Stabæk bang the drum for Baerum

In the bag
Six points clear at the top of the Tippeligaen with as many league games remaining, Norway's football fans are cheering Jan Jönsson's side towards the finish line after a great season. Stabæk have been a delight to watch, playing fine attacking football and showcasing some talented individuals, not least the 34-year-old Nannskog, who has lit up the Norwegian top flight this season.

Title charge
Nannskog has scored 13 goals in 20 league outings this term, including four in Sunday's 6-0 demolition of Strømsgodset IF, and it looks like he will lead the side from the swanky Oslo suburb of Baerum to their first Norwegian title before the season is out, barring any late disasters. "It is looking really good now," he conceded. "We are going for the title, no doubt about it."

Upward trajectory
Some 20 years ago, Stabæk were a fifth division club in Norway, but with the help of canny club guru and PR wizard Ingebrigt Steen Jensen, they have battled their way up the ranks, first reaching the top division in 1995. They were relegated in 2004 but took the opportunity to reorganise, hiring coach Jönsson and bringing in the extraordinarily effective Nannskog.

Dangerous duo
The combination of Nannskog and Icelandic striker partner Veigar Páll Gunnarsson has long been a fearful one in Norway. Provider-in-chief Gunnarson has scored 53 goals in 114 games for Stabæk to date, but his skill in finding the right ball for Nannskog is underlined by the fact that the forward's 101 league appearances for the club in the last four seasons have netted him 78 goals. This season, with the established giants of Norwegian football enduring miserable times, the striking duo have almost been upstaged by the mazy dribbling of Brazilian Alanzinho, the form of former Malmö FF midfielder Johan Andersson and the enterprise of centre-back Morten Skjønsberg, whose displays look set to earn him a place in the Norwegian national team.

New stadium
At the end of this campaign, Stabæk will bid farewell to their outdated Nadderud Stadium in preparation for a move to the modern, state-of-the-art indoor Fornebu Arena, which will likely boost attendances and increase revenue from sponsors. "The future looks really bright for Stabæk – on and off the field," said Jensen.