EARON Elliott finally got the monkey off his back when he scored his first goal of the season in Portmore United’s 1-0 win over Montego Bay United on Monday.

“I have to give credit to my teammates. They motivated me, they encouraged me and kept on telling me I need to score. So, it was the drive from my teammates and from the Portmore United family to come out and execute the job,” said a broad-smiling Elliott at the end of the game.

Having had to wait until the eigth game of this season to finally get a goal in, the former Jamaica College Manning Cup star was left feeling overwhelmed.

“It’s a very good feeling. I have to give credit to the coaching staff for believing in me. It’s a very overwhelming feeling,” he shared.

The victory was the second in a row for Portmore, who are steadily making their way up the table and are now sitting in sixth place after floundering near the foot of the table earlier in the season.

“It’s a very important three points. On the training ground we have been practising and our main objective was to get back to winning ways and keep a clean sheet, because we have been conceding a lot of goals. We came out here and we executed the job and it’s a well-earned three points.”

Elliot has the benefit of learning from a very experienced coach who is more than just a coach to him.

“Coach Lenworth Hyde is also a mentor to me. He believed in me, and he kept on motivating me, and he told me that I need to do it — I need to set my standard. And I came out, and I think I did well,” he concluded.

Elliott’s teammates will be hoping for more of the same from their striker when they meet fourth-place Dunbeholden in the Portmore Derby at Sabina Park on Monday starting at 5:15 pm.

— Dwayne Richards