Crainey: Stephen Daniel (Stephen)

2004-2007 (Leeds Player Details)(Player Details)

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Born: Glasgow: 22-06-1981

Debut v Wolverhampton Wanderers (a): 14-08-2004

5’9” 9st 11lb (2002)

Crainey was educated at St Ninian's High School, Kirkintilloch, and joined Celtic as a youngster on 3rd July 1997. He broke into the first-team in 2001-02 and went on to play thirteen times for the Glasgow giants but his chances were restricted in the following campaign, when Celtic reached the UEFA Cup final, due to strained knee ligaments. Further frustration followed with boss Martin O’Neill preferring three centre backs while Crainey’s talents were more suited to the role of an orthodox left back in a back four. Having made his debut in Paris in a 0-5 loss to France on 27th March 2002, played in a 1-2 loss to Nigeria at Pittodrie on 17th April 2002, been in the 2-2 draw at the Faroe Islands and come on as a half-time substitute in the 0-1 loss to Denmark at Hampden Park, he had already won four Scottish international caps, and picked up seven caps for the Under-Twenty-One side and played at ‘B’international level, so the thought of sitting on the bench did not appeal. An ill-fated move to Southampton followed in the Christmas transfer window. Signed by ex-Leeds United star Gordon Strachan on 6th February 2004 for £500,000, he saw his chances of holding down a first team place evaporate when Strachan promptly decided to quit his post at St Mary's and another Scot, Paul Sturrock was brought in. Towards the end of the season he picked up a groin strain that was deemed sufficiently serious to require surgery at the start of the summer, but that went well and after he had started just five League games at St Mary's he arrived at Elland Road fully fit. He had been fit enough to pick up two further caps when he came on as a seventeenth minute substitute in Sctland's 1-2 loss to Romania at Hampden Park on 31st March 2004 and then played a full game in the 0-1 loss to Denmark in Copenhagen on 28th April 2004, to bring his Caps to six. The full-back joined Leeds on what was initially a loan deal on Friday 6th August 2004, possibly the shortest loan spell ever, before his move from Southampton was made permanent for £200,000 the following Monday. He suffered a recurrence of the groin injury and underwent an operation which put him out of action for the rest of the 2004/05 season. Fully fit again, he hoped to remain injury free and establish a place in the first team despite increased competition for places in his second season at Elland Road. Possessing a good temperament combined with passing ability and a powerful shot made Crainey an excellent addition to the squad. He featured regularly in United’s advance to the play-off Final at Cardiff in the 2005-06 season but missed the Millenium Stadium game as he was sent off in the Semi-Final victory at Preston. He was released by United at the end of his contract on 15th May 2007. He joined Blackpool on 13th August 2007 and soon became a regular and was twice selected for the team of the week in the Championship by the Press Association. He was elected Blackpool’s ‘Player of the Year’ but had to undergo another groin operation early the next season. He made his comeback on 24th January 2009 as an eighty-seventh minute substitute in a 2-0 win over Birmingham City at Bloomfield Road and went on to make a total of seventeen appearances for the season. He continued to feature regularly as first choice left back and was part of the Blackpool team that won promotion to the EPL via the play-offs at the end of the 2009-10 season. They gave a good account of themselves in the top flight and continued to play good attacking football, which eventually was their downfall when they were unlucky to be relegated on the very last day of the season, when it had looked like they may just have done enough to stay up. At the end of the 2010-11 season he had scored one goal in one hundred and thirty-four League games, of which five were as a substitute, and he had made two F.A. Cup and three League Cup appearances together with a further six appearances in the play-offs for Blackpool. He was also back in favour with the Scottish selectors and was on the winning side for the first time when Scotland beat Faroe Islands 3-0 at Pittodrie on 16th November 2010. On 27th March 2011 he also played for Scotland at the Emirates Stadium in a friendly with Brazil which they lost 0-2. A couple of months later he played eighty-one minutes of the Aviva Tournament 1-3 loss to Wales in Dublin on 25th May 2011 and as the new season started he earned his tenth cap in a 2-1 over Denmark at Hampden Park on 10th August 2011.