The signing of Cameron Elliott was perhaps one of the more interesting deals negotiated throughout the League of Ireland off season but the Scottish striker is determined to show he has what it takes to be a hit at Dundalk when the season gets going on Friday week, February 17.
he 23-year-old has swapped the fifth tier in Scotland, the Lowland League, for the Europa Conference League following his move from East Kilbride to Oriel Park last month.
Now he is eager to repay the faith shown in him by Patrick ‘Padge’ Cregg and Stephen O’Donnell by showing he has what it takes to score goals in the SSE Airticity League.
An impressive return of 15 goals from 21 league matches by Elliott is what initially caught the eye of Dundalk assistant Cregg and the striker admits he jumped at the opportunity of moving across the Irish Sea when the Lilywhites came calling.
Asked how the move came about, Elliott said: “Obviously I was just performing at the level I was playing at. You get seen when you score goals and that’s basically how it came about.
“I spoke to Padge to start with and then spoke to the gaffer and after that I just tried to get over as soon as I could.
“Padge was the Scottish connection but both of them have Scottish connections but just from scoring goals I got spotted and then came over and signed straight away. I saw the club and the history of it and just signed straight away.”
While there had been Scottish clubs monitoring the progress of a player who has previously played in both Scottish League One and League Two with Stranraer, Elliott admitted the interest from Dundalk was the only firm offer.
“I think there were a few sniffing about,” he said, when asked if other clubs had expressed an interest in him.
“Nothing actually over the phone or discussed but I think there were a few sniffing about once I was scoring goals but that’s always going to happen. As soon as Dundalk contacted me, I was just ready to go.
“Europe was an obvious attraction but it’s a great opportunity for me to come play full-time as well. Obviously I was part-time over in Scotland but it’s a great opportunity all round and I’m really looking forward to it.
“Hopefully I can have a good spell here. I’m really enjoying it so far but I just need to kick on now.”
It has been a decent start for Elliott too. While the main challenges lie ahead, he has already notched two goals in pre-season for Dundalk with tidy finishes in the 2-2 draw with Shelbourne and the 1-0 win over Cork City.
“It’s been a good start,” he smiled, when asked about the two strikes.
“I just need to keep getting better and keep on performing and hopefully we can start picking up results once the season starts.
“I just need to keep learning off Pat (Hoban) too. He’s such an experienced striker but I just want to keep learning and getting better.”
Asked what fans could expect from him, Elliott said: “I’ll give you everything down the line. I can take it in as well and in the box I just try to be clinical.”
