Football may be a fickle mistress but Calum Elliot is once more in thrall to her charms.

Football may be a fickle mistress but Calum Elliot is once more in thrall to her charms.

An outcast at Hearts over the summer, the 21-year-old's exploits over the past four weeks on loan at Livingston have earned him the IRN-BRU Phenomenal Young Player of the Month award. Five goals in three league starts during the month of September were a reminder of his latent talents, suffocated by chronic confidence issues at Tynecastle. Indeed, the striker was in such a state that he admits to losing all enthusiasm for football.

"I wasn't really enjoying it or getting the same buzz out of playing that I should," said Elliot, who spent the summer with the reserves and was not even afforded a squad number as various loan moves were touted. "I never trained with the first team after last season and I don't know why. I knew I wasn't going to get chance and I knew I had to get away and start playing again. So to come here and get a fresh start is what I needed and I probably should have done it earlier because it has been great to get away and get scoring again.

"It's made me a stronger person and I've leaned from the experience and become a better player. It's probably been good for my development, but the most important thing is that I've got my enthusiasm back for the game."

n Paul McManus, the East Fife striker, has been named the IRN-BRU Phenomenal Player of the Month for his five goals in three league matches as his side revived their second division promotion hopes.