Stephen Craigan

Stephen James Craigan (born 29 October 1976 in Newtownards) is a Northern Irish people professional football (soccer) currently playing for Scottish Premier League club Motherwell F.C..

A boyhood Glentoran F.C. fan, Craigan started his career in Scotland with Motherwell in 1995 when the young Ulsterman was signed by Alex McLeish. However, after only twenty-two appearances, he was released on a free transfer (soccer). He signed for Scottish Second Division club Partick Thistle F.C. in 2000 and helped them back to the Scottish Premier League, making 103 appearances. After his contract expired in 2003, he returned to Motherwell, who were now managed by former England national football team international Terry Butcher.

Since then, Craigan has been an integral part of Motherwell's steady progress in the SPL and was rewarded for his performances with a call-up to the Northern Ireland national football team.

Arguably, his most impressive display in a Northern Ireland jersey came in their stunning 1 – 0 win over England at Windsor Park on 7 September 2005 where he was up against the likes of Wayne Rooney and Michael Owen amongst others. Since then he has become a key figure in the Northern Irish defence, helping his side to wins over Spain and Sweden among others, as well as a draw against Portugal in which he scored an unfortunate own goal.

Craigan has since gone on to become Motherwell's most capped player. He also commentates on some European matches for Setanta Sports.

Footnotes