Andrius Skerla

Andrius Skerla (born 29 April 1977) is a Lithuanian former professional football defender. Skerla 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.

Andrius Skerla
Personal information
Full name Andrius Skerla
Date of birth (1977-04-29) 29 April 1977
Place of birth Vilnius, Soviet Union
Height 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Position(s) Defender
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)
National team
1996–2011 Lithuania 84 (1)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

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 is Lithuania's most capped player of all time, with 84 appearances.

Euzebiusz Smolarek and Skerla

Club career

Early career

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.

Dunfermline Athletic

Skerla's time at Dunfermline was his most successful period of football. He was signed in 2000 by new manager Jimmy Calderwood[1] 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,[2] 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.[3]

Tom Tomsk

In March 2005, Skerla announced he wished to leave Dunfermline as he decided to look for new challenges.[4] After Russian side Rubin Kazan had a bid failed because it did not meet Dunfermline's valuation of the player,[5] Skerla re-iterated his decision that he wanted to move[4] and eventually he moved to Tom Tomsk for £200,000.[6]

FK Vetra

After leaving Dunfermline for Russia, Skerla played for Lithuanian side FK Vėtra.

Korona Kielce

Later he played for Ekstraklasa team Korona Kielce.

Jagiellonia Białystok

Skerla played for Ekstraklasa side Jagiellonia Białystok.[7] 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

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.

Honours

Žalgiris Vilnius

PSV Eindhoven

Jagiellonia Białystok

References
  1. "Pars to sign PSV defender". BBC News. 28 June 2000. Retrieved 29 January 2008.
  2. "No go for Flo says Murray". BBC News. 16 April 2001. Retrieved 29 January 2008.
  3. "Larsson caps Celtic triumph". BBC News. 22 May 2004. Retrieved 29 January 2008.
  4. "Skerla anger at transfer collapse". BBC News. 14 March 2005. Retrieved 29 January 2008.
  5. "Skerla staying with Dunfermline". BBC News. 11 March 2005. Retrieved 29 January 2008.
  6. "Skerla leaves Pars for Russians". BBC News. 24 August 2005. Retrieved 29 January 2008.
  7. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 17 March 2012. Retrieved 21 January 2012.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
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