Back page League of Ireland First Division side Shelbourne have completed the signing of former Irish international Stephen Eliott until the end of the season.
The 32-year-old had been training with Shamrock Rovers as part of his rehabilitation from an Achilles tendon injury suffered while playing for Carlisle United in October 2014.
A Dublin native, Elliott played his schoolboy football with Belvedere and Stella Maris before joining Premier League side Manchester City for whom he made two substitute appearances.
In June 2004, Mick McCarthy took him to Sunderland where Elliott played for three yo-yo seasons that yielded two Championship winner’s medals and relegation from the top flight.
Further spells in the English second tier followed with Wolverhampton Wanderers and Preston North End before Elliott headed north of the border to join Hearts.
While in Scotland he was part of the side that hammered rivals Hibernian 5-1 in the 2012 Scottish Cup Final.
Elliott then spent a season with Coventry City before making Carlisle United his final club in England, and he will bring a wealth of experience to what is for the most part a very youthful Shelbourne squad.
Capped at under 17, 19, 20 and 21 levels, Elliott made nine appearances for the senior Republic of Ireland side and scored one goal – the match winner against Cyprus in a 2005 qualifier for the World Cup.
He was voted the FAI Young Player of the Year in 2005.
Read our exclusive interview with Shelbourne first team boss Kevin Doherty here.
