KIERAN HAS A SCORE TO SETTLE
ReidlovingEuro frozenfairytale withOstersunds
BILLY REID reckons he is part of a football fairytale after helping Ostersunds ensure they will be playing European football beyond Christmas in the frozen north of Sweden.
Two weeks ago the former Hamilton boss joined fans at a party to celebrate after defeating Zorya Luhansk in their Europa League group to secure a place in the last 32 alongside Celtic.
Reid is assistant to Englishman Graham Potter and they have transformed a small team from Sweden’s home of winter sports into one that has humbled European football’s giants.
Galatasaray were seen off in the qualifiers before Ostersunds progressed from a group that comprised Athletic Bilbao, Hertha Berlin and Zorya of Ukraine.
Potter and Reid instilled such belief in their band of journeymen players, which includes former Morton midfielder Fouad Bachirou, that they qualified with a game to spare.
Ostersund is 370 miles north of Stockholm, Malmo is 680 miles away. The club dropped to the fourth tier of Swedish football in 2010.
Potter’s arrival in 2011 changed that, along with Reid after his Hamilton exit in November 2013.
The duo led the club from the doldrums to the top flight and won the Swedish Cup last season.
The Scot said: “I used to hear in Scotland how tough it was for Inverness to attract players because it was 170 miles away. But we’re more than double that from Stockholm. Graham and I have brought a lot of players here who had no reputation and now they are making their own.
“I knew Fouad from Scotland. I’d seen him at Morton and I knew he was a good technical player.
“People thought he was too small. But he’s better suited to the Europa League where he gets time to make passes rather than trying to win second balls in our second tier.
“We also have two players who will go to the World Cup finals. Saman Ghoddos has qualified with Iran and Ken Sema, who’s only 23, is in the Sweden squad.
“We don’t fear anyone now. It was a miracle for a club like this to get into Europe but we refused to be overawed by it.
“We’ve had 12 games in Europe now and the players are learning fast.
“In our first group game we won 2-0 at Zorya, who were beaten 1-0 by Man United last season. Then we beat Hertha 1-0 at home and drew 2-2 with Bilbao.
“We play on a synthetic pitch but it’s a good one that helps our passing game.”
Perhaps fellow Europa League last-32 qualifiers Celtic might be the next visitors to the Jamkraft Arena in February?
Reid added: “This is an amazing fairytale but we are not ready for it to end.”