Following your retirement from professional football, you now have your own football business working with kids across the Inverclyde area. How is that coming along?
“It’s going great—I’m really enjoying it. Honestly, it’s the best move I’ve ever made.
“I run a number of classes and holiday camps for kids and in the near future, I am set to deliver a walking football programme for over 50’s which I am looking forward to because I enjoy working with people of all age groups.
“As well as these activities, I am also looking to develop a New Scot programme to allow anyone arriving in Scotland for the first time to have an opportunity to socialise and stay fit in a welcoming and enjoyable environment.
“I’m getting so much out of it, especially seeing how much the kids benefit from the classes.
“The feedback from parents has been excellent, so long may it continue.”
What are your plans for your coaching sessions and camps in the year ahead, and how can anyone interested join?
“The plan is to keep building and get more kids involved. At the moment, we have over 130 kids attending the Inverclyde classes, and in the next couple of months, we’ll be adding more weekly sessions as all of the current classes are full.
“The camps have been a great success too. I have recently worked in partnership with another footballer from the Inverclyde area in Nicky Low – formerly of Aberdeen and Derry City – to deliver two Christmas camps.
“Each camp had over 75 kids in attendance per day. We were able to secure the help of the local Greenock branch of Domino’s and tie in with local mental health charity The Anchor to ensure that every child got pizza after their session which was a nice touch.”
You came through the youth system at St Mirren and went on to feature in the first team as they won promotion back to the top flight of Scottish football. What are your memories from your time in Paisley?
“I had some brilliant times over the eight-and-a-half years I was there—two years in the pro youth setup and six-and-a-half years as a full-time player.
“I was lucky to have so many great role models who helped shape my career. Gus MacPherson and Andy Millen were pivotal. They saw something in me I probably didn’t even realise I had. They gave me the opportunity every young player dreams of. I count myself lucky to have crossed paths with them at the right time.
“The Boss’s” by paisleyorguk is licensed under CC BY 2.0.
“I also had a fantastic captain and mentor in Kevin McGowne. He had the biggest influence on my career throughout my journey as a player.
“Two dates, in particular, stand out for me:
•12th August 2006: I started the game against Celtic at Parkhead. I was just a young boy from Grieve Road and having my family in the stands that day must have made them so proud.
•26th September 2006: We played Hearts at Tynecastle and won 1-0. I set up the winner after Craig Gordon parried my shot, and Stuart Kean slotted it in. At the time, I was earning £150 a week and playing in the Premier League before signing a new contract shortly after.
“I signed a three-year contract after the Hearts game, but my luck quickly turned. Two months later, I broke my foot, and then my dad passed away in February. I returned to action in April, only to break my foot again in a match against Scott Brown at Love Street, which sidelined me for another five months.
“Football can change so quickly, and unfortunately, my full-time career never fully recovered after that.”
You had two loan spells at Stirling Albion during your time at St Mirren. How do you reflect on your time at Forthbank?
“I enjoyed both spells at Stirling. I first went there in March when the club was already relegated, but it gave me valuable minutes after not playing much for St Mirren that season.
“Jay Rodriguez out on the wing v. Millwall” by barry.marsh1944 is marked with Public Domain Mark 1.0.
“One of the highlights was playing alongside Jay Rodriguez, who was on loan from Burnley at the time. He was only a teenager, but you could tell that he had the ability to go to the highest level in the game which he did by playing in the Premier League and playing for England.
“I then returned on loan during the following season for three months, scoring three goals in 12 games before heading back to St Mirren.”
You joined Stenhousemuir after leaving St Mirren in 2009 and had a loan spell there prior to leaving the Buddies. How important was it to be a success there after leaving St Mirren permanently?
“I had a brilliant 18 months at Stenhousemuir. In my first season, we won promotion through the playoffs, and in the next, we stayed up on goal difference.
“At 22, I needed to play regular football, which I managed to do, featuring in over 50 games. I’d consider my time at Stenny a personal success and a positive spell for the club as well. It’s a great community club, and I have fond memories of my time there.”
Your final senior SPFL club was Brechin City, whom you captained and are highly regarded by, having served them for six years. What was it about your time in Brechin that made it so memorable?
“Brechin was the most enjoyable spell of my career and the best club I ever played for. I initially joined because Kevin McGowne was the assistant manager, and I’d do a five-hour round trip from Greenock for home games.
“brechin city vs east fife” by hodgers is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.
“Those six years were brilliant. We finished in the playoffs three times but just couldn’t get over the line. We always had strong teams.
“The 2010 Scottish Cup run was a highlight, taking St Johnstone to a replay in the quarter-finals. I finished that season with the Player of the Year and Players’ Player of the Year awards and I was named in the League One Team of the Season.
“In my last two years, I captained the club, which I was really proud of because it was an honour to lead the group of players that we had and to be trusted with that responsibility.
“The people at Brechin made the players feel so welcome—it’s just a fantastic club from top to bottom. I still keep an eye on their results and I hope they can return to the SPFL soon because they belong at that level.”
Finally, Craig, given your journey in football and your work with the next generation of players coming through, what advice would you give to anyone hoping to break into professional football in Scotland?
“The best advice I can give is to give every training session and every game your all, and if it doesn’t work out, you can at least say you tried your best. Never leave a session or a match thinking that you had more in the tank to give. Leave everything out there.
“There will be plenty of highs and lows along the way, but try to enjoy it as much as possible—it goes by so quickly.”
Featured image: Craig Molloy
Callum McFadden 