Ural started the season rather abysmally, with a loss to a poor Anzhi side at home in the opening round, and did not get much better as they claimed just one point from the opening four games and one win from the opening seven.
The team lacked firepower and imagination in the final third, with Eric Bicfalvi and Vladimir Iljn well off form, but at least the likes of Othman El Kabir and Petrus Boumal proved steady presence and gave the team a bit of a lift.
Things did start to get better as the season progressed, with the team getting a couple of superb away wins at Spartak and Lokomotiv Moscow in the space of three weeks, but they always seemed to be too close to the bottom four for comfort.
There was no real change after the winter break and the team remained pretty astute and assured in defence and midfield without really having a consistent output in attack. It seemed like their season was heading towards disaster when they were losing 2:0 at home to bottom side Enisey in early April, which would have been a fourth loss in five, but a late comeback to get the win proved the turning point.
A key win away at a direct rival in Krylya Sovetov a week later proved enough to get the points needed and another season in the top-flight was secured.
The team also went on an impressive run to the Cup final, beating over two legs good teams like Spartak and Arsenal Tula, but came up just short in the final against Lokomotiv and there will be no European football next season.
