Odd started the season with lowered expectations after losing some top players and coach Dag-Eliev Fagermo, who was replaced by his assistant Jan Frode Nornes. A poor loss at home to Sandefjord at the start hardly lifted the mood and before too long the team also parted ways with last season's top league scorer, Torger Børven. However, Odd just rolled on with the punches and developed into one of the better teams in the league as the campaign went on.
The addition of Musahga Bakenga as a Børven replacement proved quite a successful one against expectations while promising players like Odin Børtuft and Joshua Kitolano started to show consistency and make real impact.
A run of five wins in a row in July and August firmly moved the Blacks from Skien into the upper echelon of the table and with a real shot at making Europe. They remained pretty lively and dangerous in attack while the defence was proving pretty assured as well.
Yet, they started to lose some pace in the final stretch of the season and a big COVID-19 outbreak in the squad came at the most unhelpful of times, right in the final few weeks of the season. That meant that Odd struggled for sharpness and finished the season with a run of six losses in seven games.
Nevertheless, it has been a pretty positive campaign for Odd as they showed enough glimpses of quality and have the pieces to build a stronger and more durable side next season if Nornes is backed.
