Ural started the season with a new coach in Yuru Matveev but mostly the same squad that did well the year before to beat the drop, even if some experienced players like Vladimir Rykov and Daniel Miskic were signed up.
It was a pretty solid start from the Yekaterinburg side as they were hard to beat and managed to get the odd good result, securing a fine win over Krasnodar and then holding Zenit to a draw.
The pattern of mostly unspectacular but effective performances continued through the autumn and the team never really looked in real danger of being dragged into the bottom places of the standings. The team rebounded well from a rocky run of three losses in a row without scoring by going on a run of five games without a loss until the winter break and looked in good spot during the off-season.
Matveev retained pretty much the same squad after the turn of the year and relied on experienced players like Eric Bicfalvi and Pavel Pogrebnyak to carry the load up front while the midfield remained compact and hard-working.
There were few notable results in the spring and a run of just one win in the final six games of the season meant that the points tally at the end was not what it could have been.
Still, it was a pretty satisfying season for Ural and they look like an established side at this level at the moment and will look towards the summer with confidence.
