Footscray JUST
| Full name | Footscray Jugoslav United Soccer Team |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | JUST, Plavi, Eagles |
| Founded | 1950 |
| Dissolved | 1990 |
| Ground | Schintler Reserve, Footscray |
Footscray JUST (Jugoslav United Soccer Team) is a defunct association football club from Melbourne, Australia.
Established in 1950 by migrants from Yugoslavia, Footscray JUST played in the Victorian leagues with a fair amount of success, winning five Victorian State League titles, and three Dockerty Cup titles.
In 1977 they became a foundation member of the National Soccer League, where they largely struggled, with the exception of 1986, where they lost to Adelaide City in the Southern Conference grand final. In that year Footscray recruited legendary Red Star Belgrade player and trainer Dragoslav Šekularac who also brought with him Vlada Stošić which immediately lifted the club from the bottom to the top of the league.
However poor performances returned and in their final season as members of the NSL in 1989, after the club changed their name to Melbourne City JUST to broaden their appeal and with Schintler Reserve having undergone significant renovations, the club were demoted to the Victoria State League along with fellow Melbourne club Heidelberg United FC after finishing second bottom, recording only five league wins.
Their last NSL match took place on 10 July 1989, when 1,830 turned up to Schintler Reserve to witness a 1-1 draw with Sydney Olympic.
Statistics by Season
(Pld)=Games Played, (W)=Wins, (D)=Draws, (L)=Losses, (GF)=Goals For, (GA)=Goals Against, (Pts)=Points, (Sth)=Southern Conference
They struggled badly the following season in the State League and suffered another relegation to VSL Division One. The club were subsequently taken over by the Argentinian community which signalled the end of their historic Yugoslav connections and effectively the end of the original Footscray JUST. Schintler Reserve was vacated in 1994 and is now a container storage facility, with the clubrooms converted into offices.
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