Latvia: Starkovs delighted with Skonto success

Having dominated the Latvian Virsliga for the previous nine seasons, the fact that FC Skonto made it ten titles in a row at the weekend was hardly a surprise. It was the manner in which they captured their domestic crown that was unusual, as only a defeat for FK Ventspils allowed the team from Latvia's capital to snatch glory from the brink of failure.

Single point
Needing only a point to secure the title, Ventspils lost 1-0 to fourth placed FC Dinaburg, allowing Skonto to earn top spot by a single point with their  2-1 victory against FHK Liepajas Metalurgs. It was the first time in Latvian history that title was decided by a single point and on the last day of the championship.

'Deserved to win'
Skonto coach Aleksandrs Starkovs was delighted with his side's victory and the circumstances in which it came about. "It seems like Italian style endings can be reproduced in Latvian championships", he said. "We did deserve to win today, and to win this title. I wanted to keep my players uninformed about the result in Daugavpils. I just wanted us to play our game and win it."

'Important goals'
David Chaladze was Skonto's goal hero, scoring the winner as his side came from a goal down to earn the three points. Starkovs was full of praise for Chaladze, who finished the season with a creditable 15 goals to his name. "David was excellent in the recent games," Starkovs added. "It was he who scored several important goals which helped us to the title."

'Very disappointed'
Ventspils' English coach Paul Ashworth could barely hide his disappointment after his side's failure to earn a crucial point against Dinaburg. "We were nervous from the very first minute," he said. "We didn’t play the way we could and should have played. But I still am very proud of my players, they’ve been magnificent this season. And the fact that we lost this game doesn’t make me less proud for them. To say that I’m disappointed would be the biggest understatement in the world. Of course, I’m very very disappointed. Both personally, and for my players."

Attacking statistics
Skonto won the title in 2000 by a convincing ten-point margin, again leaving Ventspils in second and Metalurgs training a further place behind. This time the margin was smaller but their attacking statistics were even more impressive. They scored 25 goals more than their nearest rivals and lost only four games all season. Miholaps emerged as Latvia's top scorer with 24 goals, and his partnership with Chaladze became the driving force behind Skonto's championship challenge.

Fortunes revitalised
At the other end of the table, Policijas FK and LU Daugava, the two sides relegated at the end of the 2000 season, merged into PFK/Daugava prior to the start of the current campaign. The move revitalised the clubs fortunes and a fifth placed finish, along with a level goal difference, was a great achievement for the Riga-based team.

Poor defensive record
Zibens-Zemessardze, who won promotion to the Virsliga at the start of the 2001 season, were renamed FK Stalkers/Zemessardze, but they failed to repeat Daugava's heroics. With just one win and one draw to their name, Stalkers propped up the table with just four points. They also boasted a poor defensive record, conceding 118 goals in their 28 matches.