Skjern took three points from Bjerringbro-Silkeborg on Friday evening, closing out a tight contest in the Danish Handball League.
The hosts ran out 34:31 winners, pushing their unbeaten run to eight matches while leaving the visitors with a single defeat in their last nine outings.
To be fair, the result looked less certain when the defensive blocks started stacking up in the second period.
We had flagged this fixture before kickoff, noting that Skjern’s home record carried weight.
We gave a home win with 61 per cent confidence, and the final whistle confirmed that assessment.
It wasn’t until the closing ten minutes that the margin began to open, and by then the momentum had clearly shifted.
There was a stretch around the half-hour mark where Bjerringbro-Silkeborg pinned them back, forcing turnovers that Skjern struggled to clear.
One particular sequence saw the away side come for a cross they never reached, but the referee called a foul instead.
And here's the thing, that decision changed the tempo completely.
Skjern stopped trying to build slowly and started hitting the fast break.
The shot count told a story of efficiency rather than volume.
Skjern converted a higher percentage of their chances, turning possession into goals when it mattered most.
Bjerringbro-Silkeborg had opportunities but ended a barren spell only in the final exchanges.
They gave up the ball and hit them on the break too often in the last quarter.
Skjern move up to fourth place on ten points, keeping pressure on the leaders without breathing down their necks just yet.
Bjerringbro-Silkeborg remain sixth with nine points, their only loss now standing as a blemish on an otherwise solid campaign.
The gap between them closes, but the quality difference showed in the final minutes.
