Having been a member of Nottingham Forest's Centre of Excellence and enjoying run-outs with the academy teams at Lincoln City and Grimsby Town, Elding joined hometown club Boston United's academy at the end of the 1998–99 season. Elding had his first taste of first team football as an unused substitute in the 1–1 Southern Football League draw at Atherstone United on 11 December 1999 but his senior debut did not come until 16 September 2000 when he appeared as a substitute for the final three minutes of the 2–1 home Football Conference victory over Morecambe. Four days later he marked his first start for the club with a goal after just 32 seconds in the 5–1 home defeat to Nuneaton Borough in the Conference League Cup, and he remained a regular presence around the first team squad for the remainder of the season.