Paul Tisdale made his first signing as Boro’ boss in December 2021; securing goalkeeper Christy Pym on a “temporary transfer“. In old money, the player came to us on loan until the end of the 2021-2 campaign from Peterborough United. At the time, it was hardly a vote of confidence in a trio of goalkeepers already on the books at the Lamex. Mind you, it could be seen as somewhat understandable in the context of the fact that Pym was managed by Tisdale at Exeter City.
With Boro’ sinking into the League Two relegation zone at Christmas 2021, Tisdale clearly had a good idea of the changes needed in the squad he inherited. Was the goalkeeper one of them? In the face of a chronic shortage of goals for and a worrying number of goals against, perhaps that focus should have started out on pitch. But there’s no doubt that Pym had the experience – and previous relationship – to help Boro’ out in some capacity during his stay with us.
The verdict? A solid “meh”.
Christy Pym: Before Boro’
Pym is a born-and-bred Grecian; hailing from the city as a bairn, and joining Exeter City‘s youth set-up. He captained their U18s for a time, before turning pro at Sid James’ Park; Tisdale being the man to hand the young goalkeeper a first senior deal in 2013. During his time as a pro at the club, he faced constant battles to nail down a first team spot. It’s why his tally of 150+ games in between the sticks for the Grecians isn’t as high as it could’ve been for a seven-year spell.
In 2019, Pym left the south west on a freebie; moving north (relatively) to Peterborough United. His first two seasons with the Posh served up a fair amount of game time with it in League One. And he still stayed in favour after the club were promoted to the Championship. A bust up with manager Darren Ferguson threw his future into doubt, though; “It’s going to be difficult for that boy [Pym] to get back as he overstepped the mark on Tuesday night”, explained Ferguson.
It was an incident that put Pym in the shop window. And, three months later with Tisdale taking charge at the Lamex, Boro’ made their move.
