Hull Daily Mail sports staff have been banned from Hull City’s football ground by the club chairman.
This is the interview that caused friction between the two sides.

Hull City star Stuart Elliott today told how football and his belief in God pulled him through family heartbreak and transformed his life.

The star striker had to cope with his father’s early death and a tough upbringing in Belfast in the shadow of sectarian terrorism.

But he says all he ever wanted to do was play football. He found God at the age of 16 when he was consigned to soccer’s scrapheap for being too small.

Since then, his faith has helped him to piece his life together and guided him to Hull where he has become a firm favourite with the Tigers fans.

“It was quite a difficult upbringing and football got me away from it all,” said the 24-year-old born-again Christian.

“There was nothing special about me, but God, through the Lord Jesus, had his hand on me.”

Stuart’s father, Thomas, died of a heart attack on a building site when he was 49 and Stuart was just 13.

One of 10 children, Stuart grew up in East Belfast where the community was subjected to frequent terrorist atrocities and punishment beatings.

He also had to cope with his mother’s depression and his oldest brother Thomas being jailed for 18 years in 1990 for attempted murder over a terrorist shooting.

According to an article Stuart has written for the Swanland Parish Magazine, his brother was a member of the Ulster Freedom Fighters loyalist paramilitary organisation. He too has turned to religion and now preaches to youngsters about the evils of terrorism.

Elliott will not discuss his brother with the Mail. He always preferred sport and steered clear of trouble.

The budding footballer played for St Andrew’s in Belfast’s Shankill neighbourhood. The club acted as a nursery club for Scottish giants Rangers. But when other players were sent for trials at 16, Elliott was considered too small.

He gave up football for a year and his life hit a crossroads. He became a born-again Christian after his uncle, a pastor, invited him to a meeting.

Since then, he has not looked back, signing for Irish champions Glentoran, joining Scottish Premiership side Motherwell and then moving to Hull last summer.

Elliott, who lives in Brough, said: “Football probably kept me away from mischief but I believe it was the hand of God that kept me safe.

“I feel very lucky and fortunate.”

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