Awaiting a head coach

On 2 and 5 of June Baltika FC played two very important matches. The result showed that even without a head coach who might be appointed one of these days our team can play with enthusiasm and inspiration. 

From the very beginning of the season Metallurg from Lipetsk seemed weaker than Salut-Energy. The team from Lipetsk advanced to the First Russian Football League this year and they hardly have managed to assemble a competitive squad so far. Baltica started this match with an opening goal early in the game. Golubov got a precise pass from inside own area, rushed forward, made the defender lose the sprint competition and then sent the ball in the net without reaching the goalkeeper.  It happened at 5’. Events on the pitch didn’t weaken the grips and the second half teemed with scoring opportunities. Baltika scored twice more. At 55’ minutes Kolomiychenko picked the head pass and hammered the ball straight into the bottom corner of the goal. The pace of the game didn’t decrease and the scoreboard lit with 3-0 as the final whistle blew. The third goal was scored by Timofeev who curled a free kick around the wall into the top corner. 

To note that the team appeared on the pitch under the leadership of its president Evgeni Tivanenkov and his assistant Andrei Dementyev. The right candidate for Baltica head coach will be announced to the public on Monday 8 of June. Leonid Tkachenko is likely to take the office, he was helping the interim managing staff so far. 

The second “pair game” at home was against Salut-Energy from Belgorod. Like Metallurg they stood next to Baltika in the table before the match. In case of a victory we could step forward and set closer to place 5. This time we didn’t score during the first minutes of the game and it meant that everything could happen then. Firstly, we had luck and the fussy Kaliningrad weather played into our hands. Ivan Zavaliy finished as it seemed “a finished attack.”  He picked the deflection on the wet turf with agility and persistence and fired it home. In early of the second Metallurg tied it up but at 70’ Ivan Zavaliy again grabbed a good mood for the public and team scoring his second until we conceded from Markov with just 2 mins to go in full time and the game ended 2-2. 

It is always unpleasant to lose unplanned points especially in such crucial situations like that for any team. 

The next two games will be played away – in Vladikavkaz on 13 of June and FC Nizniy-Novgorod on 16 of June.  

1 Alania 13 28

2 Anzi 13 27

3 Shinnik 14 26

4 Sibir 13 25

5 Kamaz 13 21

6 Ural 13 21

7 Salut-Energy 13 19

8 Baltika 14 18

9 Chita 14 17

10 SKA-Energy 13 17

11 Nosta 13 16

12 Vityaz 13 16

13 Metallurg 13 14

14 Krasnodar 13 14

15 Volgar-Gazprom-2 13 14

16 MHA Russia 14 14

17 Nizniy-Novgorod 13 14

18 Chernomorets 13 13

19 Volga 13 12

20 Luch-Energy 13 10

Matchday 14, results

Chernomorets – Ural 1-1

Krasnodar – Sibir 2-3 Vityaz – SKA-Energy 1-1

Nosta – Luch-Energy 2-0 

Shinnik – Metallurg 1-0

Volgar-Gazprom-2 – Chita 2-0

Anzi – MHA Russia 1-0

Alex Maksimov

Alex77786@mail.ru