# 1997 Russian Second League

The 1997 Russian Second League was the sixth edition of the Second Division. There were 3 zones with 61 teams starting the competition (3 were excluded before the end of the season). This was the last season that the professional Russian Third League existed. Next season the Second League became the lowest professional level once again.

## Zone West
### Overview

| Team | Head coach |
| FC Arsenal Tula | Yevhen Kucherevskyi |
| FC Lokomotiv Liski | Vladimir Ponomaryov |
| FC Salyut-YuKOS Belgorod | Aleksandr Kryukov |
| FC Volgar-Gazprom Astrakhan | Boris Bashkin |
| FC Spartak Tambov | Vladimir Kovylin |
| FC Torpedo Taganrog | Anatoly Bulgakov |
| FC Avtodor Vladikavkaz | Ruslan Sakiyev |
| FC Avtozapchast Baksan | Sergei Tashuev |
| FC Avtomobilist Noginsk | Vladimir Bodrov |
| FC Kavkazkabel Prokhladny | Boris Kayushnikov |
| FC Angusht Nazran | Timur Kuriyev |
| FC Dynamo Vologda | Leon Yagubyants |
| FC MChS-Selyatino Selyatino | Leonid Nazarenko |
| FC Venets Gulkevichi | Viktor Zvyagin |
| FC Avangard Kursk | Aleksandr Galkin |
| FC Mosenergo Moscow | Valentin Sysoyev |
| FC Spartak Anapa | Igor Zazroyev |
| FC SKA Rostov-on-Don | Sergei Shvetsov |
| FC Torpedo Armavir | Nurbiy Khakunov |
| FC Energiya Pyatigorsk | Sergei Razaryonov |
| FC Gatchina | Nikolai Gosudarenkov |
| FC Dynamo-Zhemchuzhina-2 Sochi | Vladimir Aleynikov |

### Standings

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
| 1 | Arsenal Tula (A) | 38 | 28 | 7 | 3 | 91 | 26 | +65 | 91 | Promotion to First Division |
| 2 | Lokomotiv Liski | 38 | 23 | 7 | 8 | 64 | 31 | +33 | 76 | |
| 3 | Salyut-YuKOS Belgorod | 38 | 22 | 3 | 13 | 72 | 51 | +21 | 69 | |
| 4 | Volgar-Gazprom Astrakhan | 38 | 20 | 9 | 9 | 63 | 33 | +30 | 69 | |
| 5 | Spartak Tambov | 38 | 21 | 5 | 12 | 66 | 50 | +16 | 68 | |
| 6 | Torpedo Taganrog | 38 | 20 | 6 | 12 | 64 | 38 | +26 | 66 | |
| 7 | Avtodor Vladikavkaz | 38 | 19 | 5 | 14 | 64 | 50 | +14 | 62 | |
| 8 | Avtozapchast Baksan (R) | 38 | 17 | 11 | 10 | 52 | 39 | +13 | 62 | Relegation to Amateur Football League |
| 9 | Avtomobilist Noginsk | 38 | 16 | 12 | 10 | 70 | 53 | +17 | 60 | |
| 10 | Kavkazkabel Prokhladny | 38 | 15 | 11 | 12 | 43 | 33 | +10 | 56 | |
| 11 | Angusht Nazran | 38 | 15 | 9 | 14 | 39 | 44 | −5 | 54 | |
| 12 | Dynamo Vologda | 38 | 14 | 8 | 16 | 44 | 51 | −7 | 50 | |
| 13 | MChS-Selyatino Selyatino | 38 | 14 | 7 | 17 | 59 | 63 | −4 | 49 | |
| 14 | Venets Gulkevichi | 38 | 10 | 11 | 17 | 36 | 51 | −15 | 41 | |
| 15 | Avangard Kursk | 38 | 11 | 7 | 20 | 40 | 58 | −18 | 40 | |
| 16 | Mosenergo Moscow | 38 | 9 | 12 | 17 | 41 | 57 | −16 | 39 | |
| 17 | Spartak Anapa | 38 | 11 | 4 | 23 | 44 | 76 | −32 | 37 | |
| 18 | SKA Rostov-on-Don (R) | 38 | 9 | 6 | 23 | 38 | 75 | −37 | 33 | Relegation to Amateur Football League |
| 19 | Armavir | 38 | 8 | 7 | 23 | 32 | 66 | −34 | 31 | |
| 20 | Energiya Pyatigorsk (R) | 38 | 4 | 1 | 33 | 18 | 95 | −77 | 13 | Relegation to Amateur Football League |
| – | Gatchina | 16 | - | - | - | - | - | — | 0 | |
| – | Dynamo-Zhemchuzhina-2 Sochi | 7 | - | - | - | - | - | — | 0 | |
* ↑ FC Avtozapchast Baksan did not play on national level in 1998.
* ↑ FC Energiya Pyatigorsk was excluded from the league after playing 22 games and gaining 13 points (it also won a game against FC Gatchina, who were excluded from the league earlier). All the remaining games were awarded to the opponents with a score of 3-0.
* ↑ FC Gatchina was excluded from the league after playing 16 games and gaining 18 points. All their results were discarded. They did not play on national level in 1998.
* ↑ FC Dynamo-Zhemchuzhina-2 Sochi was excluded from the league after playing 7 games and gaining 3 points. All their results were discarded. They did not play on national level in 1998.

### Top goalscorers
#### 33 goals

* Aleksandr Kuzmichyov (FC Arsenal Tula)

#### 32 goals

* Dmitri Kirichenko (FC Torpedo Taganrog)

#### 26 goals

* Vladimir Kharin (FC Lokomotiv Liski)

#### 21 goals

* Andrei Bakalets (FC MChS-Selyatino Selyatino)

#### 16 goals

* Oleg Delov (FC Avangard Kursk)

#### 14 goals

* Anderson (FC Arsenal Tula)
* Anatoli Balaluyev (FC Avtomobilist Noginsk)
* Alik Dulayev (FC Avtodor Vladikavkaz)
* Grigori Ivanov (FC Avtodor Vladikavkaz)
* Mikhail Shumilin (FC MChS-Selyatino Selyatino)

## Zone Center
### Overview

| Team | Head coach |
| FC Rubin Kazan | Igor Volchok |
| FC Amkar Perm | Sergei Oborin |
| FC Spartak Ryazan | Sergei Nedosekin |
| FC Energiya Chaikovsky | Sergei Kleymyonov |
| FC Nosta Novotroitsk | Aleksandr Salnov |
| FC Torpedo Arzamas | Valeri Sinau (until July) Vladimir Inyutin (from August) |
| FC UralAZ Miass | Pyotr Nagayev |
| FC Don Novomoskovsk | Igor Solovyov |
| FC Torpedo Pavlovo | Aleksandr Sarafannikov |
| FC Volga Ulyanovsk | Aleksandr Korolyov |
| FC Volga Tver | Yuri Zubkov |
| FC Oryol | Vladimir Brykin |
| FC Tekstilshchik Ivanovo | Vladimir Belkov |
| FC Sodovik Sterlitamak | Sergei Maksimov |
| FC Svetotekhnika Saransk | Vladimir Bibikov |
| FC Spartak-Orekhovo Orekhovo-Zuyevo | Leonid Ostroushko |
| FC Magnitka Magnitogorsk | Viktor Sokolovskiy |
| FC Dynamo Saint Petersburg | Mark Rubin |
| FC Spartak Shchyolkovo | Aleksandr Leksin |
| FC Sibir Kurgan | Igor Kuznetsov |
| FC Zenit Izhevsk | Stanislav Korotayev |

### Standings

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion |
| 1 | Rubin Kazan (A) | 40 | 32 | 6 | 2 | 88 | 22 | +66 | 102 | Promotion to First Division |
| 2 | Amkar Perm | 40 | 24 | 11 | 5 | 69 | 21 | +48 | 83 | |
| 3 | Spartak Ryazan | 40 | 24 | 8 | 8 | 59 | 22 | +37 | 80 | |
| 4 | Energiya Chaikovsky | 40 | 22 | 10 | 8 | 79 | 43 | +36 | 76 | |
| 5 | Nosta Novotroitsk | 40 | 18 | 12 | 10 | 66 | 49 | +17 | 66 | |
| 6 | Torpedo Arzamas | 40 | 18 | 8 | 14 | 58 | 44 | +14 | 62 | |
| 7 | UralAZ Miass | 40 | 17 | 11 | 12 | 57 | 42 | +15 | 62 | |
| 8 | Don Novomoskovsk | 40 | 17 | 10 | 13 | 46 | 45 | +1 | 61 | |
| 9 | Torpedo Pavlovo | 40 | 15 | 14 | 11 | 49 | 36 | +13 | 59 | |
| 10 | Volga Ulyanovsk | 40 | 16 | 9 | 15 | 40 | 37 | +3 | 57 | |
| 11 | Volga Tver | 40 | 15 | 11 | 14 | 40 | 45 | −5 | 56 | |
| 12 | Oryol | 40 | 14 | 14 | 12 | 50 | 40 | +10 | 56 | |
| 13 | Tekstilshchik Ivanovo | 40 | 14 | 6 | 20 | 42 | 60 | −18 | 48 | |
| 14 | Sodovik Sterlitamak | 40 | 12 | 10 | 18 | 45 | 60 | −15 | 46 | |
| 15 | Svetotekhnika Saransk | 40 | 12 | 9 | 19 | 64 | 69 | −5 | 45 | |
| 16 | Spartak-Orekhovo Orekhovo-Zuyevo | 40 | 12 | 9 | 19 | 42 | 63 | −21 | 45 | |
| 17 | Magnitka Magnitogorsk | 40 | 11 | 9 | 20 | 45 | 69 | −24 | 42 | |
| 18 | Dynamo St. Petersburg | 40 | 8 | 10 | 22 | 38 | 69 | −31 | 34 | |
| 19 | Spartak Shchyolkovo | 40 | 5 | 15 | 20 | 29 | 56 | −27 | 30 | |
| 20 | Sibir Kurgan | 40 | 7 | 7 | 26 | 34 | 78 | −44 | 28 | |
| 21 | Zenit Izhevsk | 40 | 5 | 5 | 30 | 38 | 108 | −70 | 20 | |
* ↑ FC Orekhovo Orekhovo-Zuyevo renamed to FC Spartak-Orekhovo.
* ↑ FC Metallurg Magnitogorsk renamed to FC Magnitka.

### Top goalscorers
#### 26 goals

* Eduard Zatsepin (FC Svetotekhnika Saransk)

#### 25 goals

* Andrei Knyazev (FC Rubin Kazan)

#### 22 goals

* Vladimir Filimonov (FC Energiya Chaikovsky)

#### 19 goals

* Yuriy Yakovenko (FC Torpedo Arzamas)

#### 17 goals

* Sergei Budarin (FC Nosta Novotroitsk)

#### 16 goals

* Vladimir Pantyushenko (FC Rubin Kazan)

#### 14 goals

* Vitali Papadopulo (FC Torpedo Arzamas)
* Konstantin Paramonov (FC Amkar Perm)

#### 13 goals

* Aleksandr Katasonov (FC Amkar Perm)
* Andrei Minvaliyev (FC Tekstilshchik Ivanovo)

## Zone East
### Overview

| Team | Head coach |
| FC Tom Tomsk | Vladimir Yurin |
| FC Samotlor-XXI Nizhnevartovsk | Sergei Iromashvili |
| FC SKA Khabarovsk | Vladimir Susin |
| FC Zvezda Irkutsk | Sergei Muratov |
| FC Dynamo Barnaul | Aleksandr Gostenin |
| FC Chkalovets Novosibirsk | Valeri Yerkovich |
| FC Irtysh Tobolsk | Rudolf Atamalyan |
| FC Kuzbass Kemerovo | Viktor Shel |
| FC Dynamo Omsk | Artyom Amirdzhanov |
| FC Viktoriya Nazarovo | Mikhail Putintsev |
| FC Amur-Energiya Blagoveshchensk | Vyacheslav Kurtsayev |
| FC Metallurg Krasnoyarsk | Yuri Sipkin |
| FC Metallurg-ZapSib Novokuznetsk | Vitali Golopolosov |
| FC Angara Angarsk | Ivan Korzhenko |
| FC Selenga Ulan-Ude | Valeri Mikhnov |
| FC Torpedo Rubtsovsk | Vladimir Vorzhev |
| FC Okean Nakhodka | Pavel Palatin |
| FC Mezhdurechensk | Viktor Kolmogorov |

### Standings

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
| 1 | Tom Tomsk (A) | 34 | 26 | 5 | 3 | 82 | 20 | +62 | 83 | Promotion to First Division |
| 2 | Samotlor-XXI Nizhnevartovsk | 34 | 20 | 8 | 6 | 53 | 25 | +28 | 68 | |
| 3 | SKA Khabarovsk | 34 | 19 | 8 | 7 | 52 | 22 | +30 | 65 | |
| 4 | Zvezda Irkutsk | 34 | 18 | 8 | 8 | 44 | 27 | +17 | 62 | |
| 5 | Dynamo Barnaul | 34 | 17 | 6 | 11 | 51 | 35 | +16 | 57 | |
| 6 | Chkalovets Novosibirsk | 34 | 16 | 8 | 10 | 46 | 32 | +14 | 56 | |
| 7 | Irtysh Tobolsk | 34 | 15 | 9 | 10 | 51 | 32 | +19 | 54 | |
| 8 | Kuzbass Kemerovo | 34 | 14 | 9 | 11 | 39 | 34 | +5 | 51 | |
| 9 | Dynamo Omsk | 34 | 16 | 2 | 16 | 38 | 40 | −2 | 50 | |
| 10 | Viktoriya Nazarovo | 34 | 15 | 5 | 14 | 46 | 45 | +1 | 50 | |
| 11 | Amur-Energiya Blagoveshchensk | 34 | 14 | 4 | 16 | 55 | 54 | +1 | 46 | |
| 12 | Metallurg Krasnoyarsk | 34 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 38 | 39 | −1 | 44 | |
| 13 | Metallurg-ZapSib Novokuznetsk | 34 | 11 | 9 | 14 | 55 | 46 | +9 | 42 | |
| 14 | Angara Angarsk (R) | 34 | 10 | 5 | 19 | 33 | 56 | −23 | 35 | Relegation to Amateur Football League |
| 15 | Selenga Ulan-Ude | 34 | 8 | 4 | 22 | 30 | 68 | −38 | 28 | |
| 16 | Torpedo Rubtsovsk | 34 | 6 | 7 | 21 | 19 | 63 | −44 | 25 | |
| 17 | Okean Nakhodka | 34 | 6 | 5 | 23 | 27 | 84 | −57 | 23 | |
| 18 | Mezhdurechensk | 34 | 5 | 5 | 24 | 27 | 64 | −37 | 20 | |
* ↑ FC Amur Blagoveshchensk renamed to FC Amur-Energiya.

### Top goalscorers
#### 21 goals

* Aleksandr Yarkin (FC Viktoriya Nazarovo)

#### 16 goals

* Vadim Belokhonov (FC Metallurg Krasnoyarsk)

#### 15 goals

* Stanislav Chaplygin (FC Metallurg-Zapsib Novokuznetsk)
* Andrei Korovin (FC Amur-Energiya Blagoveshchensk)

#### 14 goals

* Yevgeni Savin (FC Dynamo Barnaul)

#### 13 goals

* Aleksei Kandalintsev (FC SKA Khabarovsk)
* Dmitri Kudinov (FC Tom Tomsk)

#### 12 goals

* Sergei Ageyev (FC Tom Tomsk)
* Vyacheslav Vishnevskiy (FC Tom Tomsk)

#### 11 goals

* Vyacheslav Fomin (FC Irtysh Tobolsk)
* Anatoli Kisurin (FC Dynamo Omsk)
* Anatoli Panchenko (FC Dynamo Barnaul)
* Sergei Rogalevskiy (FC Kuzbass Kemerovo)
* Yevgeni Sadovnikov (FC Zvezda Irkutsk)
* Igor Zykov (FC Selenga Ulan-Ude)