TIMING RIGHT FOR ERSKINE
Limit on full-time offers opened Kilby door
Chris Erskine admits fulltime offers were limited amidst the pandemic after dropping from the Premiership to Lowland League East Kilbride.
The forward reckons the Covid-19 crisis has had a huge impact on potential deals after initially hoping to stay full-time after leaving Livingston.
However, the lure of helping his hometown club reach League Two sold him on a switch to East Kilbride and an early decision to go part-time.
The former Partick Thistle and Dundee United star said: “I’ve been full-time for 11 years and I knew I was going to have to parttime eventually.
“It was just about making sure the decision was right for me.
“If things had went normally over the close season and this pandemic hadn’t happened I think there would be a good chance I would have stayed fulltime and signed with another team.
“With the way things have went it’s been pretty quiet over the summer in terms of offers for me.
“I kind of had whispers and chats from other clubs, but nothing concrete.
“When I spoke to the manager here [at East Kilbride] it’s obviously a very ambitious club and they sold me on what they want to do here.
“I decided I might as well go part-time just now rather than wait another year or another two years.”
The 33-year-old now hopes to seal a dream promotion and title with Kilby, adding: “The type of players the club are getting in; the likes of Paul Paton who I know really well and played with over the years.
“It’s guys of that quality along with the boys that are here already; hopefully we should have a good squad and that will be exciting for the fans that come along.
“Hopefully we can go and push for the league title.”
Lindsayfield man Erskine has not set any personal targets yet – but hopes to be a major influence in the attacking third.
He added: “I’m looking to create and score goals. Over the last couple of years I’ve maybe not done that, so I want to get back playing some good football.
“I’m just desperate to get back training now. I do personal training so that has kept me going, but there is only so much you can do before you start to really miss the team environment.
“We still have another few weeks to go but the sooner we get going the better.”