2014 Latvian Higher League

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
FK Jelgava
FK Spartaks Jūrmala
Matches played162
Goals scored505 (3.12 per match)
Top goalscorerVladislavs Gutkovskis (28)
Biggest home winLiepāja 7-0 FC Jūrmala
Biggest away winFC Jūrmala 0-6 Ventspils
FC Jūrmala 0-6 Daugava Rīga
Highest scoringDaugava Daugavpils 5-3 Liepāja
Longest winning run12 matches:
Ventspils
Longest unbeaten run12 matches:
Skonto
Ventspils
Longest winless run23 matches:
FC Jūrmala
Longest losing run11 matches:
FC Jūrmala
← 2013
→

The 2014 Latvian Higher League was the 23rd season of top-tier

Daugava Daugavpils, the second and third teams from the previous season, were denied a license to participate and the league began with eight clubs. However, their appeals against this were successful and the league was restored to ten clubs.[1]

Teams

This year the league had ten participants.

Stadiums and locations

Spartaks
Ventspils
class=notpageimage|
Locations of the 2014 Latvian Higher League teams
Club Location Stadium Capacity
BFC Daugavpils Daugavpils Celtnieks Stadium 3,980
FC Daugava Daugavpils Daugava Stadium 4,100
FK Daugava Rīga Riga Daugava Stadium 5,000
FK Jelgava
 Jelgava
Zemgales Olimpiskais Sporta Centrs
 2,200
FC Jūrmala Jūrmala
Slokas Stadium
 5,000
FK Liepāja Liepāja Daugava Stadium 6,000
FS Metta/LU
 Riga
Stadions Arkādija
 500
Skonto FC Riga
Skonto Stadium
 10,000
FK Spartaks Jūrmala Jūrmala Slokas Stadium 5,000
FK Ventspils Ventspils Olimpiskais Stadium 3,200

League table

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
1 Ventspils (C) 36 26 5 5 73 20 +53 83 Qualification for Champions League second qualifying round
2 Skonto 36 25 1 10 77 34 +43 71[a] Qualification for Europa League first qualifying round
3
Jelgava
 36 20 10 6 57 27 +30 70
4 Liepāja 36 21 3 12 72 45 +27 66
5 Daugava Daugavpils (R) 36 19 8 9 53 39 +14 65 Relegation to Latvian First League
6 Spartaks Jūrmala 36 14 9 13 38 32 +6 51 Qualification for Europa League first qualifying round[b]
7 Daugava Rīga (R) 36 13 4 19 48 64 −16 43 Relegation to Latvian First League
8 BFC Daugavpils 36 8 5 23 30 65 −35 29
9
METTA/LU
(O) 		36 3 7 26 26 69 −43 16 Qualification for relegation play-offs
10 FC Jūrmala (R) 36 2 6 28 29 108 −79 7[c] Relegation to Latvian First League
Source: Virslīga 2014
Rules for classification: 1st points; 2nd head-to-head points; 3rd head-to-head goal difference; 4th overall wins; 5th goal difference; 6th goals scored. The winners of the 2014–15 Latvian Football Cup competition will qualify for the first qualifying round of the 2015–16 UEFA Europa League.
(C) Champions; (O) Play-off winners; (R) Relegated
Notes:
  1. ^ Skonto FC have had 5 point(s) deducted
  2. ^ Liepāja would have qualified for the Europa League first qualifying round, but failed to obtain a UEFA license as they were affiliated with the Latvian Football Federation for less than three years after reforming from the dissolved Liepājas Metalurgs. As a result, the berth was given to Spartaks Jūrmala, as Daugava Daugavpils also failed to obtain a UEFA license.[2]
  3. ^ FC Jūrmala have had 5 point(s) deducted

Relegation play-offs

The 9th-placed side faced the runners-up of the 2014 Latvian First League in a two-legged play-off, with the winner being awarded a spot in the 2015 Higher League competition.

Rēzeknes BJSS
Kalniņš 44'
FS METTA/LU
Aguls 14' Loginovs 26', 55'
Milašēvičs 29', 72'
Pallo 80'
Rezekne

FS METTA/LU won 6–1 on aggregate.

Results

Season statistics

Top scorers

As of 8 November 2014
Rank Player Club Goals
1 Latvia Vladislavs Gutkovskis Skonto 28
2 Latvia Jānis Ikaunieks Liepāja 23
3 Latvia Vladislavs Kozlovs
Jelgava
 15
4 Latvia Edgars Gauračs Spartaks 14
5 Latvia Jevgēņijs Kosmačovs Daugava 12
Latvia Kristaps Grebis Liepāja
Lithuania Mantas Savėnas Daugava Rīga
Albania Ndue Mujeci Ventspils
9 Nigeria Ahmed Abdultaofik Ventspils 11
10 Turkmenistan Ruslan Mingazow Skonto 9

Player of the Month

Month Player Club
March/April[3] Latvia Jurijs Žigajevs FK Ventspils
May[4] Latvia Jānis Ikaunieks FK Liepāja
June[5] Latvia Edgars Gauračs JPFS/FK Spartaks
July[6] Latvia Edgars Gauračs JPFS/FK Spartaks
August[7] Latvia Kaspars Ikstens
FK Jelgava
September[8] Latvia Jānis Ikaunieks FK Liepāja
October/November[9] Latvia Vladislavs Gutkovskis Skonto FC

Manager of the Month

Month Manager Club
March/April[3]
Jurģis Pučinsks
 FK Ventspils
May[4] Latvia Vladimirs Beškarevs
FK Jelgava
June[5] Georgia (country) Tamaz Pertia Skonto FC
July[6] Ukraine Roman Pylypchuk JPFS/FK Spartaks
August[7] Latvia Vitālijs Astafjevs
FK Jelgava
September[8] Latvia Viktors Dobrecovs FK Liepāja
October/November[9]
Jurģis Pučinsks
 FK Ventspils

References

  1. ^ 'Skonto' un Daugavpils 'Daugava' tomēr tiek pielaista startam Latvijas futbola virslīgā, delfi.lv, accessed 22 March 2014
  2. ^ "LFF Apelācijas komisija atstāj spēkā aizliegumu FK 'Liepāja' piedalīties Eirokausos". Delfi Sports. 28 May 2015.
  3. ^ a b Rolands Eliņš (2014-05-07). ""Ventspilnieki" Žigajevs un Pučinsks marta/aprīļa labākie Virslīgā". Sportacentrs.com.
  4. ^ a b Jānis Rubulis (2014-06-06). "Virslīgas labākie maijā - J.Ikaunieks un Beškarevs". Sportacentrs.com.
  5. ^ a b Jānis Rubulis (2014-07-04). "Virslīgas labākie jūnijā - Gauračs un Pertija". Sportacentrs.com.
  6. ^ a b Jānis Rubulis (2014-08-06). "Gauračs otro mēnesi pēc kārtas atzīts par Virslīgas labāko futbolistu". Sportacentrs.com.
  7. ^ a b Rolands Eliņš (2014-09-10). "Virslīgas labākie augustā - "Jelgavas" pārstāvji Astafjevs un Ikstens". Sportacentrs.com.
  8. ^ a b Edmunds Novickis (2014-10-10). "Labākie septembrī - Jānis Ikaunieks un Viktors Dobrecovs". Sportacentrs.com.
  9. ^ a b Edmunds Novickis (2014-11-15). "Gutkovskis finišā pirmoreiz mēneša labākais, starp treneriem - Pučinsks". Sportacentrs.com.