Football Season Guide

Start return to the top flight knowing that it can't get any worse than the dismal campaign they produced back in 2016, when they were comfortably relegated long before the 30 games were played. Under the leadership of Mark Dempsey they should have a much better time of it, although it remains unclear whether they have the quality to stay out of trouble. Dempsey did well during a brief spell in charge of Haugesund a few seasons ago, and he will no doubt want to prove himself in the top flight again. There's bags of potential at the Kristiansand who have been hampered by a poor financial state in recent years. But this seems to have eased up a little but, but not enough for Dempsey not to rely on punts in the transfer market. Elliot Kack is one of the standout transfers of the pre-season, the defender arriving from Djurgarden. Icelandic striker Kristján Flóki Finnbogason is also an exciting prospect. There's very little previous Eliteserien experience in the squad though, with Espen Borufsen and Rolf Daniel Vikstol the only two who really played a part in the disastrous campaign of two seasons ago. They will determined not to experience anything like it ever again. Pre-season results have been mixed, understandably so as Dempsey sets out to find a winning formula. The worry would be that, aside from a win over Haugesund, Start have lost games and failed to score against opposition they simply have to get results against when the league commences if they are to have any chance of staying up. The 4-3-3 formation looks fresh and with the right personnel in key positions could prove to be a success over time.