Accies pay tribute to tragic Matt
Tributes flood in for tragic youth coach
Tributes have poured in for a young coach at Hamilton Accies who died at the weekend.
Matthew Craig passed away on Saturday night after a battle with leukaemia.
The 22-year-old had already fought hard against a Crohn’s disease diagnosis and was dealt another huge blow last May when he was told that he had blood cancer.
Tributes have flooded in for the youth academy coach from players, friends and family, who have been left heartbroken by the news.
Greg Docherty, a former team-mate of Matthew at Hamilton Accies, led the tributes to his friend.
He said: “matt genuinely was an absolutely top-class guy.
“You could not get a better guy than Matt.“
A young Hamilton Accies coach, who lost his battle for life at the weekend, has been described as a “fantastic kid”.
Matthew Craig passed away on Saturday night after a battle with leukaemia.
The 22-year-old had already fought hard against a Crohn’s disease diagnosis and was dealt another huge blow over a year ago when he was told he had blood cancer.
Tributes have flooded in for Matthew from players, friends and family who have been left heartbroken by the news.
This week George Cairns, head of Hamilton Accies Youth Academy, said: “Matt had been at the club since he was 11 or 12, so ten years. He was 22, part of the 1995 age group.
“He was a fantastic kid. As a player he signed full-time at under-16 and under-19s at the time. He was a very talented kid and a player. He was a right-back or a centre-half and he always won his battles, but he was the nicest kid I have ever met. He never moaned about anything.
“He took not well and it was Crohn’s disease. He battled that and had just beat it when he was diagnosed with leukaemia a year-and-a-half ago. It was a bombshell when it hit him.
“Matt is a huge loss. He was part of our community programme and took under-10s and under-nines, and ran the community programme in the summer and at Easter holidays.
“There are a lot of people who have played alongside and against Matt, or been coached by him, and there are a lot of fantastic tributes to him. He was a great guy.”
The club this week also issued a statement via social media.
Hamilton Accies FC said: “We are deeply saddened to share with you that our colleague Matthew Craig, aged just 22, passed away last night following a long illness.
“A former academy player and latterly academy coach, Matthew will be greatly missed by us all and we were blessed to have known him over the years. Our thoughts and prayers are with his parents, family, girlfriend Caitlin and his many friends.”
Players and parents of those who have been coached by the youngster, from East Kilbride, also posted online tributes. Accies player Grant Gillespie posted on Twitter: “Absolutely gutted to hear that Matt has passed away.
“Thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends at this sad time. Rest in peace Matt.”
Debbie Mcguigan, whose son was coached by Matthew, posted: “Devastating news. Rest in peace Matt. Life is so cruel. Lovely young man and fantastic coach, my son thought the world of him. Thinking of his family and friends. Absolute tragedy.”
Steven Crowe posted: “You’re in the arms of the angels far too soon Matt, your battle is now done my friend. Rest in Peace.”