Nikita Kovalonoks is the new St. George striker. © Sarah Mitterer

With new storm giant: St. Georgen back on track

After a nightmare start to the season, St. Georgen has recently recovered. A new striker who is attracting attention has played a key role in this.

13 October 2025

From: det

"The two wins have done us a lot of good," says Georg Brugger with a note of relief. The St. Georgen club boss is referring to the 2-1 victory against Comano and the 3-0 win against Partschins on Sunday. These were Jergina's first two wins of the season, giving Giacomo Favero's team some breathing room in the relegation battle and allowing them to climb towards the midfield.

St. Georgen's start to the Oberliga was a nightmare. After five matches and just one point, the ambitious Pustertal club found themselves bottom of the table. "A lot went wrong in the first few matches. We didn't play bad football, but the episodes weren't on our side," said Brugger. The numerous injuries (at one point, only 14 players were in training) also took their toll on the team.

St. Georgen was recently able to celebrate again. © Sarah Mitterer

But now things are looking up again. Also thanks to the new giant attacking the team. Nikita Kovalonoks is almost two meters tall, weighs 90 kilograms, and has been part of St. Georgen's team for about two weeks. The Latvian center forward made his mark on Sunday against Partschins, scoring his first goal in his third Oberliga match for St. Georgen.

He played in Kyrgyzstan and in the Champions League qualifiers

"After the Ahrntal game, we parted ways with Spanish striker Miguel Escobedo; he simply didn't help us as much as we expected. Kovalonoks is new to the team. He has a very physical game," says Brugger. The 30-year-old Latvian's CV is quite interesting, having played for his home country's various youth national teams. Kovalonoks then toured the football world, earning his living in Latvia, Poland, the Netherlands, Kyrgyzstan, and Gibraltar, where he even made a brief appearance in the Champions League qualifiers.

“A jolt went through the team.” Georg Brugger

Most recently, Kovalonoks was a goal-scoring player in Italian amateur football, playing in Sicily, Tuscany, and Lombardy before moving to Bruneck. He is expected to help St. Georgen continue to flourish.

In any case, the team has recently experienced a jolt, says sporting director Brugger. "We were very uncertain in many games at the start of the season, partly because we're not used to such a situation. But now we've regained some confidence. Our goal is to be out of the way of the bottom of the table as quickly as possible."

What about the injured?

At least there's some good news from the injury ward: Philipp Schwingshackl (torn ankle ligament) and Felix Messner (meniscus and capsule problems) are expected to return in two weeks. Leo Brugger (Achilles tendon surgery) and Simon Harrasser (torn cruciate ligament) are unlikely to be fit to play again until spring. However, a return is not yet foreseeable for the long-term injured Marian Rigo (also torn cruciate ligament) and Elia Baratella (knee problems).