Craig Bryson

Craig James Bryson (born 6 November 1986) is a Scottish former professional footballer who played as a midfielder.

Now Bryson is now a fitness and conditioning coach with East Kilbride.

He almost scored in the 88th minute, but his powerful shot was well held by St Mirren keeper Chris Smith and the match finished 0–0.

He signed a professional contract with Scottish First Division club Clyde at the beginning of the 2003–04 season.

He turned down the opportunity to sign for Scottish Premiership club Motherwell because he wanted to play regular first team football and he didn't feel that he would get that at Motherwell.

He didn't make a first team appearance that season, but was loaned out to junior outfit East Kilbride Thistle for the latter part of the season.

He made a big impression in his time at East Kilbride, scoring two goals in eight league appearances and winning the club's Young Player of the Year award.

Bryson began his career at Scottish First Division club Clyde, for whom he made his professional debut in 2004.

Bryson made his first team debut for Clyde in the 2004–05 season in a Scottish First Division match against Raith Rovers on 14 August 2004, and scored a goal after 4 minutes, in a match Clyde won 3–2.

He was rewarded with a new two-year contract in November 2004 and his good form at club level saw him called up to the Scotland under-19 team for a friendly against Germany.

In February 2004, Bryson scored in a 2–1 victory over Ross County in a Scottish Cup replay, which set up a quarter-final tie against Celtic, the team he supported as a boy.

Bryson started against Celtic, and thought he had scored after hitting the back of the net from a long range strike, but this goal was controversially ruled out after the referee had blown his whistle to award a free kick to Clyde.

Celtic went on to win 5–0.

Bryson continued his good form over the season, winning him Clyde's Young Player of the Year Award for 2004–05.

During the 2005–06 season, Bryson scored goals against both halves of the Old Firm.

In September 2005, he scored Clyde's equalising goal against Rangers in a Scottish League Cup tie at Ibrox Stadium, in a 5–2 extra time defeat.

In January 2006, Bryson scored the opener in the famous 2–1 Scottish Cup win over holders Celtic, the game in which Roy Keane made his Celtic debut.

Bryson nodded the ball into an open net to make it 1–0 after a cross from Eddie Malone evaded the Celtic defence.

The win and his performance brought him to prominence and he was subsequently linked with moves to Celtic and Tottenham Hotspur and was called up to the Scotland under-21 side.

In the 2006–07 season, in October 2006, Bryson scored in a 3–1 victory over Greenock Morton in a Scottish Challenge Cup semi-final, which sent Clyde to their first major final in 48 years.

Bryson started the final the following month against Ross County, which Clyde lost on penalties.

Bryson, along with club-mate Neil McGregor, was selected in the SPFA First Division Team of the Year.

Bryson had rejected Clyde's offer of a new contract and thus left Clyde at the end of the 2006–07 season, having made 114 appearances in all competitions, scoring 12 goals.

He moved to Scottish Premier League club Kilmarnock in 2007 before being bought by Derby County in 2011.

Bryson's contract expired at the end of the season, and in January 2007, Billy Davies, then-manager of his future club Derby County, took him on a week's trial.

However, Davies decided not to sign him permanently.

In February, Scottish Premier League club Kilmarnock made an approach for Bryson and in May, Kilmarnock manager Jim Jefferies confirmed that talks were ongoing.

Bryson signed for Kilmarnock in July 2007 on a free transfer ahead of the 2007–08 season.

As he was under the age of 24, Kilmarnock had to pay Clyde compensation, which was agreed upon between the two clubs in September.

Bryson started 16 league games and came on as a substitute in 3 more, making his league debut for the club as a 71st-minute substitute against St Mirren on 22 September 2007.

He scored his first goals for the club in a 3–1 victory against Aberdeen on 24 February 2008: the first a volley at the far post from 7 yards out in the 14th minute and the second a close-range finish from an "almost identical position" in the 75th minute.

Sandwiched between his goals, he provided an assist for centre half Frazer Wright, who, up for a corner at the end of the first half, headed Bryson's cross in.

For his efforts, Bryson was named man of the match and won the plaudits of his manager Jim Jefferies, who said: "Craig's whole game was terrific and if he keeps playing like that we've got a real player on our hands. It was a top performance by him and for me he was the best player on the pitch by a mile."

He scored twice more and was again named man of the match in a 4–1 win against Inverness Caledonian Thistle on 22 March.

He also played in three full international matches for Scotland between 2010 and 2016.

Born in Rutherglen, Bryson began his career with non-league side Westwood Rovers.

At Derby, Bryson twice won the club's Player of the Year Award – in 2012 and 2014, and was also named to the PFA Championship Team of the Year in 2014.

He became the first Derby player to score a hat-trick against their fierce rivals Nottingham Forest in 116 years, when he did so in a 5–0 win in March 2014.

Bryson was loaned to Cardiff City during the 2017–18 season, and left Derby in 2019 to sign for Aberdeen.

After stints with St Johnstone and Stenhousemuir, he retired from playing in September 2022.