2014 Latvian Higher League

The 2014 Latvian Higher League was the 23rd season of top-tier football in Latvia. FK Ventspils are the defending champions. The season started on 21 March 2014. Initially, Skonto Riga and 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]

Latvian Higher League
Season2014
ChampionsFK Ventspils
RelegatedFC Jūrmala
Champions LeagueFK Ventspils
Europa LeagueSkonto FC
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
2015 →

Teams

This year the league had ten participants.

Stadiums and locations
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[lower-alpha 1] 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[lower-alpha 2]
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[lower-alpha 3] 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) Champion; (O) Play-off winner; (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.

FS METTA/LU1–0Rēzeknes BJSS
Kalniņš  44'
Hanzas vidusskolas laukums, Riga
Rēzeknes BJSS1–5FS METTA/LU
Aguls  14' Loginovs  26', 55'
Milašēvičs  29', 72'
Pallo  80'
RPD Sporta pārvaldes stadions, Rezekne

FS METTA/LU won 6–1 on aggregate.

Results

Season statistics

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

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

Manager of the Month
Month Manager Club
March/April[3] Jurģis Pučinsks FK Ventspils
May[4] Vladimirs Beškarevs FK Jelgava
June[5] Tamaz Pertia Skonto FC
July[6] Roman Pylypchuk JPFS/FK Spartaks
August[7] Vitālijs Astafjevs FK Jelgava
September[8] 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. Rolands Eliņš (2014-05-07). ""Ventspilnieki" Žigajevs un Pučinsks marta/aprīļa labākie Virslīgā". Sportacentrs.com.
  4. Jānis Rubulis (2014-06-06). "Virslīgas labākie maijā - J.Ikaunieks un Beškarevs". Sportacentrs.com.
  5. Jānis Rubulis (2014-07-04). "Virslīgas labākie jūnijā - Gauračs un Pertija". Sportacentrs.com.
  6. Jānis Rubulis (2014-08-06). "Gauračs otro mēnesi pēc kārtas atzīts par Virslīgas labāko futbolistu". Sportacentrs.com.
  7. Rolands Eliņš (2014-09-10). "Virslīgas labākie augustā - "Jelgavas" pārstāvji Astafjevs un Ikstens". Sportacentrs.com.
  8. Edmunds Novickis (2014-10-10). "Labākie septembrī - Jānis Ikaunieks un Viktors Dobrecovs". Sportacentrs.com.
  9. Edmunds Novickis (2014-11-15). "Gutkovskis finišā pirmoreiz mēneša labākais, starp treneriem - Pučinsks". Sportacentrs.com.
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