 Elliott in 2016 | |||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Matthew Stephen Elliott | ||||||||||
| Date of birth | (1968-11-01)1 November 1968 (age 57) | ||||||||||
| Place of birth | Wandsworth, England | ||||||||||
| Position | Defender | ||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||
| Leatherhead | |||||||||||
| 1987–1988 | Epsom & Ewell | ||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||
| 1988–1989 | Charlton Athletic | 1 | (0) | ||||||||
| 1989–1992 | Torquay United | 124 | (15) | ||||||||
| 1992 | →Scunthorpe United (loan) | 8 | (1) | ||||||||
| 1992–1993 | Scunthorpe United | 53 | (7) | ||||||||
| 1993–1997 | Oxford United | 148 | (21) | ||||||||
| 1997–2005 | Leicester City | 245 | (26) | ||||||||
| 2004 | →Ipswich Town (loan) | 10 | (0) | ||||||||
| Total | 589 | (70) | |||||||||
| International career | |||||||||||
| 1997–2001 | Scotland | 18 | (1) | ||||||||
| Managerial career | |||||||||||
| 2011 | Stafford Rangers (caretaker) | ||||||||||
| 2014 | Army United | ||||||||||
Medal record
| |||||||||||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||||||||||
Matthew Stephen Elliott (born 1 November 1968) is a former professional footballer, most notably as adefender forLeicester City. Born in England, he played for theScotland national team.
He captained Leicester to victory in the2000 Football League Cup Final scoring both goals.
Elliott began his career in non-league football withLeatherhead andEpsom & Ewell, before getting his first taste of professional football withCharlton Athletic. Unable to break into the Charlton first-team, he moved toTorquay United within a year. He then worked his way up the ladder, signing forScunthorpe United in March 1992, moving on toOxford United in November 1993, and finally getting his chance in thePremiership when he was signed byLeicester City in early 1997 for a transfer fee of £1.6 million.[1] This remained the record for a sale by Oxford until 2016, whenKemar Roofe moved toLeeds United.[1] He was cup-tied for their victory in the1997 Football League Cup Final.[2]
Elliott became a mainstay in a Leicester side that surprised many in the top flight, and also performed well in cup competitions. The defender became synonymous with The Foxes' bruising style of play that made them one of the hardest sides to play in the Premiership. Elliott sometimes courted controversy with his discipline throughout his time at Leicester,[3] but remained a key player under both Martin O'Neill and his successor Peter Taylor.
Elliott was influential in Leicester's run to the2000 Football League Cup Final, and their victory in the game itself. He scored the only goal of the two-legged semi final againstAston Villa[4] and then scored both goals in the final as Leicester beatTranmere Rovers 2–1.[5]
WhenMartin O'Neill left to manageCeltic in July 2000, he made an attempt to lure Elliott to the club in a £3.5 million bid (O'Neill would raid his former club for the likes ofNeil Lennon andSteve Guppy).[6] It was unsuccessful when Elliott signed the last contract of his career in August 2001, which would last until June 2005.[7] Elliott's made his last European appearance in a 3–1 defeat toRed Star Belgrade in Vienna on 28 September 2000 in the2001 UEFA Cup.[8]
He had a loan spell atIpswich Town before his retirement. His final season was thwarted by a knee injury and, after making only three appearances, Elliott retired from football in January 2005.[9]
Elliott won 18 caps for theScotland national team, scoring one goal which was a header from anAllan Johnston cross in a 2–0 win againstSan Marino. He made 16 starts and two appearances from the bench, including his debut againstFrance in November 1997. He was in the Scotland squad for the1998 World Cup although he did not appear in any of the games.
On 9 June 2008, Elliott was unveiled as the new assistant manager to former Torquay teammateDean Edwards atNorthern Premier League teamHednesford Town. After a season that saw the Pitmen finish just outside the play-offs, Elliott stepped down from his position atKeys Park in May 2009 to concentrate on other business interests. He then became assistant manager of Midland Alliance sideOadby Town, until in October 2010 he became assistant manager ofConference North clubStafford Rangers, working underTim Flowers.[10] Elliott was appointedmanager after Flowers resigned from his managerial role on 11 January 2011.[11]
In January 2014, Elliott became manager ofThailand Premier League sideArmy United, a club affiliated with Elliott's former club, Leicester City. Elliott left Army United in June 2014 with the side in 11th place, in order to take up a role with Leicester City.
In September 2015De Montfort University announced that Elliott had been appointed first team coach for the University's men's and women's teams.[12]
In August 2014, Elliott took over as an analyst forBBC Radio Leicester. On 10 October 2015, Elliott was interviewed onDanny Baker's 5Live radio show, discussing his life and career.[citation needed]
Torquay United
Oxford United
Leicester City
Individual
