Pēteris Jurčenko

Pēteris Jurčenko was a Latvian footballer and football manager, notable for playing with one of the leading clubs in Latvian pre-war football - Olimpija Liepāja.

Although Jurčenko wasn't as technical as Ernests Ziņģis or as good in gool scoring as Roberts Heiblihs, he was an essential part of the 1930s-1940s Olimpija attacking five. For his specific manner of running Jurčenko was nicknamed as the Sewing machine in the club. With Olimpija he won three consecutive Virsliga titles in the second half of the 1930s.

After World War 2 Jurčenko became a football coach working both with children and with the Dinamo Liepāja football team. In 1948 with Dinamo Jurčenko achieved an unpreceded result in Latvian football - won the Latvian Cup with a club that didn't play in the top league, and as he was a playing coach Jurčenko even scored the game winning goal in the cup final against Dinamo Ventspils.

In late 1940s Jurčenko was deported by the Soviet regime to Siberia. Upon returning to Latvia Jurčenko took up coaching the football club of Tosmare. In 1957 Tosmare earned promotion to the top Latvian league. It's debut in the top league was very impressive - Tosmare won the bronze medals and until the last rounds was battling for gold with the renowned Sarkanais Metalurgs Liepāja. In addition to it Jurčenko led Tosmare to the Latvian Cup final. However his health had suffered massively in the deportation and Jurčenko died before the end of the 1950s [ [http://www.kurzemes-vards.lv/?doc=36448 Three heights of Pēteris Jurčenko] (Latvian)] .

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