Craig Mackail-Smith

On his 28th birthday, Mackail-Smith scored at Falmer Stadium for the first time in five months in a 3–0 win at home to Ipswich Town, and scored again the next weekend in a 1–1 draw with Doncaster Rovers.

In total, Mackail-Smith scored 10 goals for Brighton, and he revealed his disappointment at his goal haul, which he largely put down to adapting to Brighton's passing style of football.

Craig Anthony Robert Mackail-Smith (born 25 February 1984) is a retired professional footballer who played as a striker.

He played in the English Football League for Brighton & Hove Albion, Luton Town, Peterborough United, Wycombe Wanderers, Notts County and Stevenage, and at senior international level for the Scotland national team.

Born in Watford, Hertfordshire, Mackail-Smith began his career with the youth system at St Albans City in 1999.

He made the step up to the first-team during the 2000–01 season, making his debut as a 68th-minute substitute in a 0–0 draw at home to Billericay Town on 10 March 2001.

Mackail-Smith made his first starting appearance for the club in a 1–1 draw away to Gravesend & Northfleet in the Full Members Cup third round, resulting in a 4–3 defeat on penalties after a penalty shoot-out.

He made six further starting appearances to complete the season with a total of ten appearances in all competitions.

Mackail-Smith struggled to hold down a first-team place during the 2001–02 season, making just 13 appearances, of which only three were from the starting lineup.

However, he scored his first senior goal in a 2–0 win away to Hertford Town in the Herts Senior Cup second round on 20 November 2001.

In 2002–03, Mackail-Smith continued to find his first-team opportunities limited, making just five starting appearances from 22 matches in all competitions.

Mackail-Smith was loaned out to Isthmian League Division One North club Arlesey Town in 2002–03, before making a permanent move for the 2003–04 season.

He scored once in a 3–2 win away to Hampton & Richmond Borough on 26 April 2003.

He made 54 appearances, scoring 17 goals during the season, including a brace in a 4–2 win at home to Dagenham & Redbridge in the FA Trophy on 3 February 2004.

In May 2004, Mackail-Smith joined Conference National club Dagenham & Redbridge, where he scored 38 league goals in two-and-a-half seasons.

On 29 January 2007, Mackail-Smith was signed by League Two club Peterborough United, with Dagenham retaining 15% of any future transfer fee.

He made a strong start to his Peterborough United career, scoring eight goals in 15 games.

Peterborough won promotion to League One in Mackail-Smith's first full season with the club, in which he made 36 appearances, scoring 12 goals.

His seven goals in four matches in the FA Cup saw him finish as top scorer in the competition.

This included four goals in a 5–0 win away to Staines Town in the second round, which saw him win the FA Cup Player of the Round award.

The following season, Mackail-Smith scored 23 goals in 46 appearances to help Peterborough win a second successive promotion to the Championship.

Steve Claridge published a scouting report on Mackail-Smith on 23 September 2008.

He described him as "a rampaging Nordic Viking with his long blonde hair" and was impressed by the way he would pick up the ball and run at defenders, attacking at every opportunity in what Claridge described as a positive way.

Mackail-Smith scored 35 goals for the club in 2010–11, making him the most prolific scorer in England for the season.

His 27 goals in League One made him top scorer and earned him the League One Player of the Year award, helping Peterborough to reach the League One play-offs.

He was also named in the PFA League One Team of the Year.

Mackail-Smith scored in each play-off match, including the second goal in a 3–0 win over Huddersfield Town in the 2011 Football League One play-off final at Old Trafford to clinch an instant return to the Championship for Peterborough.

Following the match, Mackail-Smith expressed his desire to leave the club, stating "I want to play at the highest level I can attain and I want to play in the Premier League."

He was the subject of bids from Premier League clubs including Queens Park Rangers.

Mackail-Smith made 212 appearances for Peterborough United, scoring 99 goals.

On 4 July 2011, Mackail-Smith joined Brighton & Hove Albion for an initial transfer fee of £2.5 million, possibly rising to £3.25 million, signing a four-year contract.

He scored his first goal for Brighton in a 1–0 win away to Portsmouth on 13 August.

Mackail-Smith then scored four goals in his next seven matches, including a brace in a 3–3 draw at home to Leeds United.

However, Mackail-Smith then hit a goal drought and struggled to score, netting just one goal between October and February in a 1–0 win away to Derby County on 29 November.

He ended his goal drought by coming off the bench to score the opening goal in a 2–1 win away to Leeds United, Brighton's first away victory over Leeds in 26 years.

Mackail-Smith enjoyed a strong start to the 2012–13 season, scoring six goals in six games.

This included two spectacular strikes, one an overhead kick, in a 3–1 victory over Burnley.

He scored a total of 11 goals before a serious injury to his Achilles tendon on 5 March 2013 prevented him from playing for 13 months.

Mackail-Smith returned for Brighton's final run-in to the 2013–14 season, playing in both legs of the play-off semi-final against Derby County, which the club lost 6–2 on aggregate.

During the 2014–15 season, Mackail-Smith found himself back in the first-team under new manager Sami Hyypiä, but struggled to score, netting just three goals in 34 appearances in all competitions.