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“I played alongside Celtic legend in Australia, and he convinced me to make the move to the Premiership – now I’m aiming for revenge against Rangers”- “Stamatelopoulos Aiming for Rangers Revenge After Celtic Setback
Apostolos Stamatelopoulos, 25, followed in the footsteps of a fellow Australian and former Motherwell star when he made the move to Fir Park this summer.
It was Scott McDonald who encouraged him to join the club, and Stamatelopoulos is determined to make the same impact as his former teammate.
McDonald, who scored 75 goals in two spells at Motherwell between stints at Celtic, later played alongside Stamatelopoulos at A-League club Western United and recommended a move to Motherwell. So far, the striker has scored four goals in 17 appearances for the Steelmen.
However, Stamatelopoulos isn’t satisfied with his current tally. Having previously enjoyed a strong goal-scoring record at Newcastle Jets, he set himself a target of at least ten goals in the Premiership this season.
Reflecting on his move to Scotland, he said: “I looked at what Scott did here before I came. I played alongside him in Australia, and when the move came up, I spoke to him about it.
He told me it would suit my game. It’s been good so far, but different from what I’m used to. I know that when I get chances, I’ll score. I feel like I should have more goals already, and I set high standards for myself.”
Adapting to the physicality of Scottish football has been one of the biggest challenges for Stamatelopoulos. “The physicality is the big difference here. There’s a lot of battling for long balls, but it’s just part of the game,” he said. “I think I’ll show my best soon, not next season. I felt like I turned a corner when I scored two goals against Dundee United a few weeks ago.
When I get quality service, I’ll score goals. That game was the first where I felt really comfortable.”
Stamatelopoulos is aiming for consistency and is determined to hit double figures. “Every season, my target is to score at least ten goals. If I don’t reach that, I’ll be disappointed, but I still want to hit it.”
Though he was young when Australian players like Craig Moore and Tony Vidmar had their successful stints at Rangers, Stamatelopoulos is keen to challenge them.
He would love to get a win over Rangers at Fir Park, particularly with Philippe Clement’s side still smarting from their recent defeat to St Mirren on Boxing Day.
Stamatelopoulos started in Motherwell’s 2-1 loss to Rangers in the League Cup semi-final at Hampden, where they were leading at halftime. Reflecting on the game, he said: “We were decent against Rangers at Hampden, leading 1-0 at the break, so we can take positives from that.
This time, we’re at home, and our fans really help us, so it’s a game we’re looking forward to.”
Stamatelopoulos is also aware of the legacy of Australian players at Rangers, especially Tony Vidmar, who is well-known in his hometown of Adelaide. He’s excited by the challenge ahead.
After Motherwell’s 4-0 defeat to Celtic, Stamatelopoulos is confident that they can bounce back against Rangers. He said: “We knew Celtic Park would be tough. We were decent, but tired towards the end. Now, we’re focusing on a winnable game at home.”
