Hands up, I got Elliot Anderson completely wrong.
When he emerged from the Newcastle United Academy in 2019 it was clear he had talent. The whispers from the training ground were that he could be the next cab off the rank and Anderson was clearly accomplished.
But covering Newcastle in detail at the time, I’m struggling to recall a game where it felt like he really arrived. He was a work-in-progress and even a loan spell at Bristol Rovers in 2022 was a last minute job, Shola Ameobi pulling in a favour from then Rovers boss Joey Barton after moves to Sheffield Wednesday and Luton had fallen through.
Barton had done so little research on Anderson that his first words to Ameobi were to the effect of “I’m only taking him because you tell me he’s good”. In the end was the catalyst for the most dramatic of promotions for the League Two side.
A student of the game
