Page 11 - 358264 LP231909 A Love Supreme 48pp A5 (Issue 257)

that’s the case with so many kids, they have the ability but not the desire to work hard. While he was at the academy we never for one minute thought he’s actually go all the way to the first team, but he got moved up the age groups to train with
was at Crystal Palace, his whole family are football mad, and a nephew was at Man
Utd. I hated football at first, me, because there was that much of it, until I started taking Elliot. Now I’d rather go to a football match than go shopping. I’d rather watch it on the telly, and I suppose over the years I’ve had no choice with having three boys. It’s always been football, football, football.
the older ones now and again, so he was obviously doing well. Elliot’s coaches always said that they didn’t teach him how to play, they didn’t really teach him that side of things, they just worked to bring the best out of him because it was natural with him, the football... and then when
What did you think when Elliot went out on loan?
Well, Grimsby was a great experience for him apart from having to play in black and white, he played a lot of games, but the Blackpool one was weird. We were sitting at home and he texted to say “I’m going to Blackpool, I’ll ring you in a bit” and it turned out well for him because he played just about every game
he actually signed his first contract it was such a proud moment. He was playing for the U23s regularly, and then he’d been on the bench a few times before he played
his first game as a sub at Wolves under Chris Coleman (coming on for Gooch), that was a really proud moment as you can imagine, even if it was right at the end and he only got a couple of minutes, and he got another couple of games in that season of the bench.
for the rest of that season. When we went to Wembley and they won it was a brilliant day, absolutely brilliant with all the family all there to see him play, to see him set up the first goal was brilliant and a great way to finish
his loan. I know it was to bring him on, to get him first team football, but that move was a bit of a surprise. He could have played those games for Sunderland and who knows what difference that would have made. Back at Sunderland now where he’s always wanted to be and he’s signed a contract until 2025. But he loves it and it’s a long-term thing for him. I’ve even ended up looking after his dog! But now he’s a regular with the first team it’s made everything worthwhile.
Do you watch him home and away?
If I’m taking the car I’ll go to the away games, but my youngest son will go if he’s not playing for his Chester le Street team, on the ALS bus with his mates if I’m not driving, or with his dad. We all go to all the home games, as a family, and it’s such a proud thing to see him in a Sunderland shirt, as a professional footballer. We sit behind the dugouts in the parents’ area, so we’re close to what’s going on. People can say some nasty things when the game’s not going well, but not so much at the game and we don’t take notice anyway.
I think people know not to say anything sometimes. The social media stuff is just daft, people will say some horrible things probably because they don’t think about what they’re saying and now I just let it
go straight over my head. At the end of
the day, Elliot’s there and he loves it, he’s trying his best and he’s the footballer and they’re not. Everybody has a bad day, not always at the same time, like at Bolton, mind! So it’s just part of the game that we try to ignore. The red card at Gillingham was a shame, he made a mistake and got it wrong, but nobody’s perfect, that’s what I say.
Is the football a genetic thing?
Well, Elliot’s dad was at Rotherham when he was younger, and his dad’s granddad
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