We did not score very early and we did not score that often, but a routine win over FC Rellu seemed inevitable from the starting whistle on Sunday evening. Our goal was never threatened very seriously, and possession numbers had to have been about 70-30. Just 2-0 was not what I and most others expected, but it was still worth the three points that we needed out of this.

Tomorrow we have our first away match of the season, played home at Pyynikki. The host FC Rellu may be one of the worst teams in Vitonen this year, as evidenced by the fact that they are seeking their third straight relegation from Vitonen to Kutonen (sic), but we should not overlook them one bit. Less than a 100 per cent concentration and work rate is unlikely to result in three points, and as head coach Mika Suonsyrjä pointed out to me when I was talking with him after the victorious LaVe match last weekend, these matches against the bottom table teams are often where you ruin your chances for promotion.

It could not have been much better: all the elements of the Finnish summer from hale and snow to the warmth of the sun, delicious French hot dogs, nearly 200 people in

attendance, an impressive choreo by Sinikaarti, and a comfortable 3-0 (1-0) victory on the field. The season has started and TamU-K is at top of the table.

Photo: Mikko Jokela

Today the wait is finally over. It has been more than six months since we sang ”TamUn kanssa me mennään Vitoseen” in celebration of promotion at Pyynikki, and tonight we will finally witness our first kick in the sixth tier of Finnish football. It is quite fitting that the venue will again be the beautiful Pyynikki Stadium. The match against Lammin Veto kicks off at 4:00 pm.

Saturday was a nearly perfect day for Tampere United supporters. At long last the competitive season started, the team took care of business on the field, and the benefit at Vastavirta-klubi in the evening was sold out. A successful day all around.

It has been a long winter, but now our home field in Pyynikki is finally free from ice, and the real matches can start. First up we have a Finnish Regions’ Cup fixture against Viialan Peli-Veikot (ViiPV) tomorrow at 5 pm. Excitement in and around the club is definitely rising.

The jerseys for the upcoming season were officially released on Wednesday. In style. The photo that came along with it looks almost too professional for a team playing five levels below the top division. TamU-K always seems to do things in ways that you would associate with a club playing a couple divisions higher, but this one went all the way to the top and beyond. Big props to everybody involved!

This came in earlier today: our Finnish Regions’ Cup fixture against Viialan Peli-Veikot has been set for next Saturday, April 20th, at 5:00 pm at Pyynikki Stadium. This is what we always wanted, and hopefully the short notice does not have too much of an effect on the attendance. I know that preparations to make this a great event are in full force.

Well that was a bit weird. The training match against Pelikassit was in doubt the whole week due to that the cold weather did not allow the snow and ice to melt very quickly at Pyynikki Stadium. In the end the decision was to play the match, using the American football sideline on the side of the spectator stand and moving the goal to the ten yard line in the icier west end of the field. The field in Pyynikki is small as is, and this made it about five meters (yards) narrower and more than 10 meters (yards) shorter. The result was a 1-1 draw after a lackluster performance from both teams.

Now that was more like it! A 5-2 win over FC KaVo in a training match on Saturday afternoon at our home field Kaukajärvi was just what the team and the whole club needed. Finally we played well and scored a bunch of goals. And finally we get to play training matches in Tampere, even if Kaukajärvi is still the only field that is open here.