SUNDERLAND top scorer Stephen Elliott insists he has no regrets about moving from Manchester City, despite Kevin Keegan's decision to sell his number one striker Nicolas Anelka to Fenerbahce.

The surly French forward's £7m move to Turkey has left City short of options in attack and, if the Black Cats young Irish signing had stayed at the City of Manchester Stadium, he would have no doubt been given the chance to impress.

Instead, Elliott took the option handed to him by Mick McCarthy in the summer of a move to the Stadium of Light, and has flourished in the Wearsiders young side.

On Friday his goal at Wolverhampton in the Black Cats 1-1 draw was his 13th of a season which just keeps getting better for the 21-year-old.

Elliott said: "I saw the news (about Anelka's move) obviously, but I don't really look back I just am fully focused on the future.

"Now I'm just concentrating about what I do on the pitch and I'm not thinking about anyone else. I'm not worrying about what happens elsewhere or with anyone else.

"I'm not looking back at all (to time at City). I'm just looking forward.

"Obviously it was a big decision for me to come here but I think it's paying dividends at the moment."

Elliott managed just two appearances in his four years at City, and when the chance to try his luck in the North-East arrived Elliott had no hesitation in moving.

After starting the season on the bench, the Dubliner has become a regular in Mick McCarthy's starting XI, with his eye for goal impressing Republic of Ireland manager Brian Kerr.

Elliott is likely to be on the bench in his home city for Wednesday's international against Portugal, and admits the season has been a dream come true.

"At the start of the season if you'd told me how things would be at this stage I would have never believed it," said the £125,000 signing.

"Things have worked out really well for me since I moved to Sunderland and I'm just hoping it will continue.

"When I came into the club I was just hoping to get a few games under my belt but the way the goals are flying in I just want to keep scoring and keep playing."

After the midweek internationals the Black Cats face Watford on Saturday at the start of a run of eight games, all of which, on paper, appear winnable.

The crunch time appears to be April when the Wearsiders face all their main rivals for automatic promotion, but Elliott insists the squad are refusing to scrutinise their run-in.

"We're not looking ahead at the moment," said Elliott. "Every game we have is as important as the next one.

"It's three points for a win whoever you play and we've just got to keep getting those wins under our belts."

Elliott admitted his sweetly struck left footed drive on Friday at Molineux was among the best he has scored in his fledgling career.

He said: "It's always great to score especially when they fly in like that. It's probably one of the best I've scored in my career because I don't usually score from that far out.

"It's always nice when you hit them from distance and they do go in.

"Going to Molineux is always tough. They were on a good run and you take a point in the end but we had a few chances to win it. They had their chances as well but I think the draw was a fair result.

"We knew if we'd won by three goals we would have gone top and it's nice to go into a game knowing that but it wasn't to be."

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