Kevin Krygård in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Lillestrom this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Market

Eyes on Salieu Drammeh again

The phone has started ringing about Salieu Drammeh again, and this time the name on the line is Stabaek. Lillestrom are listening politely and promising nothing.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Sander Moen Foss

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Squad

Salieu Drammeh knocks on the manager’s door

“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Salieu Drammeh trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.

Squad

Juan Estrada still has not settled

A year in and the language has not come, the city has not opened up, and he eats alone more often than anybody at Lillestrom would like to admit. It is showing on Saturdays.

In brief

34 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

22 Mar 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Espen Garnås out for 98 days

The medical room confirms 98 days on the sidelines for Espen Garnås, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.

Squad

Tempers go at Lillestrom

Kevin Krygård was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Squad

Lucas Svenningsen signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Lucas Svenningsen commits to Lillestrom for another 4 years.

In brief

33 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

15 Mar 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Ruben Gabrielsen out for 74 days

The medical room confirms 74 days on the sidelines for Ruben Gabrielsen, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.

Squad

Harald Woxen stays put

“The easiest signature of my career.” Harald Woxen and Lillestrom agree another 5 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.

Squad

Tempers go at Lillestrom

Lucas Svenningsen was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

In brief

32 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

8 Mar 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Market

Lillestrom sign Terry Benjamin for $890.0K

The paperwork is done: Terry Benjamin joins from IK Start in a deal worth $890.0K. Now comes the harder part.

Squad

Przemysław Tytoń signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Przemysław Tytoń commits to Lillestrom for another 2 years.

Squad

Tempers go at Lillestrom

Kevin Krygård was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

In brief

31 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

1 Mar 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Home is on Przemysław Tytoń's mind

“Some mornings you wake up and you are still a long way from everything you know.” It is not the football and it never was; Lillestrom are dealing with a man who wants a different country.

Squad

Ylldren Ibrahimaj in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Lillestrom this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Market

Sarpsborg 08 expected to open talks for Harald Woxen

Both sides expect a conversation in the coming days. Lillestrom will name a price, and everything after that is arithmetic.

In brief

30 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

22 Feb 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Market

Lillestrom turn down Orebro for Kparobo Arierhi

The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.

Squad

Espen Garnås out for 131 days

The medical room confirms 131 days on the sidelines for Espen Garnås, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.

Squad

Tempers go at Lillestrom

Kevin Krygård was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

In brief

29 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

15 Feb 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Market

Lillestrom sell Markus Karlsbakk for $1.5M

Markus Karlsbakk has left for Mjondalen in a $1.5M deal. The accountants are pleased; the supporters are less certain.

Squad

Ylldren Ibrahimaj in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Lillestrom this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Market

Business is business: Yaw Paintsil goes

Molde paid $600.0K and Lillestrom took it, which is the whole story in one sentence. The longer version involves a wage budget and will be told all season.

In brief

28 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

8 Feb 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Market

Markus Karlsbakk hands in a written request

“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Lillestrom can pretend not to have heard.

Market

Eyes on Kparobo Arierhi again

The phone has started ringing about Kparobo Arierhi again, and this time the name on the line is RoPS. Lillestrom are listening politely and promising nothing.

Squad

Tempers go at Lillestrom

Ylldren Ibrahimaj was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Market

Gustav Nyheim moves on

Molde pay $650.0K, and the deal is done. The number reads well on a balance sheet; whether it reads well on the pitch is next season's question.

Market

Mjondalen are about to pick up the phone

A conversation is coming this week. Lillestrom will put a number on him, and from there it stops being football and becomes arithmetic.

Squad

Armand Wangen gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

In brief

27 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

1 Feb 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Market

Yaw Paintsil puts it in writing

“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Lillestrom, and it is not being withdrawn.

Squad

Kparobo Arierhi gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Squad

Tempers go at Lillestrom

Armand Wangen was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

In brief

26 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

25 Jan 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Frederik Elkær keeps the receipts

“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Lillestrom may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.

Squad

Tempers go at Lillestrom

Ylldren Ibrahimaj was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Squad

No hiding place for Salieu Drammeh

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Salieu Drammeh, and the manager let it.

In brief

25 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

18 Jan 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Salieu Drammeh: that is not what I was promised

“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Lillestrom have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Squad

Kevin Krygård in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Lillestrom this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Stefan Hagerup

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

In brief

24 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

11 Jan 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Market

Markus Karlsbakk puts it in writing

“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Lillestrom, and it is not being withdrawn.

Squad

Sturla Ottesen signs on for more

“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Sturla Ottesen and Lillestrom agree another 4 years.

Squad

Markus Karlsbakk in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Lillestrom this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Sander Moen Foss

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Squad

Mohamed Ibrahim Abdulla out for 36 days

The medical room confirms 36 days on the sidelines for Mohamed Ibrahim Abdulla, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.

Market

Nobody at Lillestrom has picked up the phone to Salieu Drammeh

48 months to run and not a word offered. A club that lets the calendar negotiate for it usually ends up losing to the calendar.

In brief

23 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

4 Jan 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Market

Yaw Paintsil puts it in writing

“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Lillestrom, and it is not being withdrawn.

Squad

Efe Lucky: that is not what I was promised

“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Lillestrom have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Squad

Kevin Krygård in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Lillestrom this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

Camil Jebara signs on for more

“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Camil Jebara and Lillestrom agree another 3 years.

Market

The clock runs on Camil Jebara's contract

36 months left and silence from upstairs — no offer, no talks, nothing for his people to answer. Clubs that let a calendar do their negotiating usually end up negotiating with the calendar.

Squad

Yaw Paintsil knocks on the manager’s door

“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Yaw Paintsil trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.

In brief

22 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

28 Dec 2026
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Kevin Krygård out for 18 days

The medical room confirms 18 days on the sidelines for Kevin Krygård, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.

Squad

Ulrik Yttergård Jenssen in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Lillestrom this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Boardroom

111% of the income goes out in wages at Lillestrom

Every club in football pays most of what it earns to its players. Paying nearly all of it is a different arrangement, and it has ended the same way every time somebody has tried it.

In brief

21 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

21 Dec 2026
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Espen Garnås: that is not what I was promised

“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Lillestrom have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Squad

Lars Ranger knocks on the manager's door

“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Lillestrom, and both men came out saying it was fine.

Squad

Markus Karlsbakk keeps his manager's vote

The message was aimed at the stands as much as the dressing room: Markus Karlsbakk plays, and the argument is closed until the manager decides otherwise.

20 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

14 Dec 2026
From our football correspondent Crisis

Market

Markus Karlsbakk hands in a written request

“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Lillestrom can pretend not to have heard.

Squad

Tempers go at Lillestrom

Ylldren Ibrahimaj was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Squad

Przemysław Tytoń gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Match

Lillestrom come up short against Porto

Porto left with the points after a 0‑1 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.

Player ratings

Off the pace: Armand Wangen

A mark of 5.79 tells the story without any need for embellishment. He will want the tape of this one quietly lost.

Player ratings

Ulrik Yttergård Jenssen runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 10. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

In brief

19 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

7 Dec 2026
From our football correspondent Steady

Market

Yaw Paintsil puts it in writing

“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Lillestrom, and it is not being withdrawn.

Squad

Ylldren Ibrahimaj in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Lillestrom this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

No hiding place for Julián Benítez

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Julián Benítez, and the manager let it.

In brief

18 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

30 Nov 2026
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Tempers go at Lillestrom

Kevin Krygård was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Player ratings

Felix Vá runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 21. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

Boardroom

143% of the income goes out in wages at Lillestrom

Every club in football pays most of what it earns to its players. Paying nearly all of it is a different arrangement, and it has ended the same way every time somebody has tried it.

Player ratings

Thomas Lehne Olsen in the eights

A performance of 8.40 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

Squad

Sander Moen Foss left out for the big one

A player who expected to start watched it instead. The manager will call it a decision for the team; Sander Moen Foss will call it something else in private.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Efe Lucky

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

In brief

17 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

23 Nov 2026
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Tempers go at Lillestrom

Ulrik Yttergård Jenssen was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Squad

Yaw Paintsil out for 17 days

The medical room confirms 17 days on the sidelines for Yaw Paintsil, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.

Squad

No hiding place for Frederik Elkær

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Frederik Elkær, and the manager let it.

In brief

16 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

16 Nov 2026
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Ulrik Yttergård Jenssen in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Lillestrom this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

Yaw Paintsil knocks on the manager’s door

“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Yaw Paintsil trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.

Market

The shop window has Yaw Paintsil in it

Lillestrom have let the market know Yaw Paintsil can be had. No price in the advert, but everyone in the trade knows roughly what it says.

In brief

15 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

9 Nov 2026
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Market

Yaw Paintsil puts it in writing

“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Lillestrom, and it is not being withdrawn.

Squad

Tempers go at Lillestrom

Ulrik Yttergård Jenssen was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Match

Lillestrom see off Bohemians 1905

Three points for Lillestrom, 2‑1 the final word against Bohemians 1905 in a contest settled by the finer margins.

Player ratings

Felix Vá runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 19. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

Squad

No hiding place for Julián Benítez

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Julián Benítez, and the manager let it.

Player ratings

The afternoon belonged to Armand Wangen

A mark of 7.79, and nobody in the ground would argue with it. He was involved in everything that mattered and most of what did not.

In brief

14 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

2 Nov 2026
From our football correspondent Steady

Market

Markus Karlsbakk puts it in writing

“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Lillestrom, and it is not being withdrawn.

Player ratings

A defender's afternoon for Kevin Krygård

Defensive actions: 30. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.

Player ratings

Felix Vá runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 29. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

Squad

Tempers go at Lillestrom

Ylldren Ibrahimaj was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Boardroom

143% of the income goes out in wages at Lillestrom

Every club in football pays most of what it earns to its players. Paying nearly all of it is a different arrangement, and it has ended the same way every time somebody has tried it.

Squad

Sander Moen Foss gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Squad

The armband comes off Kevin Krygård

Lillestrom will explain it as a decision about the team, and it may well be one. A dressing room has never once read it that way.

Squad

Thomas Lehne Olsen has to sit this one out

A booking nobody needed, on a night the game was already won. Lillestrom lose a player for the most avoidable reason there is.

Match

No goals between Lillestrom and Valerenga

Ninety minutes, two goalkeepers with clean gloves, and not one finish worth keeping. Valerenga will be the happier side with the point.

In brief

13 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

26 Oct 2026
From our football correspondent Steady

Player ratings

Julián Benítez runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 22. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

Match

Thomas Lehne Olsen sends Lillestrom past Bodo/Glimt

It finished 2‑1, and it was Thomas Lehne Olsen’s afternoon: on the scoresheet when it mattered, and the reason the points belong to Lillestrom.

Player ratings

Thomas Lehne Olsen in the eights

A performance of 8.90 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

Squad

No hiding place for Thomas Lehne Olsen

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Thomas Lehne Olsen, and the manager let it.

Match

Lillestrom come up short against Bohemians 1905

Bohemians 1905 left with the points after a 0‑1 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.

Squad

Tempers go at Lillestrom

Armand Wangen was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Squad

No place for Ruben Gabrielsen on the big day

He found out with everybody else, an hour before kick-off, from a sheet of paper on a wall. Nobody at Lillestrom pretended it was anything other than a decision about him.

Player ratings

A day to forget for Håkon Finstad-Vogt

Marked 5.69, and generously at that. Nothing came off, and by the end the crowd had stopped expecting it to.

Player ratings

A day to forget for Frederik Elkær

Marked 5.78, and generously at that. Nothing came off, and by the end the crowd had stopped expecting it to.

In brief

12 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

19 Oct 2026
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Felix Vá

Successful dribbles: 21. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Squad

Sander Moen Foss in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Lillestrom this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

Costly mistake from Przemysław Tytoń

An error at the back is a moment; an error in goal is a goal. Przemysław Tytoń knows it, the crowd knew it instantly, and there was nobody behind him to make it anything else.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Frederik Elkær

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Match

Honours even between Lillestrom and Aalesund

1‑1, and both dressing rooms will call it two points lost. A draw that asked plenty of questions and answered none of them.

Player ratings

Thomas Lehne Olsen leaves them behind him

Shots: 7. Goals: none. The chances were there and they were good ones, and they went into the stand, the goalkeeper's arms and the side netting in roughly that order.

In brief

11 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

12 Oct 2026
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Felix Vá

Successful dribbles: 27. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Market

Yaw Paintsil hands in a written request

“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Lillestrom can pretend not to have heard.

Squad

Kevin Krygård in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Lillestrom this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Match

Lillestrom get the job done against Molde

A 2‑1 win over Molde, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.

Player ratings

One of those days for Thomas Lehne Olsen

There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.98, and no argument anywhere in the ground.

Player ratings

Markus Karlsbakk in the eights

A performance of 8.03 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

Squad

Lars Ranger gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Squad

Przemysław Tytoń lets one through his hands

A defender's mistake gets tidied up by somebody else; a goalkeeper's ends up in the net. He knew before the ball crossed the line, and so did everybody in the ground.

The terraces

Everybody has an opinion about Przemysław Tytoń

He is the name in every column and on every phone-in, which is a heavy thing to carry at any age. Some footballers thrive on it; others are quietly finished by it.

In brief

10 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

5 Oct 2026
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Match

9 matches without a win for Lillestrom

The run now stands at 9, and the questions being asked around Lillestrom are no longer polite ones.

Market

Markus Karlsbakk hands in a written request

“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Lillestrom can pretend not to have heard.

Player ratings

Markus Karlsbakk runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 24. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

Squad

Home is on Przemysław Tytoń's mind

“Some mornings you wake up and you are still a long way from everything you know.” It is not the football and it never was; Lillestrom are dealing with a man who wants a different country.

Squad

Ulrik Yttergård Jenssen in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Lillestrom this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Boardroom

Wages eat 220% of everything Lillestrom earn

There is a figure at which a wage bill stops being ambitious and becomes the reason nothing else is possible, and this club has reached it. Nothing is left over for a transfer, a stand or a rainy afternoon.

Player ratings

Nothing got past Espen Garnås

Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 19 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.

Squad

Julián Benítez gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Squad

The team sheet said everything about Felix Vá

Warm-up bib, ninety minutes of watching, and a handshake at the end that fooled nobody. Big matches tell you who a manager trusts; this one told Felix Vá.

In brief

9 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

28 Sep 2026
From our football correspondent Crisis

Match

No end in sight to Lillestrom's wait for a win

7 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Lillestrom has to find a result from somewhere.

Squad

Tempers go at Lillestrom

Ulrik Yttergård Jenssen was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Player ratings

Felix Vá runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 20. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

Match

Stabaek take the points off Lillestrom

Beaten 1‑2, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.

Squad

Przemysław Tytoń gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Player ratings

Eric Kitolano in the eights

A performance of 8.71 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

Squad

Markus Karlsbakk knocks on the manager’s door

“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Markus Karlsbakk trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.

Player ratings

The one thing Thomas Lehne Olsen could not do

Shots: 7, enough of them from close enough that a striker in form scores two. He is not a striker in form.

Player ratings

Off the pace: Ulrik Yttergård Jenssen

A mark of 4.97 tells the story without any need for embellishment. He will want the tape of this one quietly lost.

In brief

8 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

21 Sep 2026
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Match

6 matches without a win for Lillestrom

The run now stands at 6, and the questions being asked around Lillestrom are no longer polite ones.

Squad

Ulrik Yttergård Jenssen in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Lillestrom this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Felix Vá

Successful dribbles: 22. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Squad

Ulrik Yttergård Jenssen gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Thomas Lehne Olsen

Marked 8.59 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.

Match

A bad afternoon for Lillestrom against Dinamo Minsk

0‑1 to Dinamo Minsk, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.

Squad

Eric Kitolano left out for the big one

A player who expected to start watched it instead. The manager will call it a decision for the team; Eric Kitolano will call it something else in private.

Match

Thomas Lehne Olsen rescues a point for Lillestrom

It needed Thomas Lehne Olsen to find the net to bring anything home at all: 1‑1 against Stromsgodset, and half the dressing room will call it a point won.

Player ratings

A day to forget for Efe Lucky

Marked 5.79, and generously at that. Nothing came off, and by the end the crowd had stopped expecting it to.

In brief

7 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

14 Sep 2026
From our football correspondent Crisis

Market

Yaw Paintsil hands in a written request

“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Lillestrom can pretend not to have heard.

Match

4 matches without a win for Lillestrom

The run now stands at 4, and the questions being asked around Lillestrom are no longer polite ones.

Squad

Ylldren Ibrahimaj in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Lillestrom this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Match

A bad afternoon for Lillestrom against Viking

1‑2 to Viking, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.

Squad

Thomas Lehne Olsen gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Player ratings

One of those days for Felix Vá

There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.24, and no argument anywhere in the ground.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Eric Kitolano

Successful dribbles: 17. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Squad

Felix Vá finally opens his account

He wheeled away like a man who had been carrying it for months, because he had. Lillestrom have their signing off the mark and one press-conference question retired.

Squad

Lars Ranger knocks on the manager’s door

“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Lars Ranger trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.

In brief

6 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

7 Sep 2026
From our football correspondent Steady

Market

Markus Karlsbakk hands in a written request

“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Lillestrom can pretend not to have heard.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Markus Karlsbakk

Successful dribbles: 25. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Squad

Lillestrom count the cost of losing Sander Moen Foss

18 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.

Squad

Julián Benítez in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Lillestrom this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Boardroom

Wages eat 148% of everything Lillestrom earn

There is a figure at which a wage bill stops being ambitious and becomes the reason nothing else is possible, and this club has reached it. Nothing is left over for a transfer, a stand or a rainy afternoon.

Player ratings

Espen Garnås shuts the door

Defensive actions: 19, and a clean sheet at the end of it. A centre-half's best afternoons look like nothing happening, which is precisely the point.

Player ratings

Nothing got past Kevin Krygård

Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 16 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.

Player ratings

The afternoon belonged to Sturla Ottesen

A mark of 7.61, and nobody in the ground would argue with it. He was involved in everything that mattered and most of what did not.

Squad

Camil Jebara gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

In brief

5 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

31 Aug 2026
From our football correspondent Steady

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Felix Vá

Successful dribbles: 25. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Squad

Przemysław Tytoń out for 16 days

The medical room confirms 16 days on the sidelines for Przemysław Tytoń, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.

Squad

Tempers go at Lillestrom

Felix Vá was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Player ratings

A defender's afternoon for Sturla Ottesen

Defensive actions: 21. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Pontus Dahlberg

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Player ratings

Kevin Krygård shuts the door

Defensive actions: 16, and a clean sheet at the end of it. A centre-half's best afternoons look like nothing happening, which is precisely the point.

Match

Lillestrom and Haugesund cancel each other out

Nil-nil, and few chances worth the name. Haugesund came to defend and left with exactly what they came for.

Squad

Julián Benítez knocks on the manager's door

“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Lillestrom, and both men came out saying it was fine.

Market

Window shut, Markus Karlsbakk still here

Lillestrom spent the window trying to move Markus Karlsbakk on and nobody came. He trains with a squad that has already told him he is not part of it, and both sides now wait for the next one.

In brief

4 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

24 Aug 2026
From our football correspondent Steady

Player ratings

Felix Vá runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 28. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

Market

The Bodo/Glimt deal is off

Everything was agreed until it was not, and Yaw Paintsil reports back to Lillestrom with a summer to forget. Neither club is saying who walked away from the table.

Squad

Tempers go at Lillestrom

Kevin Krygård was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Market

Esbjerg join the queue for Kparobo Arierhi

Add another name to the list: Esbjerg have asked the question everybody in the game has been asking about Kparobo Arierhi. The answer from Lillestrom has not changed — yet.

Player ratings

A defender's afternoon for Sander Moen Foss

Defensive actions: 19. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.

Squad

No hiding place for Yaw Paintsil

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Yaw Paintsil, and the manager let it.

Player ratings

A defender's afternoon for Espen Garnås

Defensive actions: 15. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.

Match

Lillestrom draw a blank against Mjondalen

The crowd waited for a goal that never came. Mjondalen defended in numbers and left with what they came for, and the two sides could be playing still without troubling a scorer.

Squad

Julián Benítez asks for a word with the manager

“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.

In brief

3 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

17 Aug 2026
From our football correspondent Steady

Match

The small margins put Lillestrom out

Out, 0‑1 to Aalesund, and the long argument about which of the small moments decided it. The league is all there is now, and everybody knows it.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Camil Jebara

Successful dribbles: 29. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Player ratings

A defender's afternoon for Kevin Krygård

Defensive actions: 24. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.

Squad

Tempers go at Lillestrom

Ulrik Yttergård Jenssen was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Market

Bodo/Glimt watching Yaw Paintsil

The interest is real enough to have reached print. Lillestrom have said nothing, which in a transfer window is its own kind of answer.

Match

Thomas Lehne Olsen sends Lillestrom past Odd

It finished 1‑0, and it was Thomas Lehne Olsen’s afternoon: on the scoresheet when it mattered, and the reason the points belong to Lillestrom.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Thomas Lehne Olsen

Marked 8.40 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.

Player ratings

Nothing got past Sander Moen Foss

Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 18 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.

Squad

No hiding place for Sturla Ottesen

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Sturla Ottesen, and the manager let it.

In brief

2 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

10 Aug 2026
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Market

Yaw Paintsil asks to leave Lillestrom

“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.

Squad

Kevin Krygård stays put

“The easiest signature of my career.” Kevin Krygård and Lillestrom agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.

Squad

Tempers go at Lillestrom

Ulrik Yttergård Jenssen was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Player ratings

Eric Kitolano in the eights

A performance of 9.28 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

Match

Lillestrom get the job done against Sandefjord

A 3‑1 win over Sandefjord, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.

Player ratings

Sturla Ottesen in the eights

A performance of 8.29 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

Player ratings

One of those days for Markus Karlsbakk

There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.26, and no argument anywhere in the ground.

Player ratings

One of those days for Ruben Gabrielsen

There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.08, and no argument anywhere in the ground.

Squad

Sander Moen Foss gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

In brief

1 Edition

The Lillestrom Courier

3 Aug 2026
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Market

Markus Karlsbakk puts it in writing

“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Lillestrom, and it is not being withdrawn.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Felix Vá

Successful dribbles: 26. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Squad

Thomas Lehne Olsen signs on for more

“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Thomas Lehne Olsen and Lillestrom agree another 2 years.

Player ratings

Nothing got past Kevin Krygård

Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 23 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.

Squad

Ulrik Yttergård Jenssen in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Lillestrom this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

Thomas Lehne Olsen gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Market

The clock runs on Felix Vá's contract

49 months left and silence from upstairs — no offer, no talks, nothing for his people to answer. Clubs that let a calendar do their negotiating usually end up negotiating with the calendar.

Player ratings

A defender's afternoon for Ulrik Yttergård Jenssen

Defensive actions: 15. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.

Squad

Kevin Krygård knocks on the manager’s door

“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Kevin Krygård trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.

In brief