Jan Molby's Hull City spell was a disaster but £230k deal proved a bright spark | OneFootball

Stuart Elliott became a cult hero for the Tigers as they rose up the divisions

The 2002/03 season saw Hull City enter a new era, as they would depart Boothferry Park in the middle of the season, moving into the club's current 25,000 capacity home, the MKM Stadium.

The new stadium was delivered at a cost of £43m with the aim that, under Adam Pearson's ownership, the Tigers would rise up the Football League and even potentially end their run of never featuring in the top flight of English football.

The previous season saw City get off to a strong start under former Aston Villa boss Brian Little, before a slump in form saw him harshly sacked after a 1-0 defeat to Macclesfield Town in February 2002, despite the fact that City were still just five points behind the automatic promotion places in Division Three - now League Two.

A month-and-a-half later, and Pearson had sourced his replacement in the form of ex-Liverpool midfielder Jan Molby, who had overseen Kidderminster Harriers' promotion into the EFL for the first time in 2000, before consolidating the Worcestershire outfit's position in the fourth tier.

However, his spell in East Yorkshire would prove a disaster, as in just 16 league games in charge across the final month of 2001/02 and the opening two months of the 2002/03 campaign, the Dane won just two games, against Cambridge United and Carlisle United, with Hull languishing in 18th place at the time of his dismissal.

Although Molby's spell with the Tigers was extremely short-lived, he deserves immense credit for some of his signings which included club legend and captain Ian Ashbee, Stuart Green, as well as the then club-record £230,000 sum paid to Motherwell in order to acquire Stuart Elliott.

Stuart Elliott was integral in Hull City's rise to the Championship

After making the move from Fir Park, the Northern Ireland international made an immediate impression by netting a well-taken finish against Southend United on debut, before suffering an injury in just his third appearance against Exeter City.

Despite the fact that Elliott would become such an integral part of Peter Taylor's side as they rose to the Championship, the former Leicester City boss initially opted to utilise the wide man off the bench, before returning to form in the latter months of the season.

This saw the man notorious for his cartwheeling celebration net his first two goals at the MKM against the Grecians, as well as a run of seven goals in nine games as the campaign drew to a close, with Hull finishing 13th.

The 2003/04 season saw City end a barren run of 19 years without a promotion, with Elliott's creative spark one of the driving forces in achieving a second-place finish behind Doncaster Rovers.

The dynamic winger would score an abundance of long-range drives, close-range finishes and looping headers across 42 league outings, with seven of his 14 goals coming between January and May as the promotion race intensified, as well as providing several chances for the likes of Ben Burgess, Danny Allsopp, Jason Price and Jon Walters.

After achieving a first promotion, Hull and Elliott immediately showcased their ability to do the same again in League One.

He netted a remarkable return of eight goals in 11 games at the beginning of the season, before going on an unstoppable run of 15 goals in 13 starts between October and December 2004.

This included a hat-trick against Tranmere Rovers in a 6-1 rout and a wonder-strike against Brentford.

After sustaining a fractured cheekbone against Huddersfield Town in the first game of 2005, the aforementioned run came to an end and the 38-time international wouldn't feature for the next seven games.

Elliott was able to provide an assist for Allsopp on his return from injury, before returning to goalscoring form with a penalty against Hartlepool United, which was part of a run of four goals in three games - two of which came in a resounding 4-0 victory against Bournemouth.

The Belfast-born man would then score a crucial opener against Bradford City in April 2005, with a 2-0 victory all-but secured back-to-back promotions, before rounding off a remarkable personal and overall campaign for him and the team with a spot-kick against Sheffield Wednesday, netting 27 times in 36 third tier appearances.

This put Elliott joint-top of the divisional scoring charts alongside fellow Tigers icon, Dean Windass, who was then featuring for the Bantams.

The remainder of Stuart Elliott's career in East Yorkshire

Hull and Taylor could then prepare for a first Championship stint since 1991, with the firm aim of consolidating their position.

The Northern Irishman would continue his knack of spectacular finishes with a delicate chip over Plymouth's Romain Larrieu to secure a first away victory of the season in August 2005.

Elliott would make 40 appearances - 26 starts and 14 substitute appearances as City finished in a respectable 18th place before their boss made the switch to Crystal Palace in the off-season, with the winger scoring seven goals.

However, Elliott's issues with asthma would soon come to light, causing difficulties throughout his final year-and-a-half with the club.

He would last just 28 minutes in Phil Parkinson's first competitive game in charge - a 2-0 defeat to West Brom - then making substitute cameos against Barnsley and Derby County, before a run of eight succesive games outside the matchday squad.

The winger would then start in 10 of the following 12 games, which included three goals in crucial victories over Southend United and Wolves, before Parkinson was sacked after a 4-2 loss to Southampton in December 2006.

It was then reported by the Daily Mail that Elliott had discussed his condition with new boss Phil Brown, after the cult hero netted twice in a dramatic 10-minute cameo which saw the Tigers come from behind against Queens Park Rangers.

Although Brown was able to keep Hull afloat in the second tier, largely inspired by the return of Dean Windass, Elliott would make just nine more starts, rounding off the campaign with his sixth goal in 32 league games on the final day against Plymouth Argyle.

However, with Hull looking to progress in 2007/08 after Paul Duffen's takeover, the winger would see his gametime drastically reduced, regardless of a customary wonder strike against Wigan Athletic, which provided an EFL Cup scalp for City and Elliott's final goal for the club.

After making the last of his 211 appearances for Hull in a FA Cup Third Round defeat to Plymouth, the winger made an initial loan switch to Doncaster Rovers in February 2008.

After a handful of appearances, Elliott would join Rovers permanently after the club's play-off success at Wembley against Leeds United, a day after City reached the Premier League with their own 1-0 win over Bristol City at the National Stadium.

After moving to South Yorkshire, Elliott's career continued to wind down with a loan spell at Grimsby Town, before featuring for Hamilton Academical, Stirling Albion and a return to his homeland with Glentoran.

Since retiring, the winger has gone on to become a pastor, both in Hull and his native Belfast.