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Bellshill Athletic’s new manager Gary Elliott got off to a losing start on Saturday when his new charges were defeated 3-1 at Maybole Juniors – despite a Dylan Corrigan goal – in West of Scotland League Conference A.
Gary Elliott, new Bellshill Athletic manager (Pic courtesy of Bellshill Athletic)Gary Elliott, new Bellshill Athletic manager (Pic courtesy of Bellshill Athletic)
Gary Elliott, new Bellshill Athletic manager (Pic courtesy of Bellshill Athletic)

Elliott, 30, who has been brought in as the new gaffer following Derek Wilson’s shock dismissal, is Bellshill born and bred and comes into the role after leaving as Bellshill United AFC gaffer. United have folded as a result of Elliott’s departure.

Elliott, who founded Bellshill AFC in 2015, told the Times and Speaker: “It was a slow burner at Bellshill United initially but we built the club up through two divisions and got our way to the Premier Division in the Airdrie and Coatbridge League.

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"We’ve forfeited a Scottish Cup semi-final because we’ve folded the club to take on the project at Bellshill Athletic.

"It was a big decision but at the same time this project for me involved bringing eight or nine of my players with me so we feel we’re just kind of continuing that now but under the new badge if you like.

"These boys are up to playing at a higher standard because a few of them have played junior before and they came back to me simply because they wanted to play with their pals.

"So now they’re kind of getting the best of both worlds. They’re back to that level that they should be playing at but they’ve got their mates with them. For us it’s been a good move.”

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Elliott then explained why he is a manager at such a young age.

"I had to stop playing when I was 25 because I had two knee surgeries,” Elliott said.

"I snapped my ACL and had my knee rebuilt completely. That was why I set up the team in 2015, to stay involved in the game.

"I played for Bellshill Boys Club growing up and then I got my success playing for Thistle United. We won a few leagues and a few cups.

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"Interestingly I started as a striker and ended up playing centre half towards the end of my playing time.”

Elliott, who also works as a learning and development manager for an insurance company, summed up his thoughts on Saturday’s 3-1 reverse at Maybole, which featured an entirely new starting XI after a mass player exodus when Wilson departed.

"For a first game we were delighted,” he said. “We had a good few chances of our own, we started the game really fast and had two chances within the first five minutes.

"So we definitely stepped up to that level. I think fitness probably just got the better of us with 15 minutes to go.

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"They were a good side to be honest but we competed really well.”

Saturday’s loss means that Athletic are 10th in the league with 23 points from 15 games.

They return to Conference A duties this Saturday when they visit Saltcoats Victoria, kick-off 2pm.

"We’re just excited about the game because we know it’s going to be another tough challenge,” Elliott said. “They won’t be easy to beat but we’ve had two more training sessions so we’ll feel more prepared and we should have a full squad this weekend.

"We are still aiming to finish as high in the division as we can. We’ve got a couple of games in hand on the teams above us.

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