successfully fulfilled. Notably, in the 2009 Russian Championship, Amkar's goalkeepers saved four penalties out of five. In the Russian Cup, Amkar defeated the two Avangard clubs from Kursk and Podolsk, then in the quarter-final was awarded a technical victory over the defunct FC Moscow. However, on 21 April 2010, Amkar lost at home in the semi-final to Zenit in a penalty shoot-out, having played full-time and extra time 0–0. In the 2010 season, fighting for survival until the very end, for the first time not having won a single match away from home and scoring the fewest goals, Amkar finished in 14th place and retained their place in the Premier League. After the final whistle had sounded in the last match of the season, Martin Kushev, captain and one of the best players in the history of the club, the team's top scorer in the Premier League, having played for Amkar from 2005 until 2010, announced the end of his career as a player. After the completion of his playing career at Amkar, Martin should have become assistant coach to Rakhimov, but the management offered him a place in the coaching staff of the youth team. Kushev preferred to return to Bulgaria to join Slavia Sofia. Six months later, he became head coach of Slavia. On 21 December 2010, a statement to the effect that Amkar was voluntarily to join the First Division due to financial difficulties appeared on the club's official website. As a result, supporters of the club attempted to raise funds in support of Amkar, appealing to representatives of Perm business circles. However, the powers that be did not rate the actions of the supporters highly. Gennady Shilov stated that he was prepared to replace retiring Valery Chuprakov as club President. Shilov also stated an intent to approach the regional authorities for help and to look for sponsors. The Premier League gave Amkar until 15 January. On 25 January 2011 Amkar withdrew its request to leave the Premier League. In 2011, the club began to give more opportunities to young players such as Mikhalyov, Kolomeytsev, Burmistrov and Sekretov. The team had an inconsistent season, memorable for the club and the fans were dramatic matches with Kuban Krasnodar, which ended in a 3–2 defeat, a 1–1 draw with Zenit at the Petrovsky Stadium and a 2–1 victory over Spartak Moscow at the Luzhniki Stadium. On 28 September 2011,