Djurgår’n: An occasion: Djurgårdens IF Fotboll take a Shrewsbury stroll vs TNS

Words: Tom Reed

Images: Erik Wibaeus

Supporting images: Tom Reed

That's life (that's life)

I tell you, I can't deny it

I thought of quitting, baby

But my heart just ain't gonna buy it

That’s life. Frank Sinatra.

Night comes fast in November.

So do football matches.

Not every match is an occasion.

The supporters of Djurgårdens IF decided to make the match vs The New Saints in Shrewsbury an occasion.

What makes an occasion? The surroundings, the people, being up for it.

©Tom Reed/ Terrace Edition. Djurgårdens IF Fotboll fan with scarf (1970’s)

The Djurgår’n travelling fans were more than up for their Europa Conference League match and that’s the greatest compliment you can pay English football, even though the opponents were technically Welsh.

The match had been moved from Welsh Club The New Saints’ venue in Oswestry to the larger New Meadow in Shrewsbury.

Some of the travelling support were dressed in the 90’s English style at Birmingham New Street Station, a dash of Aquascutum, the lesser spotted Reebok Classic.

You could eye them a mile off. No-one is excited on a Thursday at New Street and the Stockholmers were the only ones not rubbing their hands together because it had dropped to three degrees.

They received a traditional English welcome by being delivered a two carriage train for the jaunt to border town Shrewsbury, meaning a cosy ride with the fans of the “Iron Stoves” on a rust bucket slowcomotive.

A lady on her way to a part-time job in a Shrewbury garden centre said “I don’t know what to make of it, I hope there won’t be trouble” at the sight of the Swedes crammed in like sardines, “but they seem very nice”.

©Erik Wibaeus/ Terrace Edition. Djurgårdens IF Fotboll fans in the pub. Shrewsbury.

And she had nothing to worry about with these old-school supporters, who were there to enjoy a quintessentially English away day in historic Shrewsbury, a smaller version of Chester with quaint Tudor buildings and ancient pubs.

The Djurgår’n faithful had barely been in the town five minutes before fried English breakfasts had been ordered alongside pints of Stella, as you do.

There’s no doubt that a European tie in England still has that terrace romanticism for fans from overseas, something that is lost on us jaded locals.

The Djurgårdens IF fans were here to remind us to relish our days in the sun, even when the sun doesn’t really come out.

In the Golden Cross pub, which dates back to 1428, there were families of Djurgår’n, trying the local ales and having a spot of grub. The dad was wearing an impeccable Djurgårdens IF track top with its vintage typeface.

Both of the kids play for the Blåränderna ("The Blue Stripes”) youth, which speaks volumes of the generations that have followed this team, in Sweden and now to Shrewsbury.

©Tom Reed/ Terrace Edition. Djurgårdens IF Fotboll generations. Golden Cross pub.

Across the town, the publicans were being treated to a pre-Christmas bonus through the tills and the toilet cisterns were adorned with Djurgår’n stickers, bedecked in the club’s beautiful yellow, red and blue colours.

The Swedes were as good at drinking as they were stickering and there was a Hansel and Great style trail of lightly glued images on lampposts across the town. One showed the the club’s Sporting Director “Super Bosse” Anderson in a superman outfit, smoking a cigar while bossing it.

Another sticker on the frosted glass read “Blue Saints” reminiscent of the 70’s supporter group that had its run in with hooliganism and backing the club when times could be as bleak as they were bright.

The 80’s and 90’s saw Djurgården as yo-yo outfit, facing one too many brushes with bankruptcy, flying in the face of an faux image of a wealthy person’s team, with the truth being the Blue Stripes draw support from various sections of society.

The club makes the most of a ground-share with Hammarby but like many in modern football, reserve the best atmospheres for away matches, when the group is tight-knit.

The Djurgården fans carry the fabric of their club around their neck, in the form of scarves from decades gone by.

Each fan can remember when they were bought.

The beers and the Kraken had been flowing by this point but one supporter in a lovely blue scarf with, red and yellow stripes said his souvenir came from the 70’s.

The time-worn tassels at the bottom of the scarf were as distinct as the lines on the fan’s face.

As the Christmas lights flicked on above the town’s high street, a loose corteo of away fans took a walk, a Shrewsbury stroll if you will.

"Send us some joy, fight on, we're singing for our colours yellow, red, blue” they sang, along with an obligatory line about pissing on rivals AIK.

A fair few of them yomped the two miles from the town centre to Shewsbury’s out of town stadium. The lads and lasses from Djurgården weren’t here to do things by halves, especially not pints.

©Erik Wibaeus/ Terrace Edition. Djurgårdens IF Fotboll at TNS (Shrewsbury)

It’s strange how toil can change to glory in a second. It was a stroke of the ball home from DIF’s Tobias Gulliksen on the cusp of half-time that had Shrewsbury’s all-seater rocking like a terrace in times gone by.

For Djurgårdens IF, it was a chance to show that the fans were there in Shrewsbury and that their proud club is still here and going nowhere. There was no pyro show, no bells and whistles, few camera phones for fans living in the moment.

After the match, the hosts complained over some broken seats and graffiti, which was hopefully quickly sorted.

We need to keep things in proportion and not worry too much when fans of our own fan culture come over and act boisterous.

Shrewsbury had shown that it’s not only the big cities that can host European football.

Djurgårdens IF put many thousands of pounds back into the local economy, some said they would return to Shrewsbury on holiday.

There are probably still a few there now, giddy on the occasion.

You’ll have to go home now sir, the Stella has run dry and we have no more baked beans or bacon.