KRINGSJÅ (Dagsavisen): Seldom has the description eternal machine been better suited to a footballer than William Sell. Since he made the somewhat unconventional choice to leave Mjøndalen in the Eliteserien in favor of Lyn in the 3rd division, he has played absolutely every minute in the league.
– It’s only the cup match against Heming that I’ve missed, plus I came on as a substitute against Tromsdalen in the cup round after. Otherwise, I have played all the minutes yes, says Sell when Dagsavisen pulls up the rather remarkable statistics.
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The Captain’s Secret
This means that the Lightning captain has been clear of injuries and illness, has never been suspended, has always gained confidence and has also not been rested in any league match. And that’s how it has been in the 3rd division, where he played all eight games in his first season. Then there were 26 straight games when Lyn moved up in 2022, 30 games in 2023 when Lyn moved up and now he has also played 30 games before Lyn lets go of the qualifiers for the Eliteserien.
– We must not jinx anything now, so we have to knock on the table, and bet that one continues to avoid injuries since it is some real shit. On the injury front, there are things that can happen that you cannot predict, both in training and in matches, so I have been lucky there. Other than that, I’m doing a great job off the field taking care of myself, so it’s just a matter of continuing with that. In addition, I enjoy a great deal of trust, and I appreciate that very much. I have a very good relationship with everyone in the coaching team, and then it’s easier to bring out the best in myself, which means that you get to play even more games again, says the Lyn captain about the series of adventures.
The 25-year-old says that there are many people in Lyn who are good at looking after themselves, but also that the club does a very good job with injury prevention. Nevertheless, he kept it a secret that he was never injured.
– My secret is the good old crotch pants. It takes the brunt of it for me, and is on in every training session and every match. Now I’ve got five or six people in the team to buy the same crotch pants, and plan to get them in with everyone in the team. So that we never get any injuries to any of our players again, says Sell and laughs.
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Brought everyone in from the cold
Coach Jan Halvor Halvorsen is naturally very pleased that the captain is always available.
– The fact that he has played everything in the three years I have been here is very impressive. For a coach it is of course absolutely essential that the captain plays as much as possible, as you need to know you have a leader on the pitch you can trust, so it has been absolutely brilliant. He leads as a good example, both on and off the pitch, says Halvorsen to Dagsavisen.
Halvorsen himself is also very concerned with injury prevention, and making arrangements for his team to play as much as possible, which is also characterized by Lyn’s incredible stability. Only last week’s quarantine on Herman Solberg Nilsen meant that he has not achieved the same as William Sell.
We also saw an example of that when Dagsavisen was at Thursday’s Lyn training, when Halvorsen ordered all the Lyn players to get into the dressing room as quickly as possible so that no one got sick. As a result, a separate small mixed zone had to be set up inside Lyn’s clubhouse in order to conduct the interviews after training.
– Now we have been lucky and skilled here in that we have had very few injuries during these over three years. The injuries we have had have mostly been battle injuries, and there are things that can happen, but the fact that we have had so few injuries in training and thus avoided injuries to our most important players has been very important, says the Lyn coach.
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– Now the fun begins
Towards this weekend’s qualification for the Eliteserien, which starts with the “home game” against Kongsvinger in Ekeberg, Even Bydal and Henrik Kristiansen are the only two injured.
– Some of the success we have had here is not just the 11 who have started, but the rest of the team who maintain the level on the training field so that even if we have won and done well, those who play are pushed from behind which means they cannot relax of. Then they know that someone else will take the place, and that is important, says the Lyn coach.
Both he and Sell are looking forward to another qualification, and can hardly believe that the team is again fighting for promotion to the Eliteserien.
– It’s really sick, and almost unbelievable. That we have come so far in such a short time, and that half of the eleven are those who have been with us all the time from the 3rd division, that is impressive. Now we’re in the qualifiers, and there it’s win or lose, so that’s when the fun starts, says Halvorsen and smiles.
– We must take with us the fact that we are getting close to where we want to be, but at the same time know that there is still a long way to go, and that we have not secured anything yet. What we have done is that we have delivered a great season, so if we take that into the qualifiers and deliver something of the same, it can be a lot of fun, concludes William Sell.
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