2000

To top the result from 1999 wasn’t easy but it was exactly what happened during the new milleniums first season. Even if it seemed more than difficult from the beginning. The new trainer Nanne Bergstrand saw a complete forward line disappear and became fairly quick clear that it was needed new blood.

Nicklas Persson, Jozo Matovac, Álvaro, Hasse Eklund and Jesper Jansson came and the unlikely happened. The miracle in Milano with San Siro-Svens penalty kick save arranged the ticket to UEFA Champions League. There it became points against all opponents and a considerable amount of money in the barns.
Add to that there were almost gold again. In the last Allsvenska match HIF secured the big silver which means that there will be further play in Europe.

It became three rounds in the UEFA-cup 2001, after having fussed further against Finnish MyPa and Norwegian ODD Grenland HIF did a great match against the surprise team Ipswich Town in England. The match ended 0-0 even though HIF had many good chances and should have won the match. In the return it was curtain down after a loss with 3-1, HIF was leading however with 1-0 at half-time. Allsvenskan also became a flop, after having been main favourites during the whole year the team could only be capable of a fifth place. Nanne Bergstrand didn’t get prolonged confidence and after a quick affair took the gold trainer with Hammarby IF Sören Cratz over at the rudder.

During the pre-season 2002 HIF ran more or less over all resistance, but had a nightmare start when they met Landskrona BoIS in the series premiere at Landskrona IP. Landskrona won with as much as 6-2! HIF played in the UEFA Intertoto Cup during the summer 2002 but with heavy matching and many injuries in the team HIF went out of the cup already in the second round against FC Synot from the Czech Republic. HIF lost with 4-0 in the Czech Republic, the return ended 2-0 to HIF.

2002 was a turbulent year for HIF, for the second year in a row the club broke the head trainer’s contract. Sören Cratz had to go after a little more than nine months in the club, TipsElit- responsible Peter Swärdh took over the rest of the season and managed to bring calm to the troop – it all ended with an acceptable fourth place in Allsvenskan.