# 2012–13 FC Volga Nizhny Novgorod season

The 2012–13 Volga season was the 2nd season that the club played in the Russian Premier League, the highest tier of football in Russia. They finished the season in 12th place and were eliminated from the Russian Cup at the Round of 32 stage by Russian National Football League side FC Khimki. Manager Dmitri Cheryshev was sacked during pre-season and was replaced by Gadzhi Gadzhiev on 7 June 2012 Gadzhiev then resigned on 19 January 2013 and was replaced by Yuriy Kalitvintsev.

## Squad

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 1 | GK | RUS | Artur Nigmatullin (on loan from CSKA) |
| 2 | DF | KGZ | Valerii Kichin |
| 3 | DF | MDA | Simeon Bulgaru |
| 4 | DF | RUS | Dmitri Aydov |
| 5 | MF | RUS | Andrei Karyaka |
| 6 | DF | RUS | Dmitriy Polyanin |
| 8 | DF | GEO | Gia Grigalava |
| 9 | MF | RUS | Aleksandr Shulenin |
| 10 | MF | NED | Romeo Castelen |
| 11 | FW | RUS | Shamil Asildarov |
| 13 | MF | RUS | Dmitri Kudryashov |
| 14 | FW | ARM | Artur Sarkisov (on loan from Lokomotiv Moscow) |
| 15 | DF | RUS | Yegor Tarakanov |
| 16 | MF | BLR | Anton Putsila |
| 17 | MF | CRO | Matija Dvornekovic |
| 19 | MF | ROU | Adrian Ropotan |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 21 | MF | RUS | Ruslan Adzhindzhal |
| 23 | MF | ROU | Mihăiță Pleșan |
| 24 | MF | RUS | Ruslan Pashtov |
| 25 | DF | RUS | Andrei Buivolov |
| 26 | DF | POL | Piotr Polczak (on loan from Terek Grozny) |
| 27 | FW | RUS | Aleksei Sapogov |
| 29 | MF | RUS | Shota Bibilov |
| 31 | GK | RUS | Ilya Abayev |
| 33 | DF | RUS | Nikolai Zaytsev |
| 37 | DF | MDA | Vitalie Bordian |
| 41 | GK | RUS | Mikhail Kerzhakov |
| 63 | DF | RUS | Aleksandr Belozyorov |
| 77 | FW | RUS | Aleksandr Salugin |
| 83 | MF | RUS | Aleksandr Kharitonov |
| 89 | DF | RUS | Aleksei Mamonov |
| 98 | FW | RUS | Dmitri Karasyov |

## Transfers
### Summer

| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 1 | GK | RUS | Artur Nigmatullin (on loan from CSKA Moscow, previously on loan to Khimki) |
| 10 | MF | RUS | Sergei Vaganov (from Nizhny Novgorod, June 2012) |
| 11 | FW | RUS | Shamil Asildarov (from Terek Grozny) |
| 14 | FW | ARM | Artur Sarkisov (on loan from Lokomotiv Moscow, previously on loan to Shinnik Yaroslavl) |
| 27 | FW | RUS | Aleksei Sapogov (from Gornyak Uchaly) |
| 33 | DF | RUS | Nikolai Zaytsev (from Gazovik Orenburg) |
| — | DF | RUS | Dmitri Aydov (from Nizhny Novgorod) |
| — | DF | GEO | Giorgi Navalovski (end of loan to Khimki) |
| — | DF | RUS | Yegor Tarakanov (from Krasnodar, previously on loan to Nizhny Novgorod) |
| — | MF | RUS | Maksim Burchenko (end of loan to Shinnik Yaroslavl) |
| — | MF | RUS | Dmitri Kudryashov (from Nizhny Novgorod) |
| — | MF | RUS | Dmitri Polyanin (end of loan to Nizhny Novgorod) |
| — | FW | CRO | Matija Dvorneković (from Nizhny Novgorod) |
| — | FW | RUS | Aleksandr Salugin (end of loan to Nizhny Novgorod) |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 1 | GK | RUS | Vitali Astakhov (to Tom Tomsk) |
| 4 | DF | RUS | Nikita Chicherin (end of loan from Dynamo Moscow) |
| 10 | MF | RUS | Sergei Vaganov (on loan to Rotor Volgograd, August 2012) |
| 14 | MF | RUS | Aleksei Pomerko (to Khimki) |
| 26 | DF | RUS | Sergei Bendz (to Tom Tomsk on loan from Kuban Krasnodar) |
| 32 | MF | RUS | Aleksandr Budanov (contract expired) |
| 33 | DF | RUS | Inal Getigezhev (to Rostov) |
| — | MF | RUS | Maksim Zyuzin (to SKA-Energiya Khabarovsk, previously on loan to Sibir Novosibirsk) |

### Winter

| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 2 | DF | KGZ | Valerii Kichin (from Dordoi) |
| 3 | DF | MDA | Simeon Bulgaru (from Alania Vladikavkaz) |
| 10 | MF | NED | Romeo Castelen (from Hamburger SV) |
| 16 | MF | BLR | Anton Putsila (from SC Freiburg) |
| 19 | MF | ROU | Adrian Ropotan (from Dynamo Moscow) |
| 26 | DF | POL | Piotr Polczak (on loan from Terek Grozny) |
| 37 | DF | MDA | Vitalie Bordian (from Hoverla) |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 7 | MF | RUS | Vladislav Ryzhkov (to FC Fakel Voronezh) |
| 12 | DF | ISR | Dani Bondar (released) |
| 19 | MF | BIH | Mersudin Ahmetović (to FC Salyut Belgorod) |
| 87 | MF | RUS | Ilya Maksimov (to Krylia Sovetov) |

## Competitions
### Russian Premier League
#### Matches
#### Table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 10 | Krasnodar | 30 | 12 | 6 | 12 | 45 | 39 | +6 | 42 | |
| 11 | Amkar Perm | 30 | 7 | 8 | 15 | 34 | 51 | −17 | 29 | |
| 12 | Volga Nizhny Novgorod | 30 | 7 | 8 | 15 | 28 | 46 | −18 | 29 | |
| 13 | Rostov (O) | 30 | 7 | 8 | 15 | 30 | 41 | −11 | 29 | Qualification for the Relegation play-offs |
| 14 | Krylia Sovetov Samara (O) | 30 | 7 | 7 | 16 | 31 | 52 | −21 | 28 | Qualification for the Relegation play-offs |
* 1 2 3 Amkar Perm ahead of Volga Nizhny Novgorod and Rostov on head-to-head points; Amkar Perm: 7 pts, Volga Nizhny Novgorod: 5 pts, Rostov: 4 pts.

### Russian Cup
## Squad statistics
### Appearances and goals

| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Total | Total | Premier League | Premier League | Russian Cup | Russian Cup |
| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| 2 | DF | KGZ | Valerii Kichin | 3 | 0 | 3+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 3 | DF | MDA | Simeon Bulgaru | 7 | 0 | 6+1 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 4 | DF | RUS | Dmitri Aydov | 16 | 0 | 15+0 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 |
| 5 | MF | RUS | Andrei Karyaka | 27 | 2 | 23+3 | 2 | 0+1 | 0 |
| 6 | DF | RUS | Dmitriy Polyanin | 18 | 0 | 18+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 8 | DF | GEO | Gia Grigalava | 20 | 1 | 19+0 | 1 | 1+0 | 0 |
| 9 | MF | RUS | Aleksandr Shulenin | 17 | 2 | 15+1 | 2 | 1+0 | 0 |
| 10 | MF | NED | Romeo Castelen | 2 | 0 | 0+2 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 11 | FW | RUS | Shamil Asildarov | 14 | 3 | 6+7 | 3 | 1+0 | 0 |
| 13 | MF | RUS | Dmitri Kudryashov | 20 | 0 | 15+5 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 14 | FW | ARM | Artur Sarkisov | 19 | 3 | 10+8 | 3 | 0+1 | 0 |
| 16 | MF | BLR | Anton Putsila | 11 | 0 | 10+1 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 17 | MF | CRO | Matija Dvornekovic | 10 | 0 | 5+5 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 19 | MF | ROU | Adrian Ropotan | 6 | 0 | 6+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 21 | MF | RUS | Ruslan Adzhindzhal | 30 | 0 | 28+1 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 |
| 23 | MF | ROU | Mihăiță Pleșan | 9 | 0 | 6+3 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 25 | DF | RUS | Andrei Buivolov | 8 | 0 | 7+1 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 26 | DF | POL | Piotr Polczak | 5 | 0 | 5+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 27 | FW | RUS | Aleksei Sapogov | 23 | 8 | 20+2 | 8 | 1+0 | 0 |
| 29 | MF | RUS | Shota Bibilov | 22 | 1 | 12+9 | 1 | 1+0 | 0 |
| 31 | GK | RUS | Ilya Abayev | 11 | 0 | 11+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 33 | DF | RUS | Nikolai Zaytsev | 18 | 0 | 11+6 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 |
| 37 | DF | MDA | Vitalie Bordian | 9 | 0 | 9+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 41 | GK | RUS | Mikhail Kerzhakov | 20 | 0 | 19+0 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 |
| 63 | DF | RUS | Aleksandr Belozyorov | 29 | 2 | 25+3 | 2 | 1+0 | 0 |
| 77 | FW | RUS | Aleksandr Salugin | 17 | 1 | 7+9 | 1 | 0+1 | 0 |
| 83 | MF | RUS | Aleksandr Kharitonov | 21 | 1 | 13+8 | 1 | 0+0 | 0 |
| Players away from the club on loan: ||||||||||
| Players who appeared for Volga Nizhny Novgorod who left the club: ||||||||||
| 19 | MF | SRB | Mersudin Ahmetović | 6 | 0 | 3+3 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 87 | MF | RUS | Ilya Maksimov | 14 | 4 | 13+0 | 4 | 1+0 | 0 |

### Top scorers

| Place | Position | Number | Name | Premier League | Russian Cup | Total |
| 1 | FW | 27 | Aleksei Sapogov | 8 | 0 | 8 |
| 2 | MF | 87 | Ilya Maksimov | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| 3 | FW | 11 | Shamil Asildarov | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| 3 | FW | 14 | Artur Sarkisov | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| 5 | MF | 9 | Aleksandr Shulenin | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 5 | DF | 63 | Aleksandr Belozyorov | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 5 | MF | 5 | Andrei Karyaka | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 8 | MF | 83 | Aleksandr Kharitonov | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 8 | DF | 8 | Gia Grigalava | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 8 | MF | 29 | Shota Bibilov | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 8 | FW | 77 | Aleksandr Salugin | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| | | | TOTALS | 28 | 0 | 28 |

### Disciplinary record

| Number | Position | Name | Premier League | Premier League | Russian Cup | Russian Cup | Total | Total |
| 5 | MF | Andrei Karyaka | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 9 | MF | Aleksandr Shulenin | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 11 | FW | Shamil Asildarov | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 29 | MF | Shota Bibilov | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 33 | DF | Nikolai Zaytsev | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| | | TOTALS | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 1 |