Ellison grew up within the suburb of Anfield, a few five-minute stroll from Liverpool’s well-known floor. He represented Liverpool schoolboys as a teen, in addition to taking part in for the membership’s centre of excellence alongside Michael Owen and Steven Gerrard.
As a toddler, he would stroll the quick distance to Liverpool’s floor on matchdays and stand outdoors the Kop, ready for stewards to open the gates 20 minutes from the top of video games to permit followers seeking to make an early getaway to go away.
“Whereas they had been leaving, I might run into the bottom and catch the top of the match,” says Ellison. “I used to like watching John Barnes and Ian Rush.”
He dreamed of taking part in for the Reds however whereas Owen and Gerrard had been saved on, Ellison was let go on the age of 15.
“I bear in mind receiving the letter from Liverpool,” he recollects. “It simply mentioned: ‘thanks for all of your effort during the last seven years and good luck sooner or later.’
“It was heartbreaking, as a result of my first thought was ‘that is it, I am by no means going to make it as a footballer now’.
“My mum mentioned: ‘roll your sleeves up, lad. Maintain working exhausting and your probability will come’. It is like most issues in life; you solely get out what you set in, and I by no means gave up once I was 15.
“That rejection spurred me on and made me wish to show to people who I used to be adequate to turn out to be an expert sooner or later.”
After a spell in Sunday League soccer, Ellison obtained a break at Southport, who had been then taking part in within the fifth tier underneath Ronnie Moore. Aged 18, he made his debut off the bench in a 1-0 dwelling defeat by Telford in March 1997.
Ellison performed an additional 3 times earlier than the top of the season and remembers receiving £65 in bills.
Strikes to Chorley after which Conwy United within the League of Wales adopted earlier than he began getting seen for the quantity of objectives he was scoring at Altrincham – 23 in 54 league video games.
“I discovered the exhausting approach,” Ellison provides. “I used to be taking part in part-time and dealing full-time on a constructing web site and delivering furnishings – three-piece suites, beds, wardrobes, the lot.”
Then, in 2001, got here a doubtlessly life-changing transfer to Leicester, who had gained the League Cup the season earlier than underneath Martin O’Neill.
“They provided me £650-a-week and my agent argued for extra,” recollects Ellison.
“He was despatched out of the room and I used to be spoken to alone and informed to signal the supply or depart. I obtained £50 extra. My agent argued that I used to be on related cash working full-time and taking part in part-time.
“However rising up as a child in Anfield, all I ever wished to be a was a full-time participant.”