Erskine hopes double act can book another Hampden moment
DI Stefano and Puskas, Butragueno and Sanchez, Gullit and Van Basten, Rush and Dalglish, Erskine and Doolan? The footballing world is awash with great partnerships. The aforementioned alliance of Chris Erskine and Kris Doolan may not be held in the same reverence as some of football’s other dangerous double acts but the Partick Thistle duo are doing just fine.
From the rough and tumble of the Junior ranks to the marginally more cultured rough and tumble of the senior scene, Erskine and Doolan have illustrated that there is plenty of talent to be unearthed if you are prepared to have a rummage around.
“Kris and I do well together and we have always clicked,” said Erskine ahead of Thistle’s William Hill Scottish Cup quarter-final tussle with Aberdeen today. “You need that relationship up front and we seem to have it. We both came from the Juniors and right from the off we have been good friends.
“I still think players from the Juniors can make it in the senior game and I know that a few of the lower league teams look at them all the time.
“My younger brother Liam [McLaughlin] is 20 and plays for East Kilbride Thistle and he has looked at what happened to me. I never gave up on making it but I thought the chance of full-time football was getting slimmer. I was thinking I could get into the lower leagues and maybe make a step up but I was fortunate to join Thistle and have worked hard ever since.”
Erskine has already made the journey to Hampden a couple of times as a player. He was part of the Dundee United side which lost the League Cup final to Celtic in 2015 and played in the Tannadice club’s Scottish Cup semi-final defeat against Hibernian last year.
“They are great occasions, the big crowd at Hampden, and for our club to get there would be massive,” said Erskine as Thistle aim to reach the last four of the domestic showpiece for the first time since 2002.
Erskine may have missed out on the bounty on those occasions but he can at least say he has scored in a cup final. “It was the West of Scotland Cup against Pollok and I think we won 5-1,” added the 30-year-old with a smile.
Having spent his early years grafting in the shipyards as a pipe fitter and welder, Erskine is fully appreciative of the life he now has as a full-time footballer and the sturdy work ethic instilled into him during those formative years continues to stand him in good stead.
“You don’t take things for granted,” he said. “After training, I can spend time on a Wednesday afternoon with my wee girl. It’s a privilege to do this. It’s easy for me to remember back to working in the shipyards and I always think of what I might still be doing.”
With Aberdeen still smarting from the 1-0 defeat at Hamilton in midweek, Partick Thistle will travel north in buoyant mood. They have every reason to be upbeat, of course. The Firhill side are in the midst of a profitable renaissance and have won their last four games in all competitions.
“At the start of the season we were doing well and not getting the results we deserved,” Erskine said. “When you get into a run like that it’s hard to get out it. But we’ve worked hard on the defending and the wee change of shape has helped too. Now we are getting the rewards.”
There are plenty more up for grabs this weekend.