Shaw Lane Aquaforce manager Craig Elliott celebrates with Luke O’Brien, captain Sam Denton and Danny Frost
Craig Elliott believes the Toolstation NCEL Premier Division title win has silenced his own and Shaw Lane Aquaforce’s critics.
Aquaforce clinched top spot on Tuesday night after a superb title race with one game to spare.
It comes with promotion to the Evo Stik League and brings Elliott back to the level he left in February 2014 after quitting Ossett Town to join Aquaforce.
Elliott has been through the mill over the last 18 months by having to put up with verbal abuse towards himself, while his team were mocked by Worksop Town manager Mark Shaw – remarks that have since backfired on the Tigers boss.
Elliott has kept his thoughts on Shaw’s comments private until this week.
He said: “We have had a few comments that the pitch would cost us and that we looked tired as a team and had too many games to play.
“We have answered all them people and that’s what it is about.
“I’m glad we have and we have deserved to do.
“When I left Ossett Town I got a lot of personal criticism and a lot of flak and I took that on board.
“I was dropping down two leagues and a lot of people looked down on me, but I have proved them wrong and I’m glad to say that.
“I’ve won two promotions on the trot so my decision has been proved to be the right one.”
Aquaforce’s triumph has reinforced the fact that Non League Football addict Elliott is one of the best up-and-coming young managers in Yorkshire.
He has lifted both Glasshoughton Welfare and Ossett Town out of the doldrums before enjoying his current success with Shaw Lane.
He has won the Premier Division title as a player with Hatfield Main in 1996 under John Reed, but lifting it as a manager has personal satisfaction for Elliott.
He explained: “People don’t realise that I’ve been a bit of statto for Non League football since I was ten-years-old when I followed my dad (Ged who is a former manager of Pontefract).
“The Northern Counties East League is a big league for me and I know it inside out.
“I don’t mind saying that I’m a bit of a geek with it. To win the league as a manager is amazing.”
Shaw Lane’s campaign concludes with the visit of his struggling old team Glasshoughton tomorrow.
He was the man who guided them from the bottom of Division One to the Premier Division in two roller-coaster seasons, but he will be the man to send them back down.
That’s unless Glasshoughton pull off an unlikely 21-0 victory to leapfrog Retford United and stave off relegation.
Elliott added: “I’m sad to see what has happened there.
“It is my ex-club. I’ve played for them and had a very successful time there as a manager and got them promoted to this league.
“I’m glad we don’t have to beat them because we can come and enjoy Saturday.
“It is probably the first game all season that I can relax. I might even sit down during the game for the first time.”