When Maurice Malpas took charge there were several positions the Motherwell supporters felt sure he would look to strengthen. Very few of those fans would have said the forward line, yet perhaps surprisingly two of Mo's first three signings were forwards - one of them being Calum Elliot on loan from Hearts.
The young striker made his Hearts debut as a 17 year old in a 1-0 win over Inverness at Tynecastle in September 2004 and would go on to make 4 appearances for the Gorgie side that season.
It was in the 2005'06 season however that Calum would really make an impact on the Hearts side as he became a regular in the squad that would go on to win the Scottish Cup and take the Jambos into the Champions League for the first ever time.
Elliot netted 6 times in a spell between December and February which included a run of 4 goals in 5 games and the third in a 3-0 win for Hearts over Motherwell in February 2006.
The striker missed the start of the season due to Scotland U19 international duty where, alongside 'Well's Mark Reynolds, he played a significant part in helping Scotland reach the U19 European Championship Final against Spain. His form throughout the tournament did much to secure a call up to the Scotland U21 squad for matches against Slovenia and France.
Though Calum saw some league action, a substitute appearance against Falkirk and a start against Rangers at Ibrox early in the 2006'07 campaign, it seemed the Tynecastle management had it in their minds that a loan deal, and the regular football it would bring, might be best for his development.
Such news had pricked up the ears of managers throughout the SPL and the likes of Dunfermline, Falkirk and in particular Motherwell, soon opened negotiations with Hearts about securing the player on loan.
At varying times, each of the three clubs seemed favourites to take the player before at last Maurice Malpas was able to confirm that the player had been brought to Fir Park for an initial six month loan deal.
Elliot went straight into the Motherwell side, ironically against a Falkirk side who seemed confident they would secure the player's signature and helped the Dossers to a vital first win of the season; where he impressed with his determination and physical strengh alongside strike partner Scott McDonald.
Calum netted his first strike in claret and amber against Dundee Utd in September, helping 'Well to an important point in the battle to get off the foot of the table.
Sadly the goals didn't flow as hoped following that strike and Calum huffed and puffed in many of his outings, though to be fair he certainly didn't lack effort.
A second goal came for Calum, a powerful header which sealed a fine 4-2 win over Falkirk but again any hopes Elliot had of building on that were dashed when he started on the bench the following Saturday at Inverness and missed out against Hearts due to the conditions within his loan agreement.
Calum wasn't able to add to his tally before his loan concluded though by the time he left his level of performance had improved and he had began to show the kind of form that had made Maurice Malpas so keen to get the player in the first place.
Elliot returned to Tynecastle after making a final appearance in a 1-1 draw against Celtic on 30 December having scored twice in 17 games for 'Well. |