Andrius Skerla (born 29 April 1977) is a Lithuanian professional football coach and a former defender. He is the manager of A Lyga club Hegelmann. He began his career in Lithuania with Žalgiris Vilnius, where his performances drew the attention of Dutch club PSV. After making only 25 appearances for PSV, Skerla was signed by Dunfermline Athletic in 2000. He spent five seasons with the club playing in almost 200 matches for the Pars, including the 2004 Scottish Cup Final where he scored in the 3–1 defeat against Celtic.
 Skerla in 2011 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 29 April 1977 | ||
| Place of birth | Vilnius, Lithuania | ||
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Defender | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Hegelmann (manager) | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1995–1996 | Žalgiris-2 Vilnius | 14 | (1) |
| 1995–1996 | Žalgiris Vilnius | 54 | (2) |
| 1997–1999 | PSV | 25 | (0) |
| 2000–2005 | Dunfermline Athletic | 169 | (2) |
| 2005–2006 | Tom Tomsk | 31 | (1) |
| 2007 | Vėtra | 22 | (0) |
| 2007–2008 | Korona Kielce | 21 | (2) |
| 2008–2011 | Jagiellonia Białystok | 95 | (6) |
| 2012–2013 | Žalgiris Vilnius | 31 | (3) |
| Total | 462 | (17) | |
| International career | |||
| 1996–2011 | Lithuania | 84 | (1) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2014–2017 | Žalgiris (assistant) | ||
| 2017–2018 | Lithuania U21 (assistant) | ||
| 2019–2021 | Lithuania (assistant) | ||
| 2021– | Hegelmann | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
After leaving Dunfermline in 2005, his later career saw him return east, playing for Russian side Tom Tomsk, Vėtra in Lithuania, Polish clubs Korona Kielce and Jagiellonia Białystok, before finishing his career with his home-town team, Žalgiris Vilnius.
Skerla was Lithuania's most capped player of all time with 84 appearances, until he was surpassed by Saulius Mikoliūnas in September 2020.[1]
Club career edit
Early career edit
Born in Vilnius, Skerla started his career at local club Žalgiris Vilnius in 1995, before Dutch club PSV Eindhoven signed him in 1996. After an unsuccessful spell in the Netherlands, Skerla signed for SPL side Dunfermline Athletic.[2]
Dunfermline Athletic edit
Skerla's time at Dunfermline was his most successful period of football. He was signed in 2000 by new manager Jimmy Calderwood[3] and was immediately put into the starting line up. After a successful first season at Dunfermline he was linked with numerous clubs including Scottish club Glasgow Rangers,[4] but Skerla insisted he wanted to stay at East End Park. Skerla will most probably be remembered by the Pars fans, for scoring Dunfermline's only goal in the 2004 Scottish Cup Final defeat against Celtic.[5]
Tom Tomsk edit
In March 2005, Skerla announced he wished to leave Dunfermline as he decided to look for new challenges.[6] After Russian side Rubin Kazan had a bid failed because it did not meet Dunfermline's valuation of the player,[7] Skerla re-iterated his decision that he wanted to move[6] and eventually he moved to Tom Tomsk for £200,000.[8]
FK Vetra edit
After leaving Dunfermline for Russia, Skerla played for Lithuanian side FK Vėtra.
Korona Kielce edit
Later he played for Ekstraklasa team Korona Kielce.
Jagiellonia Białystok edit
Skerla played for Ekstraklasa side Jagiellonia Białystok.[9] Skerla scored in the 2010 Polish Cup Final for Jagiellonia, helping them to secure their first senior trophy, as well as ensure they would compete in European competition for the first time in the 2010–11 season.
International career edit
Skerla marked his 50th appearance for Lithuania on 7 October 2006 with a first international goal against the Faroe Islands. Skerla retired from International football on 11 October 2011 after a defeat to Czech Republic.
International goal edit
- Scores and results list Lithuania's goal tally first.[10]
| No | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 7 October 2006 | Tórsvøllur, Tórshavn, Faroe Islands |  Faroe Islands |
1–0 | 1–0 | Euro 2008 qualifier |
Honours edit
Žalgiris Vilnius
- A Lyga: 2013
- Lithuanian Supercup: 2013
- Lithuanian Football Cup: 1996–97, (2011–12, 2012–13
PSV Eindhoven
- Eredivisie: 1999–2000
Jagiellonia Białystok
- Polish Cup: 2009–10
- Polish SuperCup: 2010
References edit
- ^ "Tautų lygos starte nusileista Kazachstano rinktinei" [At the start of the League of Nations, Kazakhstan lost] (in Lithuanian). Lithuanian Football Federation. 4 September 2020. Retrieved 9 June 2021.
- ^ Po finale świętowaliśmy dwa dni. Na szczęście był to ostatni mecz sezonu weszlo.com
- ^ "Pars to sign PSV defender". BBC News. 28 June 2000. Retrieved 29 January 2008.
- ^ "No go for Flo says Murray". BBC News. 16 April 2001. Retrieved 29 January 2008.
- ^ "Larsson caps Celtic triumph". BBC News. 22 May 2004. Retrieved 29 January 2008.
- ^ a b "Skerla anger at transfer collapse". BBC News. 14 March 2005. Retrieved 29 January 2008.
- ^ "Skerla staying with Dunfermline". BBC News. 11 March 2005. Retrieved 29 January 2008.
- ^ "Skerla leaves Pars for Russians". BBC News. 24 August 2005. Retrieved 29 January 2008.
- ^ "JAGIELLONIA BIAŁYSTOK. Aktualności". Archived from the original on 17 March 2012. Retrieved 21 January 2012.
- ^ "Match log for Andrius Skerla". eu-football.info. Retrieved 6 November 2023.
External links edit
- Andrius Skerla at 90minut.pl (in Polish)
- Andrius Skerla career stats Archived 17 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine at jagiellonia.neostrada.pl
- Andrius Skerla at Soccerbase
- Andrius Skerla at National-Football-Teams.com
