Source: Bournemouth_Echo
Cherries: Wade the play-off expert
WADE Elliott had to come off the ropes to be crowned the undisputed king of the Football League play-offs.[LNB] He sampled success in the red corner with Cherries in 2003 and again in the claret of blue of Burnley two years ago.[LNB] A split decision resulted in a near miss in his first bout before Elliott suffered a knockout blow when he tasted relegation.[LNB] He knows he is still one of the lucky ones.[LNB] I was 22 when Bournemouth missed out on the last day of the season at Reading in 2001, recalled Elliott this week, in an exclusive interview with the Daily Echo.[LNB] We had a good squad and most of us were in our early 20s. We were at an age when we probably expected these things to come around every season. They don't, of course, and we went down the following year.[LNB] Needing victory at the Madejski to secure a place in the Division Two play-offs, Cherries made a dream start when Elliott put them ahead after just four minutes.[LNB] The flying winger, in his first full season following a £5,000 move from non-league Bashley, bagged his second and added to a goal from West Ham loan star Jermain Defoe as Sean O'Driscoll's men stormed into a 3-1 lead by the interval.[LNB] However, after pantomime villain Darren Caskey had reduced the arrears for the Royals, Nicky Forster, now player-manager at Brentford, popped up with a dramatic 88th-minute equaliser to end Cherries' Herculean effort.[LNB] It was gut-wrenching, said Elliott, who had lifted the prestigious Daily Echo-Micky Cave supporters' player-of-the-year trophy a week before Cherries headed to Berkshire.[LNB] We had a tremendous run-in and won five games on the bounce to give ourselves a chance. I remember Sean sitting us down and telling us we had nothing to lose.[LNB] We played really well and had a terrific team. Reading were already in the play-offs and I think they were desperate not to meet us. They threw everything at us in the second half.[LNB] It was frustrating when Caskey scored from a free kick because that was something we had worked on in training.[LNB] Even after that, we could still have won it. Deep into injury-time, Graeme Murty made a miraculous clearance off the line from Stephen Purches. Although we had gone so close, it was a real low point not to make the play-offs.[LNB] Elliott, who made 257 appearances for Cherries, helped them make an instant return to the third flight following relegation in 2002. He starred in the 5-2 triumph over Lincoln at the Millennium Stadium after also playing a key role in the semi-final defeat of Bury.[LNB] The play-off final in 2003 was a culmination of 11 months of hard work for us, said Elliott. We had another really good team and it was a fantastic day. The entire season boiled down to one day and it was the best feeling in the world to win.[LNB] The memories came back when I saw Fletch remove his shirt after he had scored the winner against Bristol Rovers on Monday. He looked a little heavier around the waist than he was at the Millennium but it was good to see him see popping up with a goal and the same awful celebration![LNB] Elliott's finest moment came when he grabbed the only goal of the 2009 Championship play-off final at Wembley to earn Burnley a place in the Premier League at the expense of Sheffield United.[LNB] And with Cherries and the Clarets both still harbouring promotion hopes this season, Elliott will be targeting a famous personal hat-trick and a memorable double celebration come the end of May.[LNB]
