Erik Midtgarden Explained

Erik Midtgarden
Fullname:Erik Midtgarden
Birth Date:18 November 1987
Birth Place:Skien, Norway
Height:1.86m
Currentclub:Eik Tønsberg
Clubnumber:15
Years1:2005–2006
Clubs1:Odd Grenland
Caps1:3
Goals1:0
Years2:2006
Clubs2:Pors Grenland (loan)
Caps2:26
Goals2:4
Years3:2007–2008
Clubs3:Notodden
Caps3:29
Goals3:2
Years4:2009–2010
Clubs4:Mjøndalen
Caps4:54
Goals4:22
Years5:2011
Clubs5:Odd Grenland
Caps5:14
Goals5:1
Years6:2011
Clubs6:Vitesse Arnhem
Caps6:0
Goals6:0
Years7:2011
Clubs7:Flora Tallinn (loan)
Caps7:13
Goals7:1
Years8:2012
Clubs8:Lillestrøm
Caps8:0
Goals8:0
Years9:2012
Clubs9:Mjøndalen (loan)
Caps9:14
Goals9:10
Years10:2013
Clubs10:Hønefoss
Caps10:19
Goals10:0
Years11:2014–2016
Clubs11:Mjøndalen
Caps11:81
Goals11:14
Years12:2017–2019
Clubs12:Notodden
Caps12:73
Goals12:22
Years13:2020–2023
Clubs13:Åssiden
Caps13:22
Goals13:2
Years14:2023–
Clubs14:Eik Tønsberg
Caps14:33
Goals14:11
Nationalyears1:2004
Nationalcaps1:3
Nationalgoals1:0
Nationalyears2:2005
Nationalteam2:Norway U18
Nationalcaps2:10
Nationalgoals2:0
Nationalyears3:2006–2007
Nationalcaps3:2
Nationalgoals3:1
Club-Update:31 May 2024
Manageryears1:2021-2022
Managerclubs1:Åssiden

Erik Midtgarden (born 18 November 1987) is a Norwegian footballer who plays as a midfielder for Eik Tønsberg. He has previously played for Tippeligaen sides Odd Grenland, Lillestrøm, Hønefoss and Mjøndalen and won the Meistriliiga with Flora Tallinn in 2011. Midtgarden has also spent time with the First Division sides Pors Grenland, Notodden (previous spell) and Mjøndalen (two previous spells). He has represented Norway at under-17, under-18 and under-21 level.

Club career

Born in Skien,[1] Midtgarden joined Odd Grenland's first-team squad ahead of the 2005 season. He made his debut in the first round of the 2005 Norwegian Football Cup match against Langesund/Stathelle, when he played the last 20 minutes as a winger and scored Odd's last goal in the 4–0 victory.[2] He made three appearances for Odd in Tippeligaen in his first season at the club, and was the top goalscorer for the reserve team in the 2. divisjon with eleven goals.[3] He spent the 2006 season on loan to Pors Grenland, where he was a regular for the team in the First Division.[4] His contract with Odd expired after the season, and although the club wanted to renew his contract, Midtgarden chose to sign a two-year contract with the newly promoted First Division side Notodden, where he was promised regularly playing time.[5]

After playing regularly for Notodden in 2007, Midtgarden was far away from the first team in the following season and wanted to leave the club when his contract expired after the 2008 season. He played a total of 29 league-matches for Notodden. He joined Mjøndalen ahead of the 2009 season, where the head coach Vegard Hansen used Midtgarden as a utility player.[6] He was on a trial with Brighton & Hove Albion in July 2010, but was not offered a contract.[7] Midtgarden scored 22 goals in 54 matches in his two seasons at Mjøndalen.[8] His contract with Mjøndalen expired after the 2010 season, and in January 2010 he joined his old club Odd Grenland on a one-year contract.[9]

Midtgarden played 14 matches for Odd in Tippeligaen in the first half of the 2012 season, and scored a goal in the 4–1 win against Sogndal on 3 April 2011 one minute after he replaced Håvard Storbæk as a substitute.[10] In July 2011, he was bought by Dutch club Vitesse Arnhem, and was subsequently sent on loan to Estonian club Flora Tallinn,[11] where he played 15 matches and won the 2011 Meistriliiga with the club.[12] Midtgarden was supposed to return to Vitesse in January 2012, but when he did not get the payments as agreed in his contract, he decide to break the contract and move home to Norway, where he signed a one-year contract with Lillestrøm ahead of the 2012 season. After Magnus Haglund became head coach of Lillestrøm, the club bought several new players to the club, and Midtgarden became superfluous at the club. He was loaned out to Mjøndalen in August 2012, and scored a goal in his debut against Sandefjord on 10 August 2012.[13] He scored 10 goals in 13 matches for Mjøndalen in the First Division in the 2012 season.

As a free agent, Midtgarden was on trials with Strømsgodset, Tromsø and Odd ahead of the 2013 season, before he signed for Hønefoss in February 2013.[14] During his spell at Hønefoss, Midtgarden was mostly used as a substitute. After Hønefoss was relegated from Tippeligaen, he decided to return to Mjøndalen for his third spell at the club.[15] He left ahead of the 2017, as the trainings became too difficult to combine with PE teacher studies at the Telemark University College, Notodden campus. He therefore rejoined Notodden FK.[16]

International career

Midtgarden has represented Norway at youth international level, and played three matches for the under-17 team in 2004 before he played 10 matches for the under-18 team the next year.[17] He made his debut for the under-21 team on 5 October 2006 in a match against Denmark U21, where he scored one of the goals.[18] He made one more appearance for the under-21 team, in February 2007 against Slovakia U21.

Career statistics

SeasonClubDivisionLeagueCupTotal
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
2005Odd GrenlandTippeligaen303161
2006001010
2006Pors GrenlandAdeccoligaen26400264
2007Notodden23012242
2008620062
2009Mjøndalen2810102910
20102612312913
2011Odd GrenlandTippeligaen14140181
2011Flora TallinnMeistriliiga13100131
2012LillestrømTippeligaen000000
2012MjøndalenAdeccoligaen1410001410
2013HønefossTippeligaen19020210
2014Mjøndalen1. divisjon27241313
2015Tippeligaen24431275
2016OBOS-ligaen30810318
2017NotoddenPostNord-ligaen2611322913
2018OBOS-ligaen3010203210
201914120161
Career Total3237630835384

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Erik Midtgarden . no . altomfotball.no . 7 March 2013.
  2. News: Midtgarden ordnet drømmedebut . no . Varden . Nils-Tore Høgberg . Olsen . 12 May 2005 . 3 April 2013 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20130522042651/http://www.varden.no/sport/midtgarden-ordnet-drommedebut-1.193470 . 22 May 2013 . dmy .
  3. News: Ønsker Notodden-spiller . no . Drammens Tidende . Jostein . Nilsen . 17 January 2009 . 3 April 2013.
  4. News: Erik Midtgarden er frustrert . no . Telemarksavisa . Kristian . Holtan . 28 April 2007 . 8 April 2013.
  5. News: Midtgarden til Notodden . no . Varden . Karina . Hagen . 8 December 2006 . 8 April 2013 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20130522061015/http://www.varden.no/sport/midtgarden-til-notodden-1.243546 . 22 May 2013 . dmy .
  6. News: MIF ønsker Midtgarden . no . Drammens Tidende . Magne J. . Nilsen . 26 July 2012 . 8 April 2013.
  7. News: Midtgarden på vei til Brighton . no . Drammens Tidende . 14 July 2010 . 8 April 2013.
  8. News: – Har vært j**** uheldig! . no . Romerikes Blad . Avisenes Nyhetsbyrå . 24 January 2013 . 8 April 2013.
  9. News: Foreløpig Mjøndalen-farvel . no . Drammens Tidende . Per Abraham . Grennæs . 4 January 2011 . 8 April 2013.
  10. News: Sogndal-keeperen på bærtur: – Dette keeperspillet var elendig . no . TV 2 . Asgeir . Svardal . Ola . Niemann . 3 April 2011 . 8 April 2013.
  11. News: Norges nye utenlandsproff: – Sikkert mange som stusser over overgangen . no . TV 2 . Dag Slinning . Aarsæther . 31 July 2011 . 8 April 2013.
  12. News: Dropper Vitesse – går til LSK . no . Nettavisen . Ole Martin . Møllerstad . Terje . Alstad . Avisenes Nyhetsbyrå . 19 October 2011 . 8 April 2013 . 22 January 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120122031311/http://www.nettavisen.no/sport/fotball/tippeligaen/article3254467.ece . dead .
  13. News: Midtgardens kjempecomeback . no . Drammens Tidende . Ola . Niemann . 11 August 2012 . 8 April 2013.
  14. News: Midtgarden klar for Hønefoss . no . Drammens Tidende . Stian Øvrebø . Johannessen . Roy . Johnsen . 26 February 2013 . 8 April 2013.
  15. News: Erik Midtgarden tilbake i MIF . no . Drammens Tidende . Jostein . Nilsen . 28 November 2013 . 11 February 2014.
  16. News: Nå er han klar for Notodden igjen. Møllerstad. Ole Martin. Øygarden, Hans Eivnid. 4 March 2017. Telemarksavisa. no.
  17. Web site: Erik Midtgarden's profil . https://web.archive.org/web/20120526083037/http://www.fotball.no/Community/Profil/?fiksId=2148474 . dead . 26 May 2012 . no . fotball.no . Football Association of Norway . 3 April 2013 .
  18. Web site: Drømmedebut for Midtgarden . no . Varden . Karina . Hagen . 6 October 2006 . 3 April 2013 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20130522041006/http://www.varden.no/sport/drommedebut-for-midtgarden-1.237620 . 22 May 2013 . dmy .