Norrkoping came so near but yet so far to the Allsvenskan title this season, but at least they made AIK work for the championship when at one point it looked like the Stockholm club would be running away with it. Once Malmo had such a dismal start to the season, it became clear quite quickly that the title was up for grabs this season. And Jens Gustafsson's side came pretty close in the end, doing everything the could in the latter stages of the season to take the crown. Unfortunately they fell short in the end.
They couldn't have done much more in the autumn fixtures, inflicting defeats on Malmo and also being the only team to have defeated Rikard Norling's AIK too. They will rue dropped points against Sirius, and the rather inexplicable four points lost to relegated Trelleborgs who only managed to pick up 15 points in total. Those dropped points early in the season proved vital.
There have been plenty of impressive performances throughout the season, with strikers David Moberg Karlsen and Kalle Holmberg both finding the net regularly. Simen Thern has been the heartbeat in the midfield, while Ian Smith pitched in with some solid defensive performances. But Simon Skrabb has perhaps been the most impressive performer this season, pitching in with seven goals and having a hand with most of what has gone right for Norrkoping this season.
This was a really good season for Gustafsson's side, and definitely one to build on. Norrkoping are improving year by year, but there's definitely annoyance that they were unable to take the title in a season where Malmo started on the back foot. It is highly unlikely that they will be doing that again next season.
