Source: Team_Talk
Elliott ready for Prem challenge
Elliott's 13th-minute strike, a superb 20-yard curler, was enough to sink Sheffield United in Sunday's Championship play-off final and fire Owen Coyle's Burnley up to the heady heights of the Premier League.
The 30-year-old lives a stone's throw away from the United ground, but usually drives straight past on his way to games at less glamorous locations such as Barnsley, Blackpool and Plymouth.
But after securing a £60million jackpot for Burnley, the former Bashley and Bournemouth midfielder and his team-mates will be lining up against Sir Alex Ferguson's superstars next season.
"I live right opposite the ground but I've never played there," said Elliott.
"I normally run up there trying to get fit over the close-season. I know my way round it, it's a big perimeter so I run up there and do a few sprints around it - so now I'm looking forward to getting inside it at last."
Elliott's celebrations following his goal were understated - merely blowing a kiss towards the stand at the opposite end of the Wembley pitch, but he had every reason to be emotional.
"I spoke to my Dad, who has had throat cancer, before the game and he told me it was three years ago to the day that he had his operation," he revealed.
"He told me he'd won that battle and that I'd win this one. So when I scored my first instinct was to run over to Mum and Dad - but they were at the other end and it was hot."
He added: "Burnley is a terrific club, the history of it is unbelievable and you could see what it meant to everybody.
"Everyone will be asking us how difficult it's going to next season but we are going to go everywhere and give it our best shot."
It was easy to see what promotion to the elite, for the first time since 1976, meant to the town of Burnley - given almost half the 73,000 population were at Wembley.
It also clearly meant the world to the players. Grizzled centre-half Clarke Carlisle was in tears, stalwart striker Robbie Blake not far behind.
Yet there was little sign of top-flight trappings as the players' loved ones headed to the hotel to celebrate - the Premier League's newest WAGS squeezing onto the Jubilee Line to join up with their partners.
"You wouldn't expect Burnley to be challenging for a place in the Premier League," admitted ex-Bradford, Birmingham and Leeds forward Blake.
"For me to be there again is fantastic, and something I want to hold onto. We've got there, we'll assess it in the summer and the way the gaffer is we'll have a positive and successful season."
For skipper Steven Caldwell, promotion was tinged with regret as the chance to face his beloved Newcastle had disappeared following their relegation a day earlier
"I'm gutted for Newcastle - they were my first club and a club that I love and support because I'd been going there since I was 14," said the Scottish defender.
"But they've got a tremendous man in Alan Shearer in charge and I hope he stays on as manager and gets them right back up there."
He added: "We don't care about what the bookies say, we care about working hard. This season was hard enough - we finished fifth so there were four teams better than us, so next season will be 10 times harder.
"But we'll go away, have a break and come back next season even stronger and work extremely hard to stay in what is the best league in the world."
