Marvin Elliott is well aware of the rumours linking him with a Premier League move. And after mixing it with the big boys in the FA Cup he wants more top-flight football.
But Bristol City’s midfield enforcer is hopeful he can fulfill his ambitions in the red shirt of the Robins - by learning from the mistakes which saw the Ashton Gate outfit dumped out of the cup at the hands of Portsmouth on Tuesday night.
“These are the games that I want to play in week in week out,” said Elliott after the 2-0 defeat to Portsmouth at Ashton Gate. “I've got a lot of ambition and that's what I want to strive to do.
"I'm sure everyone else in the Bristol City changing room wants to do that as well. We have to try and take our chances and now we've got to kick on in the league to try and get half a chance to do that.
“At the end of the day (Portsmouth) are where we want to be. They're a Premier League team and we want to be there so we have to look at them and see what they do that we don't do.”
And what better match to demonstrate the lessons gleaned from City’s two run-outs against the FA Cup holders than the visit of Championship leaders Wolves, another suitor for Elliott’s services, at home on Saturday.
Wolves lead the league by four points despite going without a win in their last three Championship outings. Mick McCarthy’s side have drawn 1-1 then 2-2 against Sheffield United and Blackpool respectively before slipping up 3-1 at home to Preston. But they reaffirmed their standing in the division with a 2-0 victory over promotion rivals Birmingham at St Andrews in the FA Cup thrid-round on Tuesday.
"It’s a massive game,” said Elliott who has been continously linked with the Molineux side despite the ‘not for sale’ sign slapped on one of City’s prime assets. “Top of the table. It's another game to look forward to. It's good times.
"The rumours, there's nothing I can do about that. All I can do is keep playing for Bristol City and do my talking on the pitch.”
Elliott’s performance against Pompey drew special praise from Portsmouth boss Tony Adams, leaving the 24-year-old to rue the fact his display left him empty handed, the visitors progressing to a fourth-round tie with Swansea and buoyed by a clean sheet, with City left to lick their wounded pride.
"I felt the way we played we could have got something out of the game,” he said. “At least a goal. We were disappointed.
"We take the positives of the way we played as a team. The little passages of play, the work rate.”
England striker Peter Crouch gave Pompey a 38th minute lead before Niko Kranjcar appeared to end the tie two minutes from time. Nicky Maynard handed City a lifeline when brought down by Sol Campbell in the box a minute later but veteran David James guessed correctly and saved 22-year-old Maynard’s spot kick.
"I thought when they scored the first goal in the first half it was a bit of a suckerpunch against us and second half we got at them, we took the game to them," said Elliott.
"I felt we were quite dominant. And then they hit us on the break and it was always going to be hard coming back from two goals against that sort of opposition."
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