Local football expert Christopher Hafsas believes it was a stroke of genius for Alexander Stockinger to sign Simen Ness for Sandviken’s first team this summer. After seeing what the 34-year-old can do in a Sandviken uniform, coach Stockinger seems to agree.
In game after game, he delivered otherworldly free-kicks. At the latest Monday evening against Stabæk 2. Then he also became a hat-trick hero.
-I don’t know how long I will continue like this. This cannot be sustainable, says Ness, who seems amazed at his accomplishments.
again and again
– Extreme x factor. Joachim Saltvedt (Bran Golden Foot) gives good competition for Hordaland’s best left foot these days.
This is the first thing Stockinger says when asked to tell us about Ness.
The manager brought Næss to the club this summer, before playing for both Frøya and Lysekloster. In 2012, he made his debut in the top flight, then with Nest Sutra. Stockinger knew there were still good qualities in the 34-year-old, and now he has already earned his wages.
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Since mid-August, he has played eight matches and scored seven goals. Then he counts…Three of them came on Golden Foot free kicks. The coach takes his hat off to the striker who has already become a star at Sandviken. (You can watch the video of the goals below)
– But I don’t score on every free kick I take! The protagonist himself says.
He wasn’t sure if he could play today due to illness over the weekend, but he gave it up. As a three-goal scorer – including goals from free-kicks – he is very happy to be involved in the Steamymeren match.
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Impressed last time too
In fact, you don’t have to look far to find his former gem.
Two and a half weeks ago they faced Genest in a local match, and after 49 minutes Nice put the ball between the corner flag and the 16-metre line to take a free kick. The oblique angle did not pose much of a challenge for the 34-year-old, as he slotted the ball into the opposite corner and scored the first goal of the day. The match ended 2-1 to Sandviken.
Næss also impressed against Skedsmo:
It was 7-0 there, with the striker opening the goal display once again.
– This spring the team dominated a lot, but we lacked the one person who could work in the final stages and put the ball in the goal. Simen was exactly what we needed. He wants so much, and now we just suck what we can out of the boy. He delivered exactly what we brought him for,” says the coach.
He continues to brag.
-We have a very young team, which has become a role model for others. He is as good a person as he is a player.
Stockinger hopes the 34-year-old can make a positive impact on local youngsters who get a chance in the third tier. Until then, this seems to be exactly where Sandviken will remain. With three league rounds remaining, the team is safely in sixth place, and the coach has already begun preparations for next season.
-The goal is to move up?
– I won’t talk much, but we will become a better version of ourselves. To move up, Stockinger says, you have to have a little luck, too.
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