© EuroFootball.com
On March 1st, FK held an official press conference on the theme "Preparation for the upcoming season". The conference was attended by Ekrano's head coach Virginijus Liubšys, club director and assistant coach Albertas Klimavičius, and three Ekrano forwards: Povilas Lukšys, Vitalijus Kavaliauskas, and the team's new addition Dainius Saulėnas.
At the beginning of the meeting, Ekrano's strategist expressed his delight that the whole team remained at Ekrano until summer. "I am glad that we have a new and capable player Dainius Saulėnas. A few years ago, when he played for Žalgiris, he caused us a lot of trouble. Now, hopefully, he will help our Povilas (Lukšys) score goals," said V. Liubšys.
Journalists paid the most attention to the new Ekrano player, who as of March 1st, got the right to represent the Ekrano team for two years. Dainius Saulėnas will play with number 14 on his shirt.
"I felt good at Ekrano right away. I know all the players well, and I have been friends with Povilas Lukšys since the 9th grade. We trained together at the Vilnius Athlete Training Center, representing the Lithuanian youth team with the 1979-born football players. We achieved the highest result for the Lithuanian youth team in 1998 by reaching the European finals. The style of play at Ekrano is close to me," smoothly explained Dainius Saulėnas.
Vitalijus Kavaliauskas and Povilas Lukšys, who had just returned from Turkey, shared their impressions from their business trips. V. Kavaliauskas, who prepared for the season with the teams Bukcheon from South Korea and Zaglebie Lubin from Poland, was particularly impressed by the strict discipline of the Koreans prevailing in the team. "You can't start eating there until the coach gives permission, and you have to finish at the same time as the coach's last bite," marvelled the Panevezys native.
V. Kavaliauskas evaluated his performance critically: "I played in two matches for one half each. I did have opportunities to score, unfortunately, I didn't manage to. Among the Koreans, I was the youngest. According to their rules, the team can only have three foreign players. They already had two – a Croatian and a Brazilian. They immediately signed a contract with another Brazilian in Turkey, so I became unnecessary to them," calmly concluded the Ekrano forward.
Povilas Lukšys positively assessed his performance during the review by the Polish vice-champions Dyskobolia Groclin team. "I performed well. The club leaders and coaches praised me. I don't know the details, but the best thing for me is Ekrano. The truth is, the Poles promised to "look at" me again in the summer," smiled P. Lukšys.
When asked why Ekrano players didn't stay in Poland, V. Liubšys answered: "The Poles only sell their players for very high sums of money and want to buy almost nothing, looking for "free" players without contracts. They are crafty, that's why we didn't agree."
Summing up, Virginijus Liubšys concluded that the preparation for the season at Ekrano is going seriously and smoothly. In the near future, Ekrano will strengthen with two more players. For now, the coach does not reveal their names, only hinting that one will play as a left-back and the other as a central defender, although they are also capable of playing in the central defensive midfield position.
The next friendly matches for FK Ekranas will be played in Latvia: on March 4th against Riga, on March 8th against Dinaburg, and on March 11th against Ventspils.
