As Dundee face Hamilton Academical this weekend, we take a look at a player who played for both clubs, midfielder Albert Craig.
Albert Hughes Craig born on January 3rd in Dundee’s title winning year and started his football career football career with Junior side Yoker Athletic in August 1980 before joining the senior ranks with Dumbarton a year later.
Craig made over 150 appearances for The Sons over a five year period before signing for newly crowned First Division champions Hamilton Academical in the summer of 1986. After five goals in 16 appearances for The Accies, Craig left Douglas Park in February for a fee of £95,000 to join Willie McFaul’s Newcastle United after impressing in Hamilton’s 1-0 away win over Rangers in the Scottish Cup.
Craig would play just ten times for The Magpies in the English top flight and in 1988 was loaned out twice, firstly to old club Hamilton, for whom he played six times, scoring once and to Northampton Town.
At the end of March 1989 Craig moved back north when new Dundee manager Gordon Wallace brought him to Dens on a free transfer from Newcastle in an effort to bolster the midfield after the departures over Brown, Connor, Rafferty and Angus in recent years. Dundee were struggling at the wrong end of the table but Craig made a dream debut on April Fools Day when he scored Dundee’s first in a vital 2-1 win at Dens over relegation rivals St Mirren.
Subsequent home wins over Motherwell, Hearts and Hamilton, with Albert scoring the only goal in the penultimate game of the season, gave The Dee nine points from their last eight games to eventually finish 8th, 14 points ahead of relegated Accies.
The following season however Dundee weren’t so lucky and despite being undefeated against rivals Dundee United, the Dark Blues finished bottom and were relegated to the First Division for the first time in ten years. Craig made 23 appearances, scoring twice including a strike at Ibrox in a 2-2 draw with Rangers and the winner against Motherwell at Dens in December.
Despite being favorites to bounce back up at the first attempt Dundee would miss out on the title by two points and promotion by a point and Craig would make little impact making just four starts and nine substitute appearances. In his three league starts however Craig scored four times and his eye for goal would be illustrated in spectacular fashion of the following season.
As the Dark Blues attempted to get back up at the second time of asking, Craig hit the ground running and helped the team get a great start to the campaign by scoring seven goals in the first six games. Albert scored Dundee’s first goal of the season in a 2-1 win at Clydebank and followed that up with goals against Forfar, Meadowbank, Hamilton and Raith as well as a brace against Ayr.
However in October Dundee were rocked when manager Gordon Wallace resigned to become Jocky Scott’s assistant at Dunfermline and was replaced by Iain Munro and Munro in turn was replaced in February by the flamboyant Simon Stainrod.
Despite all this upheaval Dundee managed to win the Scottish League First Division title and Craig would play his part turning out 31 times, scoring nine en route to promotion back to the top tier.
In the summer however Craig was one of five players given a free transfer as Stainrod looked to rebuild the squad for the Premier Division and in August he would join Partick Thistle, who had also been promoted alongside The Dee.
Craig would remain at Firhill for the next four years and would turn out over 100 times for The Jags, scoring 19 times before signing for Falkirk in January 1996.
In November 1997 Craig was part of the Falkirk side to win the Scottish League Challenge Cup against Queen of the South at Fir Park when a David Hagen goal was enough to win the cup.
Two years at the Falkirk Stadium were followed by a year long stint at Stenhousemuir before a return to Partick Thistle to finish his career and hang up his boots in May 2000.
Honours at Dundee:
Scottish League First Division winners: 1991/92
Appearances, Goals:
League: 44 + 24 subs, 15 goals
Scottish Cup: 3 + 3 subs
League Cup: 3, 2 goals
Challenge Cup: 1
Totals: 78, 17 goals
