1930

The thirties begins like the twenties ends. HIF is in the top and draw a lot of people to Olympia.
Harry Lundahl has been flown home from studies in England to the home game against Gais on Whit Easter. His moral importance can be decisive for the gold fight, which shows to be true. Already after a quarter becomes Arne ”Tysken” Johansson injured, but despite ten men and a disadvantage at half-time the team succeeds to equalize to 2-2, and Harry scores both goals. One spectator make a correct judgment of the teams attitude: ”it is not ten players, it is ten tigers.”

Wednesday the 28:th of May 1930 Stattena plays its second to last allsvenska match at Olympia. HIF wins the derby with 7-0 and plays excellent before 4.127 spectators.
In the finishing round, the 1:st of June 1930 HIF goes to Gothenburg and encounter Gais. One wins both the match and allsvenskan, and the homeward journey to Helsingborg becomes one long triumphal march. Helsingborgs Dagblad:
”Last time Ångfärjestationen had distinguished visit, a foreign majesty, it was 150 people in place. Now it was packed on the platform and street outside with 3-4.000 helsingborgers.”
HIF has done what no other team has done since allsvenskan established, namely to win two years in a row, or almost three as some newspaper expression it, and aim at the goal average dramatics 1928.

HIF ends fourth in allsvenskan the season 1930-1931. A alternation of generations is ongoing, among others Sigge Lindberg has left and Harry Lundahl moved to Eskilstuna. Under the vignette”Bills point of view” in Helsingborgs Dagblad points out laconic: ”The milk cow is limping but there is something called revenge.”
Players that finish or move, is not only replaced by talents from the own line. It is recruited strongly and transfer fees prevail, in one or another shape. Sigge Olsson is bought e.g. from IFK for slaughterhouse price, i.e. 80 kilos of pork à 12.50.

There is no revenge 1931-1932 but HIF ends eight in allsvenskan, the worst placing ever. But some teams always pull people independent of HIF:s placing in the table. Sunday the 8:th of May 1932 comes league leader AIK to Olympia and plays 1-1 before 12.226 paying spectators, new attendance record with thirteen persons.

The Whitsun holiday 1933 is not very fascinating for the helsingborgers. It is said that the uncertainty before the allsvenska decisive throw its shadow over the city the whole holiday. HIF leads the series before the last match which is played Whit Monday in Stockholm against AIK. It ends however well. It becomes 4-2 and the third allsvenska gold is salvaged. The Helsingborgers can breathe out and be delighted over one marvellous spring. The team wins all nine matches after the winterbreak.
About 4.000 helsingborgers receive at the Centralstation when the team arrives with the Stockholm train on Tuesday morning.

Allsvenskans tenth season ends Whit Monday the 21:st of May 1934. Lennart Bunke is flown home from his work at the Swedish embassy in Moscow solely to play the match at Olympia against Halmia. Despite bad weather it comes much people. 10.300 paying plus 500 schoolchildren plus all with complimentary tickets. At least 11.000 is at the match, many of them stand on the new stand in the Stattena- curve. HIF wins securely with 2-0, and relegation ready Gefle sensational with 4-3 against Gothenburg. For the fourth time in six years HIF wins gold in allsvenskan and for the second time its gold party at Olympia. Practically all players’ recieve praise from Bill Pettersson a day like this. The thing is that HIF has been playing badly the whole spring; but has been lucky.
There is no distribution of prizes, only a thank you and a fourfold cheer. The gold medals are namely in Gävle to be given to IFK Göteborg. The victory comes as a glad surprise but is not commented so lively in the press as the earlier: ”It starts to become to usuall that the victory go to us, so it dosen’t have the charm of novelty”
Remarkable is that the allsvenskan is won despite problems with the troup. HIF:aren: ”to from one week till the other don’t know, how the order of battle shall be, and yet during the major part of the year cover the first place and finally when this had to be left, in the decisive moment still pull the laurel, is an exploit.”

After the allsvenska gold spring 1934 follows a catastrophic autumn that only gives five points. Spring 1935 is slightly better. At Ascension Day, third round from the end, AIK comes to Olympia and plays 1-1. HIF lays next to last in the allsvenskan, yet it comes 8,930 paying plus about a thousand invited schoolchildren. After the match Bill Pettersson writes in Helsingborgs Dagblad:
”Only a miracle can now save HIF from relegation to division II. This would happen over old of ancient lineage Örgrytes corpse, and by that would the last rest become worse than the first.”
Bill is generous against Örgryte and besides a great optimist in the moment of setback. He means that HIF has done well during the spring, better than the gold spring 1934, when the team played under all criticism but won because it went automatically. HIF is degraded but Bill assume that man soon will be back in allsvenskan:
”One years recovery for HIF in division II don’t necessarily means that the fooball interest dies in Helsingborg with surroundings.”
But it will take two seasons, until autumn 1937, before it is allsvensk football at Olympia again.

It goes half poorly for HIF in the second division, but then in January 1937 something happens that totally changes the picture. ” The veteran reserve” is reporting for duty. (The veteran reserve is a designation of older age classes in a conscript army that e.g. shall be part of local defense units) Old stars like Harry Lundahl, Nils Rosén, Lennart and Torsten Bunke lays in hard training and are prepared to help their club. The real enthusiast Harry Lundahl becomes playing trainer. He tells in ‘A book about HIF, 1907-57’:
”I remember all of it as yesterday and will always remember. How steady the eleven became of ‘The veteran reserves’ reporting for duty, how purposefully we started the indoor training in January, how meticulously we analysed the problems - the practical and technical in the sports centre, the tactical and moral in the club premises – and how we smudged and divided on the black board. How optimistic we laid up a mathematical calculus and completed it exactly. How we stormed forward on the grounds as veritable red devils and not went for loosing a single match”

Sunday the 2:nd of May 1937 HIF plays against Höganäs. After the victory with 4-0 it looks hopeful. The finishing match in Halmstad against HBK becomes directly decisive for the league winner. HIF wins with 2-0 and the 6:th of June awaits qualification against Degerfors that is defeated with 4-1 before 12.794 paying, all times attendance record at Olympia. The weather is sunny and beautiful, thus real HIF-weather. The return match in Degerfors HIF wins with 3-1 and is by that means back where the team always belongs, namely in allsvenskan.

Wednesday the 4:th of August 1937 it is again allsvensk football at Olympia where HIF wins over Landskrona Bois with 2-0. Entrance 1 kr, open seat 1 kr extra and numbered tribunal place 1:50 extra. Entertainment tax adds with 10 %. It is thus still the same price of admission as at the allsvenska start 1924.

It’s going well for HIF again. The team is at the top before spring season 1938 and the 15:th of May large audience is expected as Brage comes to visit. Among others is a new stand with standing accommodation only at the eastern long side ready to use. It is 50 metres long and six stairs high. An extra entrance has also been opened opposite the Olympia school. To avoid queuing-up the audience is requested to have ” evenly counted coins at hand”. It becomes a memorable match that HIF wins with 5-1, and the new attendance record is at 13.818 paying.
A wonderful match in best HIF- weather. Attendance record, comfort and great victory. What more can man ask for. Yes another allsvenskt gold, but it has to wait. HIF ends second in its allsvenska comeback. The season after, 1938-1939, it’s starting to go real bad, but in the end HIF finishes nineth.