Stephen Elliott revels in return to competitive action with Shelbourne

In many ways, it is probably the biggest move of his career with Stephen Elliott drawing a line under a decade and a half away to return home to Dublin with his wife and four kids.

In strictly football terms, though, there is more than a hint of down-sizing, something that must have been brought home pretty forcefully as the former international took the field at Tolka Park on Monday evening to make his Shelbourne debut in an EA Sports Cup game.

There were barely 700 at the game against Bohemians but Elliott, who had only received the international clearance required to play at lunchtime, insists he was just glad to be out there. It had been 18 months since he had kicked a ball competitively and it had taken several more than expected to get sorted with a League of Ireland club.

So the 65 or so minutes he got was, he insists, the start of something rather than another bit of the end. The 32-year-old hopes to get going on his coaching badges over the coming months as he continues to tie up loose ends from his many years away, most recently with Carlisle United. Most of all, though, he just wants to savour being out on a football pitch again because there have been times over the last few years when he never thought he would have that feeling again.

“Yeah,” he says, “the last 18 months have been particularly frustrating because of an Achilles problem but I had a pretty serious knee injury before that so the last three years were very tough really. There was a few months when I was back in, playing at Carlisle but for the most part it’s been about battling the setbacks.

“It seems like all I’ve done during that time was rehab and before the last operation last year I was walking with a limp. I couldn’t even have a kick-around with the kids so to get to the stage where I’m back playing again in the league here; it feels great to be honest.”

The decision to move home was a collective one for the family who are still waiting to move into the house they have bought in Swords. While it has meant a particularly big upheaval for children ranging in age from 12 down to five, none of whom has ever lived in Ireland before, Elliott says they are settling into it all well.

“We’re not actually into the new house as we’re still waiting on furniture from the UK but the kids have started school here and I’m from a big family so they’ve plenty of cousins to help them settle in; they’re happy to be around them.

“From my own point of view, there were loads of different reasons from making the move, a lot of them personal, and we both wanted to bring the kids up back here, but certainly the prospect of being able to play for a few more years in the league here was a part of it.

“I was at a lot of clubs in England and Scotland over the years, more than most people would be at, but I enjoyed them all and met good people at each one. Playing was a big thing, though, and I really wanted to get back doing that after all the time I’ve been out.

“I was training with (Shamrock) Rovers for a few months and that was good but unfortunately we couldn’t get anything done and after a while it’s just not enough to be just training, you want to be involved in proper games again.

“Then I met Kevin (Shelbourne manager, Doherty) and was really impressed by him. He seems like a really great lad who has the respect of all the players here. It’s a very young group but I’m very happy to be part of it now.”

Elliott, who played nine times for Ireland, scoring one goal, and won a couple of Championship titles with Sunderland after having originally left Ireland to join Manchester City, has never played league football here before and he admits that Monday's League Cup game was "different" although, he insists, in a good way.

“There was a nice little atmosphere there, partly because of it being two Dublin sides, but I enjoyed it; it was a different experience but I’m looking forward now to playing more.

“I think the lads showed a lot of character to come through and win the game on penalties and it’s really good for them to go another game unbeaten. But for me, the aim is just to play more to start with. I know it’s not the Premier Division or whatever but I’m not too worried about that now, I’ve got a real buzz back for the game, and I want to see where that takes me.”