The regular season of the top three tiers of football in Sweden have now come to an end. All that’s left to play now are the relegation/promotion playoff matches but before they begin, let’s have a look at every Engishman who was involved in the top three flights of Swedish football in 2018.
Click on hyperlinked players to read my exlcuisve interviews with them.
Combined Allsvenskan (first tier) stats: 6 players, 58 appearances, 4084 minutes, 13 goals, 7 assists
Andrew Mills (Goalkeeper) Östersunds FK
Appearances: 0
Unfortunately, the 24-year-old goalkeeper missed the entire season through injury but despite that, he recently signed a new deal with Ian Burchnall’s Östersunds FK side so he will be hoping to be back to his best in 2019.
Jamie Hopcutt (Midfielder) Östersunds FK
Appearances: 23 Goals: 5 Assists: 3
In his seventh season with the Swedish club, Hopcutt continued to be a regular, managing 14 starts, two more than last season. His five goals and three assists helped the Östersunds finish sixth this season.
Curtis Edwards (Midfielder) Östersunds FK
Appearances: 29 Goals: 7 Assists: 2
His third season with Östersunds and his best yet. The former Ytterhogdals man missed just one league game all season as he had his best ever goal scoring return with seven goals. Finished as the club’s third top scorer and was subbed off on only four occasions as he proved to be vital player throughout the season.
Jerell Sellars (Forward) Östersunds FK
Appearances: 6 Goals: 1 Assists: 2
Having joined halfway through the season from Cheltenham, Sellars made a decent impact in his two starts and four substitute appearances. He scored his first Allsvenskan goal on the last day of the season in a 3-3 draw with Hammarby.
Jordan Flores (Midfielder) Östersunds FK
Appearances: 0
Flores also joined partway through the season, signing on loan from Wigan Athletic on deadline day. Unfortunately, a few knocks prevented the midfielder from making his league debut but he was an unused substitute on one occasion against would-be league champions AIK and would have no doubt benefited from the experience nonetheless.
Lloyd Saxton (Goalkeeper) GIF Sundsvall
Appearances: 0
Having missed most of last season through injury, the former Bradford City goalkeeper was back as number 2 for GIF this season. He was an unused substitute on 24 occasions as his side finished eighth in the league. The 28-year-old also earned his Swedish citizenship this year.
Combined Superettan (second tier) stats: 2 players, 53 appearances, 4,455 minutes, 5 goals, 7 assists
Kevin Wright (defender) Dagerfors
Appearances: 30 Goals: 5 Assists: 6
Quite simply, Kevin Wright had a superb season for Dagerfors. His side finished seventh but where would they have finished without the former Chelsea defender? He didn’t miss a single game all season as he contributed five goals and six assists from full back. A great shift from the 22-year-old who joined Dagerfors halfway through last season.
Netan Sansara (defender) Gefle IF
Appearances: 23 Goals: 0 Assists: 1 Red cards: 2
It was a difficult season for Gefle who finished second bottom and were relegated. Sansara, playing in the sixth season of his career, tried his best at centre back to help his side survive but in the end, they just had too much to do, despite a 3-1 win over relegation rivals Norrby towards the end of the campaign.
Combined Division 1 (third tier) stats: 5 players, 8,132 minutes, 100 appearances, 18 goals, ? assists
Moses Makinde (defender) Syrianska
Appearances: 21 Goals: 2
The defender, who has previously played in America, Germany and Romania, really cam into his own as the season progressed. He started the season in and out of the team but once he had nailed down a starting spot at left back, Syrianska started to climb the table and mount a promotion challenge. The 25-year-old scored twice, both in a 3-1 win over Umeå, as he side finish second and now have the promotion playoffs to look forward to.
Laurie Bell (midfielder) Karlslund
Appearances: 30 Goals: 5
In his first season in the third tier after earning promotion with his side last year, Bell did not miss a match all season has he looked to preserve Karlslund’s place in Division 1. He scored five times, finishing as the club’s third top scorer, but it was not enough to guarantee safety and his team will now enter the relegation playoffs.
Dominic Furness (midfielder) Linköping City
Appearances: 7 Goals: 0
The midfielder, who has also played in Thailand and Iceland, played seven times for Linköping at the start of the season before leaving the club in June. His side finished ninth in the north division.
Ryan Binns (midfielder) Husqvarna
Appearances: 29 Goals: 9
On a team level, it was a disappointing season for 22-year-old midfielder Binns as Husqvarna finished bottom of the south division, eleven points from safety. However, on a personal note, it was a season of great improvement for the former Burton Albion man. He scored nine goals in 29 games, missing just one match all season as he finished as his team’s top scorer. Not made for someone who scored just once last season, albeit in far fewer games.
Samuel ‘Jay’ Naiwo (forward) Sandviken
Appearances: 13 Goals: 2
After banging in the goals for fourth tier side Piteå, Naiwo earned a move up a division to join Sandviken in August. He went on to become a regular, scoring twice as his side finished sixth.
English Players Abroad 