Mika Biereth took one look at Scottish football and concluded he’s purpose-built for the rough and tumble.
A stirring Motherwell debut for the Arsenal yielded a goal and assist in an eye-catching performance in Sunday’s win over Hibs. Introduced as a second-half substitute, the 20-year-old grabbed his opportunity with both hands as he set up Connor Wilkinson’s opener then scored what proved to be the winner.
Biereth spent last season with RKC Waalwijk but within roughly 40 minutes in Scotland has already notched half the amount of goals he managed in the Eredivisie. The striker was a persistent pest for the Hibs defence, robbing Lewis Stevenson to create for Wilkinson and then outmuscling Will Fish for his own goal.
He was determined to get off the mark as quickly as possible at Fir Park and, given his lack of a pre-season, feels there is plenty more to come from him. And where some recoil at the more robust aspects of the SPFL, Biereth feels he’s ready to thrive.
“It wasn’t bad!” he smiled. “I think I got about 40 minutes; I was cramping up a little bit at the end but all good - a goal, an assist, and three points.
“Nothing to complain about. It was important for me to get off to a good start.
“It’s always important a striker to get off the mark as quickly as you can. So to do it in the first game is all good.
“That’s my first 40 minutes of the season. That includes pre-season as well.
“I was out for a little bit with a quad strain. That’s the first real game time I’ve had.
“I’m not feeling as sharp as I can do but I don’t feel too bad. There’s definitely a lot more to come from me.
“I’m not sure I had more than 45 in the tank so just having to build up.
“I think it’s hard not to love Scottish football so far - three points in front of the home fans, a goal, assist, so here’s hoping for more of the same.
“I like the physical side of the game, I feel that I feed off that. I’m not too annoyed if someone hits me; I’ll just hit them back, it’s not the end of the world.
“Some people don’t like it, some people do. I’m one who does like it.”
Biereth feels he has settled into life in Scotland seamlessly. He already feels more comfortable than he did in the Netherlands, and given he had other options this summer, is confident he has made a sound decision in choosing Motherwell.
A Denmark youth cap, he played alongside Celtic’s Matt O’Riley at national team camps and in the academy setup at Fulham. Biereth revealed O’Riley has been readily available on the phone since he moved north of the border, the midfielder scoring at Pittodrie a few hours before his countryman took centre stage in Lanarkshire.
“I think the environment is completely different here,” said Biereth. “In Holland, it was my first loan, my first taste of men’s football.
“So I think it took a bit of time to get used to it. There were a few other things, non-football related. It is what it is.
“But here, I’ve felt really good and really comfortable. I feel like I’ve settled in with the lads already.
“Things have gone well off the pitch so I think that shows on the pitch.
“I had a good amount of loan options. But after speaking to the gaffer here, I felt it was a no-brainer.
“Just in terms of how Motherwell play, how I’d fit into it. I feel that was a little glimpse into how it can go.
“I spoke to Matt O’Riley. We were at Fulham before and both played for the Danish youth team.
“So since I’ve been here, I’ve texted him loads. He’s helped me out where to stay in Glasgow, where to go and eat and all that sort of stuff.
“Matt’s been really useful. I saw he scored as well, so I’ve sent him a little message.”
