There is a football fever on Listerlandet, and even if players and leaders within the club do not dare to take anything for granted in advance, local resident Ulf Persson is all the more certain.
It's just a matter of when. If it's not this weekend, it will be the next, he says.
He himself will miss the gold party if Mjällby becomes Swedish champions already this weekend. He will be traveling to Spain.
It may be an extra splash down there if it goes well, says Ulf and laughs.
"Only Mjällby matters"
But the great interest in Mjällby comes with a problem. The queue to the club shop on match days stretches to the exit.
It's only Mjällby that matters now. Even people who are not interested in football buy flags, says Ulf, who himself had wanted to buy a new large flag, but they are sold out.
One who has noticed the big hunt for Mjällby souvenirs is Lennart Hansson. His neighbor at Strandvallen's camping site lost his flag a few weeks ago. It is one of the few drawbacks of living close to his favorite club's home ground.
I remember when you could leave the arena and offer hot dogs during the break, he says.
"Would have been hell"
A bit away from Strandvallen, in central Mjällby, the couple Anders and Agneta Jönsson are having coffee. When the story about the stolen flag comes up, Anders cheers up.
I know one of those who have stolen the flag, he says to the coffee group's great amusement.
He lives a bit away from there.
Both have season tickets to Mjällby's matches and have followed the club since the team went up to the top division for the first time in 1979.
You can imagine 2016. If the team had lost the last two matches, they would have been in division 2, but now they have built up everything, says Anders.
It's absolutely fantastic, Agneta adds.
Mjällby has eleven points down to second-place Hammarby with five rounds left to play. The club needs to take 5 points out of 15 possible to secure the SM gold themselves.
The gold can, however, be secured already on Sunday.
If Mjällby wins at home against Elfsborg on Saturday and Hammarby loses points away against IFK Göteborg the day after, the gold is clear.
Founded: 1939
Location: Hällevik, Sölvesborgs municipality in western Blekinge
Home ground: Strandvallen
Best placement in the top division: 5 (2020,2024)
First season in the top division: 1980
Main merit: Final in the Swedish Cup (2023)
