Boreham Wood FC are delighted to announce the return of highly regarded striker Junior Morias to Meadow Park, joining on loan from Scottish Premiership side St. Mirren for the remainder of the 2020/21 season.
Junior who began his career as a youth team player at Fulham before joining Wycombe Wanderers on scholarship terms in 2011, signed his first professional contract at Adam’s Park in 2012 after graduating from the Chairboy’s Academy.
It was Junior’s time at Wycombe Wanderers, under Garth Ainsworth, where he was first introduced to Chairman Danny Hunter, then-Manager Ian Allinson, then-Assistant Manager Luke Garrard and the Wood Army faithful, joining on loan toward the back end of the 2013/14 season alongside fellow Wycombe front man Lee Angol. Junior’s initial loan spell at Meadow Park was a fruitful one, scoring 8 goals in 15 appearances.
Despite Junior’s goal scoring exploits on loan at Meadow Park, it was not enough to earn him a renewed contract with the Chairboy’s, and Junior departed Adam’s Park in the summer of 2014.
Junior’s disappointment at his release from Wycombe was seen as an opportunity for Wood, who had ambitions of their own to win promotion from the National League South division, with Chairman Danny Hunter working tirelessly to convince Junior to sign at Meadow Park on a permanent basis.
After months and months of patient negotiation by the Chairman, Wood finally landed their man with Junior signing in late Autumn to greatly improve Ian Allinson’s play off winning side of 2014/15, while uniting him with his friend and ex-Wycombe partner in crime Lee Angol.
Junior’s first game as a permanent Wood player, saw him score the winning goal as a second half substitute in a 2-1 victory over local rivals St Albans City in October 2014, just hours after putting pen to paper to become a Boreham Wood player.
Junior and Lee Angol cultivated probably the most revered, powerful and dynamic strike force partnership seen outside the National League at that time, which took the National League South by storm. Junior’s goals always came at the most crucial of moments, namely the opener in our play-off semi-final first leg away victory at Havant & Waterlooville, and of course, the goal that earned him cult-hero status here at Meadow Park, scoring the winning goal in the play-off final in extra time over Whitehawk.
Junior joins us at Meadow Park having already etched himself into the Club’s history but with the desire to create even more. Since his departure from Meadow Park, Junior enjoyed a brief but very prolific spell at St Albans City, again under the guidance of Ian Allinson, earning himself his deserved move back into the English Football League with Peterborough United.
18-months at London Road saw Junior score 10 times at League One level in 45 appearances. Unfortunately for Junior, a managerial change saw Grant McCann leave the Posh and Steve Evans come in as Gaffer, that resulted in Junior becoming surplus to requirements with the Cambridgeshire outfit.
Junior spent the 2018/19 season at Northampton Town, scoring 6 goals in 21 appearances at the Sixfields Stadium before St. Mirren of the Scottish Premiership came calling. Since signing for St. Mirren in the summer of 2019, in a period that has been hugely disrupted by COVID-19 and the curtailment of the 2019/20 season, Junior has made 26 appearances at the pinnacle level of Scottish football scoring twice, but perhaps not being played in a position that best utilises his undoubted attributes.
Upon capturing Junior’s loan signature for the remainder of the season, Chairman Danny Hunter, commented “To lose Junior when we did honestly hurt me as I loved him, but it was right that he moved on. Junior loves to play in a two up top or just behind the front two and when I look back he was often sacrificed in our fight to stay up, as we scrapped our way to survival with just one up top…
Jun’s coming back to a very different club, a far better club and a club that’s now established itself at the level and we now always play with two up top… I believe he’ll thrive, I think he’ll love the new set up here and for me the “prodigal son”, who got me the goal to put us in the National League, is back… If divine intervention shows itself again, let’s hope he gets us the goal that puts us into the EFL or takes us to Wembley in the FA Trophy…”
Gaffer Luke Garrard, who knows Junior from a multitude of roles; team mate, Assistant Manager and Manager, said “I am really happy that we have finally got Junior over the line, we have been flirting with brining Junior in on loan for sometime now…
“Junior will of course bring much needed competition at the top end of the pitch and will add goals to that area, as he is both an exciting and explosive front man. The fans will of course remember him from his time at the Club and that historical goal that took us into the National League, but trust me he has improved hugely in that time following spells in the Football League with Peterborough United and Northampton Town, as well as in the Scottish Premiership with St. Mirren, so he is a very positive signing for us.
“I want to thank both the Chairman and Charlie for getting this done, this shows the support and belief they have in me and this group with such a quality addition at this time.” Garrard concluded.
Junior will wear the number 22 shirt at Meadow Park, and subject to international clearance and loan ratification from both the English and Scottish FA’s, he will be available for selection for this weekend’s historic FA Cup 3rd Round tie at home to Millwall.
Welcome home, Junior!
OUR CLUB. OUR TOWN. OUR COMMUNITY.
