Andrius Velička
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| Andrius Velička | ||
 |
||
| Personal information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | April 5, 1979 | |
| Place of birth | Kaunas, Lithuanian SSR, Soviet Union | |
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | |
| Playing position | Striker | |
| Club information | ||
| Current club | Viking F.K. | |
| Number | 27 | |
| Senior clubs1 | ||
| Years | Club | App (Gls)* |
| 1996-2002 2002 2002-2006 2006-2008 2008-present |
FBK Kaunas Anzhi Makhachkala FBK Kaunas Hearts Viking F.K. |
98 (53) 5 (1) 68 (36) 49 (25) 6 (3) |
| National team2 | ||
| 2002- | Lithuania | 8 (1) |
|
1 Senior club appearances and goals |
||
Andrius Velička (pronounced /Veh-leech-ka/) (born April 5, 1979, in Kaunas) is a Lithuanian footballer, recently signed for the Norwegian team Viking F.K.. He signed a contract that will make him put in Stavanger for 4 seasons.
On October 15, 2006 Velička scored two goals in the Edinburgh derby against Hibernian, earning 10-man Hearts a draw.[1] He also scored in the 1-1 draw with Dunfermline Athletic on October 28. He netted yet another Hearts goal at Celtic Park, in a 2-1 defeat to the league champions, however Velička became Hearts top goalscorer as a result of his goal. He scored his first hat-trick for Hearts in a 4-0 Scottish Cup third round win against Stranraer on 6 January.
Initially, his loan deal at Hearts ended without being renewed.[2] However, he returned for the 2007/08 season days later.[3].
In the early part of the 2007/08 season he has been used as an impact substitution to great effect, scoring on numerous occasions after coming off the bench, in particular when scoring both goals in the 2-0 victory away to Celtic in the CIS cup quarter final on 31 October 2007. He scored the 500th goal Heart of Midlothian have scored in the SPL v Rangers at Ibrox.
On 9th February 2008 Velicka scored twice as Hearts beat Gretna 2-0. Velicka had the ball in the net for a third time, but the goal was disallowed.
Rumours in the press linking him with a move to to Norwegian club Viking F.K.[4] proved true when it emerged that Hearts had accepted a bid of £1 million.[5] On the 26 February 2008 he signed his personal contract with Viking and completed the move. Velicka scored his first goal for Viking in his debut match against Ham-Kam on 6 April 2008. Viking lost the match 3-2, and Velicka stated that he couldn't be happy about his goal because of the team failing to win the match.
In June 2008, rumours were circulating about a possible move to Rangers F.C. It was reported that Walter Smith had shown an interest and wanted to sign him. Velička has since shown an interest in this and is entertaining the prospect of a move. [6][7]
[edit] International goals
- Scores and results list Lithuania's goal tally first.
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 July 2003 | Keskstaadion, Valga, Estonia |  Estonia |
3-1 | 5-1 | Baltic Cup |
[edit] Notes
- ^ Hibernian 2-2 Hearts (2006). Retrieved on October 15.
- ^ Velicka gone, The Scotsman, August 6 2007
- ^ Velicka back but Pospisil gone as Hearts spring another surprise August 11 2007
- ^ 100% Fotball
- ^ Velicka set for Hearts departure
- ^ http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/r/rangers/7444234.stm Velicka Eyes Transfer To Rangers, BBC Sport , 9th June 2008 2007
- ^ http://sport.scotsman.com/heartofmidlothianfc/ExHearts-striker-Velicka-would-love.4164946.jp Ex-Hearts Striker Would Love Move To Rangers, The Scotsman , 9th June 2008
[edit] External links
- Andrius Velicka career stats at Soccerbase
- Career appearances at national-football-teams.com
- Appearances at londonhearts.com
- [1]
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Velicka, Andrius |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | Lithuanian footballer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | April 5, 1979 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Kaunas, Lithuania |
| DATE OF DEATH | |
| PLACE OF DEATH | |
|
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