Alex Craig

Alex Craig

Personal information
Full name	Alexander Craig
Date of birth	2 April 1886
Place of birth	Galway, Ireland
Date of death	Unknown
Playing position	Full-back
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps^†	(Gls)^†
	Rutherglen Glencairn
1904-1911	Rangers	102	(0)
1911-1914	Greenock Morton
1914-1916	Rangers	42	(0)
	Johnstone
National team
1908-1914	Ireland[1]	9	(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (goals)

Alex Craig (born 2 April 1886) was a football player who played for Rangers, Greenock Morton and Ireland.

He is one of only four players born in what is now the Republic of Ireland to play for Rangers. The others were Alex Stevenson, Jon Daly and James Lowry McAuley.

Career

Club career

Galway born Craig joined Rangers from junior side Rutherglen Glencairn. His initial seasons at Ibrox coincided with a rare lean spell, and he left without a single major winner's medal. The closest he came was in 1905 when Rangers lost a replayed Scottish Cup final 3–1 to Third Lanark. In his final season, 1910/11 Rangers did win the League title, but Craig made just a single appearance, and so was not entitled to a medal.^[2]

By the time of his move to Greenock Morton, Craig was proving his versatility by slotting in regularly on the left-hand side of defence. In May 1914 Craig returned to Ibrox, making his second debut in a Merchant's Cup Final defeat by Celtic. He was a regular in the Gers' side for the initial war-time campaign and was still on he club's books when hostilities ended though his last appearances were made in April 1916. Still without a significant club honour, Craig finished his playing days in the Western League with Johnstone.

International career

Craig's international career began as he reaped the benefits of Billy McCracken's expulsion by the Irish FA. He made his Ireland debut in a 3–1 defeat by England in February 1908, playing in each of that year's British Home Championship ties at right-back. But it was at left-back that Craig played during each of the 1914 Home Championship games as Ireland claimed the title outright for the first time.

References

1. Alex Craig at National-Football-Teams.com
2. "Alexander Craig". Rangers FC History.co.uk. Retrieved 11 March 2010.

External links

• Details of Rangers career