As the final whistle rung out at Lerkendal on Sunday, the Bodo/Glimt players and fans realised that, after a three year stay in the Norwegian top flight, the 2-1 defeat signalled that their time was up. It was a desperately disappointing scenario but one that could be seen a mile off once it was known they would need points against the champions while relying on already relegated Start to pull off their first away win of the season against the team fighting them for the second relegation spot Stabaek. It's a terribly frustrating outcome for head coach Asmund Bjorkan who set his heart on giving young players a chance and, while they might have some stars for the future, the squad has not been strong enough to endure 30 games of Tippeligaen football. Bodo/Glimt ran out of legs in the autumn fixtures, and when things weren't going their way they didn't have the experience or knowhow to reverse the trend and kept falling short in tight games. Fine margins and refereeing decisions have been mentioned as part of the reason for the club's Tippeligaen downfall, but in truth they only have themselves to blame for not getting out of the relegation scrap when it mattered. They had ample chances and only found themselves in the bottom two on the last day of the season, when it was of course too late.
Bodo/Glimt's only win in the last six games was the fantastic effort against Stromsgodset with the Drammen side being beaten 4-2. But four straight defeats since then proved costly with other sides around them edging away from the drop. It's a frustrating scenario for the club as they have shown glimmers of the talent they possess. A team that takes four points in the two home games against Rosenborg and Brann is far from useless at this level. The 2-1 away win over northern rivals Tromso must also go down as a seasonal highlight, although the 3-0 home defeat against the same opposition weeks later surely got the alarm bells ringing. And ultimately Tromso managed to find their way out of the relegation threat they were in while Bodo/Glimt ultimately fell short.
So what does the future hold for the club and this team? Asmund Bjorkan will surely want to have a crack at getting Bodo/Glimt up again at the first attempt. He has shown faith in young players who have fallen short but might well benefit from such a humbling and dreadful experience. The likes of Fitim Azemi are too good for the level below Tippeligaen and it will take an enormous leap of faith for their top scorer to commit to at least one season outside of the top flight. But Bodo/Glimt should keep building for the future and without too much interference with the current playing squad, and even a couple of shrewd additions with the required experience to blend in with the promising youth, their stay outside of the Tippeligaen might be mercifully brief. It will be no surprise to see them back in the top flight in two years time, if the right decisions are made.
