Silkeborg IF

Association football club in Denmark

Football club
Silkeborg
Full nameSilkeborg Idrætsforening
Short nameSIF
Founded1917; 107 years ago (1917)
GroundJYSK Park
Capacity10,000 (6,000 seated)
ChairmanKent Madsen
Head coachKent Nielsen
LeagueDanish Superliga
2022–23Danish Superliga, 9th of 12
WebsiteClub website
Home colours
Away colours

Silkeborg Idrætsforening, (pronounced [ˈse̝lkəˌpɒˀ ˈitʁætsfɒˌe̝ˀne̝ŋ]; commonly known as Silkeborg IF or SIF in short) is a professional football club based in Silkeborg, Denmark. The club was founded in 1917, reached the highest level of Danish football in 1987, and afterwards became one of the most successful football clubs in Denmark. They won the 1993–94 Danish Superliga, finished 3rd in 1994–95, 2000–01, and 2021–22, 2nd in 1997–98, and won the Danish Cup in 2001. Silkeborg has participated in Europe several times, winning the UEFA Intertoto Cup in 1996.

History

Founded in 1917, the football section of Silkeborg IF played in the top ranks of Jutland until a short visit in the third division in 1962. In 1966, however the team was promoted to the 2nd division of Danish football. In 1982, the club took the decisive step towards the Danish top football, as the company SIF Football Support A / S was founded, a professional company that would be responsible for professional football in Silkeborg. This resulted in a rise in 1987 to the country's top row, the 1st division. This came as a large surprise to most football enthusiasts and a reporter from the Danish newspaper Politiken wrote, "It will be a surprise if Silkeborg will win a corner kick." The team, however, played well and already in the third game of the season Silkeborg IF defeated Denmark's dominant team, Brøndby with a 1–0 win at home.

1994 championship

There were many vital matches in the 1993–94 season, but perhaps the most important game for Silkeborg was the tournament's third round match at home against Brøndby. Just before the game, the team's big name Jakob Kjeldberg had been sold to Chelsea,[1] and when Brøndby put themselves ahead 2–0 early in the game, it looked difficult for the home team. But Silkeborg totally turned the match upside down and won 4–2 in front of an enthusiastic audience.[2] During the rest of autumn, SIF delivered one attractive game after another. The team lost only 2 of 18 matches and finished the autumn in 1st place.

The playoffs were a thrilling affair. The superior play in the autumn was followed by a more calculating style. Away from home, SIF ran into a few serious defeats, but, in turn, Silkeborg Stadion was a fortress. Here, SIF won six out of seven games and conceded only one goal. In the second-to-last round, SIF could secure the championship with an away win against the only remaining competitor, Copenhagen. Silkeborg fans flocked to the national arena, Parken Stadium, where the match was witnessed by the largest crowd in history of the Danish Superliga, namely 26,679.[3] The many visiting SIF fans, however, witnessed SIF scoring the first goal of the match but eventually losing 1–4.

The situation before the final round was that SIF should provide a better result than Copenhagen to become champions. At home, SIF played Aalborg BK and won 2–0 on two goals by leading scorer Heine Fernandez. In Odense, OB obtained a lead over Copenhagen in the 2nd half and won 3–2 on a goal in injury time, securing SIF the championship.

Denmark
Kjær
Denmark
Larsen
Denmark
Ottosen
Denmark
Juhl
Denmark
Pedersen
Denmark
Pedersen
The 11 starters of the final in the 2000–01 Danish Cup

2001 cup winners and relegation

In 2001, Silkeborg won the Danish Cup with a 4–1 victory against league rivals AB. Behind 0–1 at half-time, the team scored 4 times in the second half of the match by Brian Pedersen, Thomas Poulsen and 2 from Henrik Pedersen. Steven Lustü, who later would become a prominent player for Silkeborg, played the entire game for AB. The following years' results were not very impressive. After the cup victory, the club sold Henrik Pedersen to Bolton Wanderers, Peter Kjær to Beşiktaş and Thomas Røll to Copenhagen. At the same time, Morten Bruun, the player with most caps to his name in the club history, retired. In 2003, the team was relegated to the 1st Division, but returned to the Superliga the following year. For two seasons in a row, the team finished eighth in the league with 12 teams, but in 2007 the team was again relegated. When former player Troels Bech returned to the club as head coach in 2009, however, he transformed the team and helped the club to promotion. Silkeborg finished fifth in the league in 2011, the best result in 15 years.

2018–19 1st Division Title

In the 2018–19 Danish 1st Division Silkeborg IF were crowned champions of the First Division for a third time, ensuring a return to the Danish Superliga for the 2019–20 season following a one-year absence.

Danish Striker Ronnie Schwartz was the league's top scorer for Silkeborg with 17 league goals registered; sharing the golden boot with Roskilde's Emil Nielsen.

They secured the league title with 61 points, only 1 point clear of nearest rivals Viborg FF ensuring an automatic return to the Superliga.

From promotion to Europe

As Silkeborg IF won promotion to the Danish Superliga in 2021, many experts expected the club to continue its status as a yo-yo club and be in a relegation battle,[4] but head coach Kent Nielsen managed to impress this time in the top division. His attacking style of play with focus on possession and short passing game meant that the club qualified for the championship play-offs for the first time in the club's recent history.[5] Especially the attacking trio, Nicolai Vallys, Sebastian Jørgensen and Nicklas Helenius – often referred to as "VHS" – impressed with many goals and assists.[6][7]

One of the reasons for Silkeborg's success was seen as their ability to hold on to key players during the 2021–22 winter break, despite interest for Tobias Salquist and Rasmus Carstensen.[8] In the play-offs, Silkeborg managed to beat both FC Copenhagen and Brøndby in historic fashion during the same week.[9] Brøndby were defeated 3–0 and Copenhagen, who had not lost the previous eight games, were beaten 3–1. Ultimately, the season finished in third place and their first bronze medals since 2000–01,[10] as Silkeborg were considered the most "entertaining" and "well-playing" team in the Superliga.[11]

Due to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, all Russian teams were excluded from European tournaments by UEFA.[12] This meant that the Danish Cup winners entered the final qualifying round for the UEFA Europa League. When FC Midtjylland won the 2021–22 Danish Cup, and at the same time finished in second place in the Superliga, which now gave access to UEFA Champions League qualification, Silkeborg secured Europa League qualification by virtue of their third-place Superliga finish.[13]

Honours

League

Cups

International

Players

Current squad

As of 27 January 2024[14]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK Denmark DEN Nicolai Larsen
2 DF Denmark DEN Andreas Poulsen (loan from AaB)
3 DF Norway NOR Robin Østrøm
4 DF Denmark DEN Joel Felix
5 DF Peru PER Oliver Sonne
6 MF Denmark DEN Pelle Mattsson
7 FW Denmark DEN Kasper Kusk
8 MF Iceland ISL Stefán Teitur Þórðarson
9 FW Denmark DEN Alexander Lind
11 MF Denmark DEN Fredrik Carlsen
14 MF Denmark DEN Mark Brink
15 FW Denmark DEN Asbjørn Bøndergaard
16 GK Denmark DEN Jacob Pryts
No. Pos. Nation Player
17 FW New Zealand NZL Callum McCowatt
18 MF Denmark DEN Anders Dahl
19 DF Denmark DEN Jens Martin Gammelby
20 MF Denmark DEN Mads Larsen
21 MF Denmark DEN Anders Klynge
23 FW Denmark DEN Tonni Adamsen
24 DF Zambia ZAM Lubambo Musonda (loan from Horsens)
25 DF Sweden SWE Pontus Rödin
29 DF Denmark DEN Frederik Rieper
30 GK Denmark DEN Aske Andrésen
40 DF Denmark DEN Alexander Busch
41 MF Denmark DEN Oskar Boesen
DF Denmark DEN Oscar Fuglsang

Youth players in use 2023/24

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
44 DF Denmark DEN Alexander Priesborg

Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
MF Denmark DEN Andreas Pyndt (at IFK Göteborg until 30 June 2024)
No. Pos. Nation Player
FW Denmark DEN Frederik Carstensen (at Fredericia until 30 June 2024)

Staff

Current technical staff

Position Staff
Manager Denmark Kent Nielsen
Assistant manager Denmark Peder Knudsen
Goalkeeping coach Denmark Thomas Nørgaard
Fitness coach Denmark Rasmus Hansen
Fitness assistant Denmark Mikkel Cramer
Physiotherapist Denmark Michael Larsen
Sporting director Denmark Jesper Stücker

Last updated: 14 July 2019
Source: Silkeborg IF

Managerial history

European cups record

Season Cup Round Opponent Home Away Aggregate
1991 Intertoto Cup Group 4 Sweden Hammarby IF 4–1 3–1 2nd
Germany Energie Cottbus 4–1 1–0
Czechoslovakia Dukla Banksá Bystrica 1–3 0–2
1993 Intertoto Cup Group 6 Switzerland Zürich N/A 0–2 5th
Germany VfL Bochum 2–2 N/A
Austria Tirol 1–1 N/A
Czechoslovakia Slovan Bratislava N/A 1–2
1994 Intertoto Cup Group 1 Sweden Halmstads BK N/A 0–2 5th
Israel Maccabi Netanya 0–0 N/A
Czech Republic Sparta Prague N/A 1–4
Bulgaria Lokomotiv Sofia 7–2 N/A
1994–95 Champions League 1Q Ukraine Dynamo Kyiv 0–0 1–3 1–3
1995–96 UEFA Cup 1Q Northern Ireland Crusaders 4–0 1–2 5–2
2Q Czech Republic Sparta Prague 1–2 0–1 1–3
1996 Intertoto Cup Group 4 Belgium Sporting Charleroi N/A 4–2 1st
Poland Zagłębie Lubin 0–0 N/A
Austria SV Ried N/A 3–0
Wales Conwy United 3–0 N/A
SF Russia Uralmash 0–1 2–1 2–2 (a)
F Croatia Segesta Sisak 0–1 2–1 2–2 (a)
1996–97 UEFA Cup Q Russia Spartak Moscow 1–2 2–3 3–5
1997 Intertoto Cup Group 2 Austria Grazer AK N/A 0–2 3rd
Croatia Hrvatski Dragovoljac 5–0 N/A
France Bastia N/A 0–1
Wales Ebbw Vale 6–1 N/A
1998–99 UEFA Cup 1Q Slovenia Mura 2–0 0–0 2–0
R1 Italy Roma 0–2 0–1 0–3
2000 Intertoto Cup R1 Belarus Dnepr Mogilev 1–2 1–2 2–4
2001–02 UEFA Cup 1R Spain Real Zaragoza 1–2 0–3 1–5
2022–23 UEFA Europa League PO Finland HJK 1–1 0–1 1–2
2022–23 UEFA Europa Conference League Group B Belgium Anderlecht 0–2 0–1 3rd
England West Ham United 2–3 0–1
Romania FCSB 5–0 5–0

Former notable players

Top goalscorers

Competitive matches only. To matches played 22 March 2017.[15]

# Name Career Goals
1 Denmark Henrik Pedersen 1995–2001 and 2008–2012 96
2 Denmark Heine Fernandez 1990–1998 96
3 Denmark Rajko Lekić 2003–2004 and 2008–2011 76
4 Faroe Islands Christian Holst 2008–2014 47
5 Denmark Jesper Thygesen 1994–1998 and 2000–2003 45
6 Denmark Iddi Alkhag 2001–2007 41
7 Denmark Michael Hansen 1991–1996 and 2006–2007 39
8 Denmark Morten Bruun 1988–2001 35
9 Denmark Ole Skov 1988–1992 35
10 Denmark Nocko Joković 1996–1999 33
11 Denmark Peter Lassen 1999–2000 33
12 Denmark Allan Reese 1991–1997 32
13 Denmark Hans Erfurt 1987–1994 31
14 Germany Marvin Pourie 2011–2013 29
15 Denmark Jesper Bech 2004–2014 28

Top appearances

Competitive matches only. To matches played 22 March 2017.[16]

# Name Career Appearances
1 Denmark Morten Bruun 1988–2001 424
2 Denmark Bjarne Jensen 348
3 Denmark Dennis Flinta 2005–2007 and 2009–present 329
4 Denmark Ingvar Johansen 1979–1993 325
5 Denmark Arne Skovbo 308
6 Denmark Kurt Nielsen 307
7 Denmark Peter Kjær 1993–2001 291
8 Denmark Christian Duus 1991–2005 283
9 Denmark Henrik Pedersen 1995–2001 and 2008–2012 270
10 Denmark Michael Larsen 1992–2003 269
11 Denmark Thomas Poulsen 1997–2006 255
12 Denmark Brian Skaarup −1991 254
13 Denmark Heine Fernandez 1990–1998 246
14 Denmark Jørgen Hansen 245
15 Denmark Jesper Thygesen 1994–1998 and 2000–2003 245

References

  1. ^ 1993–1994 season Archived 27 December 2016 at the Wayback Machine, Silkeborg IF by year, accessed on 4 December 2013.
  2. ^ Superstats SIF-BIF 15.08.1993 Archived 29 October 2016 at the Wayback Machine, SIF-BIF: 4–2, accessed on 4 December 2013.
  3. ^ Superstats FCK-SIF 05.06.1994 Archived 29 October 2016 at the Wayback Machine, FCK-SIF: 4–1, accessed on 4 December 2013.
  4. ^ "Tipsbladet forudsiger SL: De bliver overraskelsen". Tipsbladet (in Danish). 16 July 2021. Archived from the original on 16 July 2021. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
  5. ^ "Mesterskabsspillet tilrettelagt". Silkeborg IF (in Danish). 20 March 2022. Archived from the original on 19 August 2022. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
  6. ^ Porse, Kristian (14 April 2022). "Silkeborgs 'VHS' ødelagde FCK's flotte stime". bold.dk (in Danish). Archived from the original on 4 January 2023. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
  7. ^ "KEP udnævner ny trio og sammenligner med verdensstjerner – Kent Nielsen langt fra imponeret". TV3 SPORT (in Danish). 2 November 2021. Archived from the original on 1 December 2021. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
  8. ^ "Manglende profilsalg i januar viser Silkeborgs styrke". B.T. (in Danish). 20 February 2022. Archived from the original on 4 January 2023. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
  9. ^ Porse, Kristian (14 April 2022). "Silkeborg slog FCK: Tilbage i top 3-kampen nu". bold.dk (in Danish). Archived from the original on 4 January 2023. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
  10. ^ Margren, Sara (15 May 2022). "Silkeborg snupper bronze i Superligaen". bold.dk (in Danish). Archived from the original on 4 January 2023. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
  11. ^ Jensen, Kenneth (7 February 2022). "Alt om SIF: Stjernes lillebror er et større talent". Tipsbladet (in Danish). Archived from the original on 8 February 2022. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
  12. ^ "Russia World Cup ban appeal rejected by CAS". ESPN. 18 March 2022. Archived from the original on 19 March 2022. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
  13. ^ Jensen, Kenneth (27 May 2022). "Her er SIF's mulige modstandere i EL-playoff". Tipsbladet (in Danish). Archived from the original on 28 June 2022. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
  14. ^ "Nordicbet Liga-trup | Silkeborg IF". silkeborgif.com (in Danish). Archived from the original on 20 December 2019. Retrieved 6 July 2018.
  15. ^ Silkeborg IF: Most goals Archived 28 October 2016 at the Wayback Machine, Most Goals, accessed on 22 March 2017.
  16. ^ Silkeborg IF: Most matches Archived 26 May 2017 at the Wayback Machine, Most matches, accessed on 22 March 2017.

External links

  • Official Site
  • SIF4ever.dk – unofficial forum for the fans
  • SIFosis – the official supporter group