The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Portman Road the ideal starting point, says Craig
St Johnstone stalwart Liam Craig insists he owes his longevity to the apprenticeship he received at Ipswich Town – even if he didn’t hit the heights of old foes Gareth Bale and Theo Walcott.
The Mcdiarmid Park hero made the life-changing decision to join the Tractor Boys just one week after his 16th birthday, moving 350 miles away from his home in Chirnside.
And Craig is adamant the standard of facilities, quality of player and being forced to grow up quickly shaped the rest of his career, despite failing to feature for Ipswich’s first-team.
He said: “Ipswich had only been out of the Premier League for a year at the time, the training ground and environment was key too.
“I felt that as a player and a person, Ipswich would be the right move for my development.
“The week after I turned 16, I was on the train down to Ipswich.
“You talk about building character and resilience, to leave everything I knew at that age was a sacrifice in search of a career in the game.
“I signed a three-year youth contract but I felt that, even if I didn’t make it there, I’d still be a better person and footballer off the back of that.
“Suddenly you are training with guys like Darren Ambrose and Marcus Bent and what a learning curve that is.
“I think the grounding I had at Ipswich and the way I was looked after and coached is why I’m still playing the game 18 years later.”
The pinnacle of Craig’s four years in Suffolk came when he captained Ipswich to the FA Youth Cup in 2005, seeing off an outrageously talented Southampton side 3-2 on aggregate.
Theo Walcott, Gareth Bale, Adam Lallana, David Mcgoldrick and Leon Best were among the Saints starlets who would go on to enjoy careers ranging from good to world class.
But Craig, speaking to the Let it BRFC podcast, says Ipswich’s camaraderie and work ethic secured the triumph – echoing St Johnstone’s recent successes.
He added: “Theo Walcott got a £10 million move to Arsenal that summer – and I got a free transfer to Falkirk six months later!
“He was the guy everyone was talking about and a year after that final, he was at the World Cup with England. It just shows what they thought of him down there.
“Gareth Bale was still very young and Adam Lallana came on that day. But even boys like Leon Best and David Mcgoldrick have gone on to have great careers. We beat a really good side.
“Through the clubs I’ve been at in my career, we’ve always had one or two good individuals – but the spirit and togetherness within the dressing room is why we’ve been successful.
“That’s the case at St Johnstone and that was the case at Ipswich.