Part-time feels good fit for Erskine

Chris Erskine admits he has dropped down four divisions to join home-town team East Kilbride so he can also accelerate his plans for life after football.

The 33-year-old signed a oneyear deal with the ambitious Lowland League outfit on Wednesday, becoming the fourth former SPFL player to move to Stevie Aitken’s side this summer.

Erskine would not have been short of full-time offers after playing for Livingston in the Premiership last season.

However, the former Partick Thistle and Dundee United midfielder admits turning out for Kilby will also allow him to concentrate on his business as a personal trainer.

He said: “With everything that’s happened over the last few months with regards to being in lockdown, Scottish football and the uncertainty, it got to the stage where I was going to have to go part-time at some point.

“I just made the decision that it would be best for me to go part-time now.

“East Kilbride offered me a good deal to go part-time and I’ve been doing a bit of personal training in the background.

“And having lived in the town my whole life, East Kilbride are very ambitious, have aspirations of going up through the leagues as far as they can and I thought it was a good fit.”

The battle for the Lowland League title is set to be fierce next season with Kilby, current champions Kelty Hearts and East Stirlingshire all making eye-catching signings.

Erskine joins former Dunfermline captain Paul Paton, ex-Falkirk defender Lewis Kidd and one-time Hamilton playmaker Kyle Wilkie at the K-Park and is relishing the battle for the chequered flag.

“It can only be good for Scottish football if you have teams in the lower divisions who are ambitious and want to get up,” he said.