Faroese side Havnar Boltfelag are the first opponents for Newtown in this season’s edition of the UEFA Europa Conference League.
Out of all the teams that the Robins could have drawn, logistically this will be one of the most difficult and the most expensive.
A country with a population of just under 50,000 people and around the same size as Llanelli, boasts a national league and some competitive teams.
Newtown fans will be travelling to the Faroe Islands (which are located just over 2000 miles north of the Scottish mainland), to take on Havnar Bóltfelag in the first qualifying round of the Europa Conference League.
History
Havnar Bóltfelag (which translates to Harbour Football Club) are based in Tórshavn, which is the capital of the Faroe Islands.
HB were founded in October 1904 and were one of the first clubs to enter the inaugural Faroe Islands Premier League, which started in 1942.
While the first few years in the league were mediocre, HB went from strength to strength. After winning the league for the first time in 1955, they have gone on to win it another 23 times, making them the most successful team on the islands.
They last won the league in 2020.
Stadium
HB play their home matches at the 5000 all-seater Gundadalur. They share this stadium with B36 Tórshavn, another team who play in the Faroese Premier League.
Manager
This month, HB have hired a new manager in Dali Savic. Savic’s footballing style is described as ‘Southern (Balkan) creativity with Swedish structure’.
He has spent most of his managerial career in Sweden working with youth teams, and joins HB from Dalkurd FF.
Players to Watch
HB have a clutch of players who play for the national team, with six of them being called up during the most recent international period.
If Newtown get past Moro, they will then be faced with goalkeeper Teitur Gestsson. The number one has played 19 times for the national team and has been with HB since 2011 and has even managed to score a goal for the club.
Their top scorer this season is Stefan Radoslavljevic, who has scored eight goals in 15 appearances this season.
Current Season
We are currently halfway through the Faroese season, and HB currently finds itself in third place.
With fifteen games already played, they have won eight, drawn four and lost three. The three games they have lost against have been to the sides above them in the league.
Embed from Getty ImagesEuropean Pedigree
With the number of league titles they have won, HB have been a constant presence in European competitions over the past few years.
They have not reached the group stages of any competition. However, last season was their most successful one in Europe.
After getting knocked out in the Champions League preliminary round by Andorran side Inter Club d’Escaldes, they beat Montenegrin side Budućnost Podgorica 6-0 on aggregate in the second qualifying round of the Conference League.
In the third round, they were drawn against Israeli giants Maccabi Haifa, and in the home leg, they recorded a 1-0 victory, perhaps their most famous victory for many a decade.
While they did go on to lose 7-2 out in Haifa, their run last season will certainly inspire them this time around.
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