A Fond Farewell to Christie Elliott

Whitley Bay fan Dave Jameson with his thoughts on Christie Elliott’s move to Partick Thistle.

If it’s one thing north east clubs do well it’s strikers. What ever colours you may wear on match day you’re hard pressed to find a football supporter who doesn’t revere their favourite goal scorer, or in some cases crave a new one.

Whitley Bay are currently blessed with some of the Northern League’s best strikers and it’s not difficult to see where the goals will come from this season. Fond memories of Kevin Todd and current manager Ian Chandler leading the line to take the Bay through to the FA Cup 3rd round in 1990 still linger strongly in the minds of the Bay faithful. These days it’s Paul Chow and Lee Kerr who dominate the headlines with impressive goal tallies continuing to justify their fearsome reputations, but it’s a young lad from Jarrow who’s been catching my eye of late.

Christie Elliott, plucked from the Wearside League last season, is a player with an incredible future ahead of him. With lightning bursts of pace and boundless energy, Christie plays the game with a smile on his face. He scores goals for fun and yet remains absolutely selfless when it comes to assisting others. Sadly Christie’s efforts haven’t gone unnoticed elsewhere and, after missing the recent trip to Penrith to undertake a successful trial north of the border, he is now a Partick Thistle player, taking a seat on the bench as the Jags host early season table toppers Hamilton at Firhill.

The departure of a star striker is usually met with stock reactions; questions are asked and fans become worried. When a promising young player moves on it can, in some ways, create bigger concerns, particularly for the future. Generally the popularity of the player and the circumstances of the transfer dictate whether or not the incumbent club’s fans wish their hero well. Clearly the opportunity to turn pro was too good for Christie to turn down. It’s also debatable whether the amiable Ian Chandler, already overflowing
with quality up front following the signing of Robbie Dale from Blyth Spartans, would be able to keep four quality forwards happy this season. Regardless, there’s no doubting that Christie Elliott will leave Whitley Bay with the very best wishes of everyone associated with the club. For this Whitley Bay fan, the transfer is tinged with sadness but I’ll be keeping one eye on events north of the border this afternoon. Whitley Bay’s loss is most definitely Partick’s gain. All the best, Christie.