Seems to be the go to league for the young aussies who star in the A league at the moment, so outside of the old firm, must have something going for it.
Hopefully Just gets more mins than Callan Elliott in his dud half season at Fir Park. Trivia - Motherwell have not dropped out of the top flight of Scottish football since 1985.
Motherwell are now coached by Jens Berthel Askou, the same bloke who tried to sign Elijah Just at IFK Göteborg after they worked together at AC Horsens
Between this one, Sarpreet Singh, and Tyler Bindon, it’s been a good week for kiwi footballers reuniting with past coaches https://t.co/FWwCJnBF45
Intrigued to see how he'll cope with the physicality of Scotland, but excited to see him performing and competing at a higher level than he has been in his past couple of seasons over in Europe.
He’s a player that’s easy to underestimate, but they won’t do it twice. Probably the form attacker for the All Whites in the last twelve months? Though that Rogerson goal was a cracker too.
Hope he can show something in the SPFL. Good stuff.
Sunday Scottish League Cup starts this weekend. Pre season stuff in pools. Motherwell travel to 4th tier Clyde. Just may not yet have his international clearance.
Then came a fixture against Peterhead (League One) – the first time these two clubs have met for 75 years. Peterhead have young kiwi striker Oliver Colloty in their ranks, in fact he scored from the penalty spot in a 4-2 loss against Greenock Morton on matchday one (highlights here). Colloty started that game and then got half an hour off the bench against Motherwell. As for Elijah Just, he made his starting debut in this match but was limited to half a game as he ramps up.
EJ was again used in a number ten role where he could drift around and show off that silky left foot. Yet it was Peterhead who scored first, catching Motherwell off guard with a long goal kick. It didn’t take very long for Motherwell to tie things up as Emmanuel Longelo finished off a move that had begun with Just carrying the ball forward and feeding their right-winger... but it did take a long time for the winning goal. That one didn’t arrive until 90+1’ when Lukas Fadinger did the honours. 2-1 to Motherwell.
Finished 1-1 Just has abit of work to do if he wants to keep being Starter but today he got 90mins before being subbed off, and we know he’s class. 1st half marking/tracking his player was poor and just didn’t do much. Had an improved 2nd half but really just wasn’t clinical enough in front of goal, had 3 decent chances to score, 1st a header should of been a goal really if he got it on target it was in, really not sure if he realised how much of a gimme it was and fluffed it or if he was trying to play it back in to the middle and fluffed it, 2nd chance wouldn’t of been a guaranteed goal but he got the ball in the box and put it over the bar, it really needed to be on target at that range even if the keeper saved it, 3rd beautiful thru ball that seemed to elude his usual great control to get the ball where he wants it and then ends up really scuffing his shot along the ground off target, he was pissed with himself with that. Put a good couple of balls in from the left hand side into the box both finding target but not getting finished, and finally round the 86th minute a ball put back into Rangers box Just gets the deflection from a shot and chests it down into E.L path who scores.
Sounds a bit of a mixed bag for Just. But hell it's his first SPL game, and he gets the assist for a 1-1 draw against Rangers. Quite a step up from the Austrian 2nd tier! There have been worst debuts I'm sure. His manager kept him on until the 91st min.
Elijah Just assisted an 87th minute equaliser against Rangers in his first Scottish Premiership game for Motherwell, sweet as 🤙 #FlyingKiwispic.twitter.com/70I1lePaCk
Sounds like he’s active and is gunna bang in a hatty soon! Draw with Rangers a good first up result.
That Motherwell number 9 is as wee as Just, but fortunately he’s got a beard to tell them apart! Looks like Motherwell spurned a few chances before equalising, but will be happy with the equaliser against one of the old firm.
Motherwell were trailing 1-0 with three minutes to go in the season opener when Just chested a long ball into the path of Emmanuel Longelo, who struck the leveller.
Of his debut, Just told the Record: “It was very intense, the fans were loud. When I went to warm up, I got the feeling of — this is some proper football.
“But when the game got going, I felt good and comfortable.
“As the game went on and we didn’t have the equaliser after a few chances, you start to think, OK we really need something here.
“But when the goal went in, we pushed on and had another two chances at the end so we’re really happy.”
Just said wanting to go to next year’s World Cup was a major motivation in his move to Scotland from Danish club Horsens.
“If I can do well in the Scottish Premiership this season, it will give me the best opportunity to play (in the World Cup).”
They were certainly playing chief ball Last week- playing out from the back under enormous pressure- clearly want to play.. whatever that means these days
Looks like Just had a good game, just picked out the mentions of him from the match report.
Motherwell’s first chance of the afternoon arrived inside five minutes. A nice, flowing move involving Stephen O’Donnell and Tawanda Maswanhise set Elijah Just away on the wing. He was brought down, and from the subsequent free kick, Paul McGinn’s over-the-shoulder effort from inside of the area went just wide of the target.
On the half-hour mark, Just’s effort that was destined for the bottom corner was blocked amid claims of handball, but with no VAR, thete was no stoppage
With the game level, both sides looked to start the second-half on the front foot. Just sent Maswanhise away up the right wing; the 22-year-old tried to find his teammate Stamatelopoulos but the cross was too heavy.
Just had a shot comfortably saved on 53 minutes from a well-worked corner routine.
The next chance arrived on 72 minutes. Just had a go from a free kick 25 yards out. His effort was on target but too central to cause concern.
Another big chance arrived on 98 minutes. Just latched onto a misplaced pass, drove into the box but couldn’t drill his shot on target, and instead found the side netting.
Motherwell Team: Ward, Sparrow (111′), O’Donnell, McGinn, Longelo (105′), Said (78′), Fadinger, Watt, Just (111′), Maswanhise (78′), Stamatelopoulos (117′).
Motherwell Subs: Oxborough, Balmer (111′), Wilson (105′), Halliday (78′), Gillies, McAllister (117′), Forrest, Osong (78′), Ross (111′).
I’m at Tynecastle! Half time, Motherwell up 1-0. Goal off a Just corner. He’s having a great game in general, and Motherwell playing some very attractive football. I’m sat with the Motherwell fans and they seem to be loving having him on the team.
