The more mature among us will fondly recall early 1960’s television screening the popular Western series Have Gun Will Travel, about Paladin, a travelling soldier of fortune type hitman, who had calling cards depicting a white knight chess piece engraving.

Fast forward to the current day and purely from a footballing perspective, one would be hard-pushed to find anyone more suited to that good guy riding to the rescue role than Pollok’s vastly experienced front man Darren Christie.

A bit of an exaggeration? Well not when you consider the contributions made by Daz, whose only appearances for the Southside giants after signing from Beith last summer were in pre-season friendly matches against Ashfield, Shettleston and St Rochs. Before going out on loan to not one but two recognized Senior outfits, title challenging B.S.C. Glasgow from the Lowland League and more recently League Two relegation battlers Annan Athletic.

The irony of his situation was not lost on the 33-year-old, ahead of talks over his Newlandsfield future with Lok gaffer Murdie McKinnon later tonight, He scoffed, “I’ve now played for three clubs in the same season yet previously, my entire Junior career was shared among just two other teams Neilston (5 years) and Beith (6 years).

“Signing on the dotted line for Pollok, another fairly local team to my Barrhead home seemed an ideal move at the time but the club’s decision to withdraw from the WoSFL season immediately after those pre-season outings left me in a bit of a quandary.

“The prospect of taking a year out at my age did not appeal in the slightest so I made my feelings known to Murdie whose consent to a loan deal arrangement led to B.S.C. making an approach.

“It’s a sign of how manager Stevie Swift was struggling to fill forward line jerseys that he rushed through my signing on a Friday in order for me to make a Lowland League debut 24 hours later away to Vale of Leithen in a high-scoring game that ended 6-4 in our favour.

“I found no difficulties settling into a side that included other ex-Junior players Ross McMillan (Largs Thistle), Jamie Hamilton (Rutherglen Glencairn) and within a matter of weeks the loaned out Auchinleck Talbot pair of Jamie Glasgow and Craig McCracken.

“Talbot goalkeeper Andy Leishman swelled our former Junior ranks even further when he was brought on board a few months later but as luck would have it he only managed a couple of games before stricter Covid 19 lockdown restrictions put an end to the Lowland League season.”

Christie weighed in with seven goals as B.S.C. rose to second spot in the standings, most notably netting the only goal of the game in a hard fought 1-0 victory over title rivals East Kilbride. However, his efforts were ultimately all in vain after last month’s call by Lowland League bosses to award the title on a P.P.G. basis to frontrunners Kelty Hearts.

He said: “Kelty being declared champions came as a kick in the teeth seeing as we were only six points adrift and still had to play them twice while they also had a lot of other top sides to face.

“However, they were harshly treated in failing to make the play-offs last season after topping the table so there’s a general acceptance that the League officials are simply making amends with their decision.

“The guy I feel most sorry for is Swifty, enjoyable to play under and a really top coach into the bargain, who has left no stone unturned in trying to improve B.S.C. as a team.

“I was reading the club have recently fixed him up on a new contract which is the very least he deserves.”

The premature curtailment of B.S.C.’s season in mid-January looked to have likewise ended Christie’s playing aspirations but one of the Glasgow side’s coaches Fraser Wright sang the praises of the busy little striker during a chance encounter with former Rangers goalkeeper Cammy Bell , nowadays Director of Football at Annan Athletic. That saw Daz being offered and accepting a deadline day beating loan deal transfer to the League Two club whose team manager is Irish born Peter Murphy, better known for his playing days as a defender with Carlisle United and Ayr United.

He revealed, “Playing every Saturday, Tuesday, Saturday and occasionally on a Thursday is not that far removed from a typical Juniors schedule during the summer months.

“I arrived at Annan with 10 games left in our season which has to be completed by a May 4 deadline and it promises to be a hectic finale as we currently still have 5 to play over the next 15 days and the games are anything but meaningless.

“Yes, we eased fears of relegation with a 3-0 defeat of Brechin City last weekend that was our first home win and puts us 9 points clear of them. But there’s a split coming for our final four matches which puts us against the clubs in and around us.

“I’ve not scored yet but hopefully I can do my bit to help Annan get over the line to safety.”

Among his Galabank team-mates are former Rob Roy full back Cameron Clark and Tony Wallace (Gartcairn) and Daz believes the football played standards (even at the wrong end of the table) is of a relatively high standard.

He added, “I’ve found there is no shortage of decent players though the games tend to be very fast-paced coming as I did from the Lowland League where the onus was more on retaining possession.

“It’s a different ball game altogether and the same applies to Covid 19 restrictions where the adherence by League Two clubs is strict in the extreme and precautions are taken even though players are regularly tested, as I found out when we recently played Queens Park at Hampden.

“All our team’s test results had come back as negative, yet we were still unable to use showers or dressing rooms and had to change in the open area behind the main stands which is the closest I’ve ever come to the pie stalls.”

Meanwhile, confirmed as a new team-mate of Christie is versatile midfielder Evan Horn, previously with East Stirling, who follows in the footsteps of older brother Josh and father John in signing for Pollok.