Greenhills player breaks into the big time

May 27 2009 by Paul Thomson, East Kilbride News

GREENHILLS footballer Chris Erskine is preparing for a life-changing move to Partick Thistle this week after signing an initial one-year deal with the Maryhill club.

The 22-year-old midfielder will swap the shipyards for Firhill after impressing Jags manager Ian McCall during a four-week trial.

Erskine, who completed his move from Junior side Kilbirnie Ladeside this week, works as a pipe fitter at Scotstoun Shipyards but he’s raring to link up with his new team-mates.

He told the News: “I can’t wait to finish up. I stop working in a couple of weeks and then I will join Partick for pre-season training after that, so that’s exciting.

“It will be life-changing for me and being a professional footballer is something I’ve wanted to do since I was a young boy. It will be a good life getting paid to play football and it will be great to do something I love and really enjoy.

“I work in the shipyards at Scotstoun and it’s not the best. But this will change my lifestyle, improve my fitness and improve the way I eat as well – and I won’t have to start work at 6am any more.

“I’ve played in the Junior ranks for a few years now and this is a dream come true for me.”

Erskine has helped Kilbirnie gain promotion from the West of Scotland Super League Division One this season, scoring 20 goals along the way.

And he insisted he had a lot to thank Partick scout Gus Black for. Gus was at Kilbirnie a couple of seasons ago and worked closely with Chris during his spell at the club.

And when Gus moved to Partick he made Jags gaffer Ian McCall aware of Chris’ talents.

He added: “I have to thank Gus for making me known to the club. He was the scout at Kilbirnie before he moved to Partick, but I’m glad he did, otherwise I might not be at this club now.

“He told the manager about me and I came in for a wee trial, so I’ve got to thank him for that.

“But I thank Ian as well. I’m impressed by him, he knows what he wants to do with this club and he is a good guy to work with. His aim is to get us into the SPL after just missing out this season and I’m going to work hard to help them do that.

“I’m a direct player and I like to get forward, so hopefully I can get some goals for the team.”

Erskine has made a great impression on McCall and he looks set to form an integral part of the Thistle team when he joins up with fellow East Kilbride-based player Willie Kinniburgh.

Speaking this week about the signing, McCall was full of praise for young Erskine.

He said: “Chris played a few trial games with us last season and we were all very impressed.

"At over six feet tall, he has terrific stature, a great left foot and a real eye for a goal.

“We will have to work on the defensive side of his game, but the boy has a real hunger about him. If he can make the same kind of impact that Kris Doolan did last season then we will be more than happy.

"I have no hesitation in signing players from the Junior ranks. No matter how much money I had at my disposal, I can guarantee Thistle fans that I would still have signed Chris Erskine.

"He is a player that we think has a real chance to make a big impact while at Firhill and I'm delighted to have signed him."