While every other Swedish team is more or less done for the season, barring a few relegation play-offs to tidy up in the coming weeks, Ostersunds are still knee deep in an exciting Europa League campaign. This must surely be the most memorable season in the club's history and to battle on both the domestic front and in Europe with the squad they have really is testament to the excellent coaching skills of Graham Potter. The Englishman is still firmly under the radar in his homeland, and that is something Ostersunds should be eternally thankful for. Because while he is there they have every chance of further success in the future. Their fifth place finish might not come as a surprise to many, but they are also very close to getting into the final stages of the Europa League too which would just be sensational for them.
It wasn't all rosy to start with though as Potter's men fell to a disappointing 1-0 defeat to newly promoted (and now relegated) Halmstads on the first day of the season. In fact they only won one of their first four matches and it wasn't until the 3-1 away win over AFC Eskilstuna that they looked in any way convincing. They ended the season with a five game unbeaten run which sealed their top five finish, and that was despite their tough Europa League campaign. Potter has used his squad superbly this season, and the squad players who have been patiently waiting for their chance took them when they were given in the autumn.
Saman Ghoddos had a great campaign up front hitting eight goals in 23 games, and the likes of Jamie Hopcutt, Ken Sema and Johan Bertilsson chipped in when it mattered too. But the player of the season for Ostersunds must be Brwa Nouri who was influential in the middle of the park yet again. Ostersunds were relieved when Nouri chose to stay at the club before the season, and both parties have been rewarded with a sterling season full of great performances. Nouri has been a cool head when it was needed, not more so than when tucking away crucial penalties in the Allsvenskan and the Europa League. He is the heartbeat of the team, and the club will do well to retain him for next season.
It's been another ambitious season for a relatively young club, and Ostersunds are making things look easy at the moment. But there's definitely a long term plan in place for Potter and the club, and they can still go from strength to strength if they keep showing the same levels of unity and commitment in the future. They still have the rest of the Europa League group stage to negotiate, with a possible involvement in the knockout stages but, in terms of their fifth placed Allsvenskan finish, it really is a case of job very well done.
