From London Division 3 to the Premier Division in 5 months
“ It is nothing short of amazing the progression he has showed and his story should inspire players of all abilities that with bravery and the right attitude anything is possible”
Southgate M1 coach Huw Stevens
At 11:28 on Sunday at the Super 6s in Croydon in a game between Southgate and Oxted a seemingly unremarkable substitution happened that one player will never forget. This simple substitution on the Southgate bench marked a major milestone for former 4th team centre back Scott Ellis. Ellis marked his 1st debut after an unbelievable rise through the ranks having only started playing in goal in September.
The 38 year old player put in a decent account of himself against Oxted and mid way through the 14:00 game against Old Georgians coach Huw Stevens at 7-0 down sent Ellis into the fray against a star studded attacking OG’s line up including the likes of James Carson, Ashley Jackson and Alan Forsyth. 20 minutes later the whole hall was cheering the Southgate keeper as he put in a heroic display of athletic saves using glove, pad and helmet allowing Southgate a come back into the game to finish the wrong side of a 9-3 defeat and walk off with heads held high.
It is not often, if ever that a player moves from the M5 playing in the London 3rd division to playing for the M1 in the Premier Division in the space of less than 5 months. But Ellis, a sign language interpreter from Enfield, that is exactly what happened this weekend at Whitgift. When asked about his experience he said,
“It was amazing to be a part of the Southgate indoor squad over the last 2 weekends and to get out on the court both with and against such top quality players. Definitely didn’t imagine it when I put the pads on for the first time 5 months ago”
What makes this story all the more extraordinary is that this is his first season playing as a goal keeper. We tracked down the Southgate Director of Hockey Chris Pearce in his office at Trent Park to get a bit more of how this remarkable journey transpired,
“From a 4th XI outfield captain to suddenly declaring himself a keeper, Scott’s new hockey journey left me curious and intrigued. A duck to water is an understatement and by the end of the summer league and pre-season it was clear Scott was serious and could really play!
In training and matches he has received rave reviews from all and he is working really hard to improve his game. From outfield to saving a penalty corner from Ashley Jackson in the national indoor finals is a meteoric rise and we look forward to seeing how much more of an impact Scott will have for the Gate for the remainder of the outdoor season and into the future.”
Watch Scott in action against Old Georgians
Anyone who has been around training across the week at Southgate will have bumped into Scott learning his trade at every available opportunity, from taking on a berth in the Southgate 035’s cup side, to playing league hockey in the 5th team then 4th team and then the 3rd team. Which is not to mention training across the indoor winter season through December and into January. Scott represents a great example of creating your own luck, taking the opportunities whenever they come up and backing it all up with hours of work on the pitch, on the court and at home.
Scott Pictured last season as M4 captain back row 4th from right, Huw Stevens M1 coach pictured back row 2nd from right
Interestingly 1st team coach Huw Stevens had played alongside Scott last year in the 4th team at Southgate when asked about that experience Stevens said,
“Having played with Scott when he was captain of the 4s it is safe to say that I would never have expected only a season and a half later for him to be representing the 1st team in the Indoor Premier league. Since putting the kit on he has been fearless, which has allowed him to learn and develop quickly. It is nothing short of amazing the progression he has showed and his story should inspire players of all abilities that with bravery and the right attitude anything is possible.”
Where Scott goes next is anyone’s guess- he has mentioned England o35 trials and no doubt will be looking to sure up his place in Johnny Oliver’s M3 team looking to secure promotion out of London Division One this season- one things is certain – for Ellis the sky’s the limit.
