IF Gnistan and IFK Mariehamn will start the two-part league qualifier on Wednesday in Helsinki. The winner of the match pair will play in the Veikkausliiga next season.
The historic season of the traditional Helsinki club IF Gnistan can lead to a promotion to the Veikkausliiga. In its way is IFK Mariehamn, who are holding on to their position in the main league.
Gnistan, who finished second in the first division, will face the Åland team, who came from last to last in the Veikkausliiga, in a two-part league qualifier. The opening match will be played in Helsinki’s Oulunkylä on Wednesday and the second match on Sunday in Mariehamn.
For those who coached Gnistan for two years Joonas Rantanen the matches are the last as head coach. Ilves of Tampere, who play in the Veikkausliiga, announced on Monday that Rantanen, 36, will take over as its coach after the season. The head coaching job is the first of Rantanen’s career in the Veikkausliiga.
Rantanen does not think that the news of his departure will affect the team in the least negatively. He expects the matches of the week to be memorable both for himself and for the Gnistan players.
– There has been a really good atmosphere in the team this week as well. At least no one has to speculate if there has been such a thing. I want to put all my skills and feelings into the league this week and be able to celebrate the league promotion, says Rantanen.
Rantanen’s focus is still this week on the biggest games in Gnistan’s history. He tastes his Ilves-pesti from the point of view of how happy he would be to come next season as coach of the Tampere team to the Veikkausliiga match in Oulunkylä.
– I really hope that the Veikkausliiga will be played here next year. I’m not worried about the conditions because the pitch has just been redone and it’s good. Next year, Gnistan will turn one hundred years old. It would be fantastic if that season’s club played in the Veikkausliiga, says Rantanen.
There is a difference in the intensity of Veikkausliiga and Ykkönen
Rantanen is satisfied with Gnistan’s season so far, even though the goal of winning the series and direct promotion to the Veikkausliiga was completely exhausted. Now that there is a chance to move up through the qualifiers, Rantanen has accepted the challenge with enthusiasm.
He believes that special situations and changes of situation in both directions have a decisive importance in the two matches of the week.
– There is a difference in the intensity of the game in Veikkausliiga and Ykkösen, which we have to be able to adapt to. I trust that we will still be able to maintain our own strong identity in the game.
Gnistan’s advantage is that it has won most of its matches in the season, while Mariehamn’s season, which is at the tail end of the Veikkausliiga, has contained a lot of losses.
– I haven’t thought about the opponent’s player budget or how they have put together their team in the Veikkausliiga. It’s secondary now. The only thought is how we win this pair of matches, says Rantanen.
Joonas Rantas was interviewed by Mats Ahlnäs.