Mousehole AFC and Endorsed Academy this week said goodbye and farewell to Calum Elliot as he heads back to his native Edinburgh after a hugely influential period at the West Cornwall club.
The former Scottish Premier Division striker, whose professional career included over 200 appearances, Scotland representative honours at Youth, Under-20 and U-21 levels, and UEFA coaching qualifications, joined Mousehole as a player and full-time Academy coach in October 2017.
Since then, he has run a high-quality and popular daily coaching programme under the auspices of the Endorsed Academy and been a consistent and versatile player in Mousehole’s First team, as well as taking over as player/manager in March.
Calum informed the club in September that he intended to return to Edinburgh with his young family, and after recently securing a new post there, he played his last game for Mousehole at Liskeard Athletic last Saturday.
A month ago the club appointed Torquay United ‘legend’ Kevin Nicholson as First team player/manager and Director of Mousehole’s Endorsed Academy, with the two experienced pros working together effectively during the transition process.
Calum Elliot’s new post is as manager of Edinburgh-based club Tynecastle FC, who play in a 4,500 capacity 500-seater stadium in the East of Scotland League, which is at level 6 of the pyramid system in Scotland.
Mousehole’s Chairman Tim Richardson paid a glowing tribute to the outgoing Scot: “Calum has made a significant contribution to the progress of the club and Academy. and set standards both on and off the field for others to follow. He is a very accomplished footballer with an abundance of know-how and competitiveness, and has shown his qualities whether playing as a striker, midfielder or centre back. All our players have benefitted from his example and his insistence on playing football in a controlled and thoughtful manner. We all wish him well in his new venture ‘back home’ and our best wishes go to his family.”
Speaking of his time at Mousehole, the departing Calum Elliot said: “It’s been a tremendous experience being involved almost every day in developing the football side and I hope that, whatever impact I’ve had, will be built on so that Mousehole and Endorsed Academy can fulfil their ambitions. Meanwhile, it’s back on home territory and a fresh challenge – but I’ll be keeping in touch with the progress down there! And, most importantly, a massive thank you to everyone connected with the club for going above and beyond to make the experience for myself and my family so enjoyable”.
