Craig Beattie facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Craig Beattie

Beattie playing for Barnet in 2013
Personal information
Full name	Craig Beattie
Date of birth	(1984-01-16) 16 January 1984 (age 41)
Place of birth	Glasgow, Scotland
Height	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Position(s)	Striker
Youth career
	Heart of Midlothian
1999–2001	Rangers
2001–2003	Celtic
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2003–2007	Celtic	50	(13)
2007–2009	West Bromwich Albion	31	(4)
2008	→ Preston North End (loan)	2	(0)
2008	→ Crystal Palace (loan)	15	(5)
2009	→ Sheffield United (loan)	13	(1)
2009–2012	Swansea City	45	(7)
2011	→ Watford (loan)	4	(1)
2012	Heart of Midlothian	5	(1)
2012–2013	St Johnstone	2	(0)
2013	Barnet	5	(0)
2013–2014	Dundee	18	(5)
2014	Żebbuġ Rangers	1	(0)
2014–2015	Ayr United	28	(6)
2015–2016	Stirling Albion	18	(3)
2016–2018	Edinburgh City	47	(8)
2018–2019	Elgin City	15	(0)
Total		299	(54)
International career
	Scotland U19	4	(6)
2004–2006	Scotland U21	7	(4)
2005–2007	Scotland B	2	(1)
2005–2007	Scotland	7	(1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Craig Beattie (born on January 16, 1984) is a Scottish former professional footballer. He played as a striker, which means he was usually at the front of the team, trying to score goals.

Craig started his football journey with Celtic. Later, he played for West Bromwich Albion and Swansea City. During his time with these clubs, he also went on loan to several other teams in the Football League. He also had shorter periods playing for clubs like Heart of Midlothian, St Johnstone, Barnet, Dundee, Ayr United, Stirling Albion, Edinburgh City, and Elgin City.

Craig Beattie also proudly represented his country, Scotland. He played seven times for the senior national team and scored one goal. Before that, he played for Scotland's youth teams, including the Under-19, Under-21, and B teams.

Craig Beattie's Football Journey

Starting in Youth Teams

Craig Beattie began his football training at a young age. He trained with Heart of Midlothian when he was under 12 years old. After that, he joined Rangers as a schoolboy player.

Later, he moved to Celtic. This is where he really started to make a name for himself in youth football.

Playing for Celtic

While playing for Celtic's Under-19 team, Craig showed his amazing goal-scoring skills. In one friendly game against Derry City, he scored all six goals in a 6–0 win!

He made his first professional appearance for Celtic when he was 19. This happened on August 6, 2003, in a UEFA Champions League qualifying match. He also played in a UEFA Cup game against Barcelona.

Near the end of the 2004–05 season, he scored four goals. Because of his good performance, he was given a new three-year contract in July 2005. In the 2005–06 season, he scored in three games in a row for Celtic. This was a special achievement, as he was the first Scottish player to do so for Celtic since Gerry Creaney. He scored seven goals in the first three months of that season.

Craig often came on as a substitute for Celtic, playing in 43 games from the bench and starting 22 times. He scored a total of 16 goals for the club. His last game for Celtic was in the Scottish Cup final on May 26, 2007, which Celtic won 1–0.

Time at West Bromwich Albion

On July 3, 2007, Craig Beattie joined West Bromwich Albion, a team in the Football League Championship. He signed a three-year contract.

He scored his first three goals for the team in a friendly game against a Dutch side. Craig made his official debut for West Brom on August 11, 2007. A few days later, he scored his first official goal for the club in a League Cup match. In his first season, he played 26 games and scored four goals.

Craig also made his Premier League debut for West Brom on August 16, 2008, against Arsenal. He scored his first Premier League goal on December 28, 2008, against Tottenham Hotspur.

His last game for West Brom was on August 26, 2009, in the League Cup. He scored two goals in that game. Overall, he played 41 games for West Brom and scored 7 goals.

Loan Spells to Other Clubs

Craig Beattie also spent time playing for other teams on loan. This means he temporarily moved to another club to get more playing time.

• Preston North End: In March 2008, he joined Preston North End. He played his first game for them but had to leave early due to a muscle injury. He recovered quickly and played two more games for Preston.
• Crystal Palace: In September 2008, Craig went on loan to Crystal Palace. He scored in his second game, helping them win against Charlton Athletic. He played 15 games for Crystal Palace and scored five goals.
• Sheffield United: In February 2009, he joined Sheffield United on a three-month loan. He scored one goal for them and played in their play-off games, including the final at Wembley Stadium.

Moving to Swansea City

On August 27, 2009, Craig Beattie joined Swansea City. He signed a three-year contract with them.

He scored his first goal for Swansea on October 17, 2009. He even scored against his old club, West Bromwich Albion, a few days later. He scored his third goal of the season with a free-kick.

In November 2010, he scored his first goal at Swansea's home stadium, the Liberty Stadium. In December 2010, he scored two goals against Ipswich Town. He also scored the winning goal against Middlesbrough in a thrilling game where Swansea came back from being 3–1 down to win 4–3.

In October 2011, he went on loan to Watford to get more playing time after recovering from an ankle injury. In January 2012, Craig left Swansea City.

Playing for Watford (on loan)

Beattie training with Watford in 2012

Craig Beattie joined Watford on loan in October 2011. He made his debut for them in November. After some injuries, he started one game and scored Watford's second goal in a 2–2 draw. He played four games for Watford and scored once.

Return to Scottish Football

After his time at Watford, Craig returned to Scotland.

• Heart of Midlothian: In February 2012, he signed with Hearts until the end of the season. He quickly became a fan favorite. He scored his first goal for Hearts in a Scottish Cup game. He also scored against local rivals Hibernian. In April 2012, he helped Hearts win against Celtic in the Scottish Cup Semi-Final by setting up a goal and scoring the winning penalty. He then played in the final, where Hearts beat Hibernian 5–1. He played nine games for Hearts and scored three goals.
• St Johnstone: In August 2012, he signed a one-year contract with St Johnstone. He made his debut in September. However, he found it hard to get into the first team because of other strong strikers. He left the club in January 2013 after playing only four games.

Playing for Barnet

In February 2013, Craig Beattie signed for Barnet, a team in Football League Two. He made his debut on February 16, helping them win 2–1. After playing five games without scoring, he left Barnet at the end of the 2012–13 season.

Time at Dundee

Craig Beattie signed for Dundee in the Scottish Championship on September 11, 2013. He made his debut three days later. He scored his first goal for Dundee on September 28, 2013.

After a good start, he got a knee injury and needed an operation, which kept him out of action for three months. When he returned, he scored in his first start back. He helped Dundee get promoted to the Scottish Premiership. He played 18 games for Dundee and scored 5 goals.

Playing in Malta and Back to Scotland

In August 2014, Craig signed a one-year deal with Żebbuġ Rangers in the Maltese Premier League. He played one game for them.

Soon after, in September 2014, he returned to Scotland and signed for Ayr United. He played 28 games for Ayr United and scored 6 goals.

After leaving Ayr United, he joined Stirling Albion in 2015. He played 18 games and scored 3 goals for them before leaving in 2016.

In July 2016, Craig became a new signing for Edinburgh City. He spent two seasons with them, playing 47 games and scoring 8 goals. After leaving Edinburgh City in May 2018, he signed for Elgin City. He left Elgin City in January 2019.

Playing for Scotland

Craig Beattie made his first appearance for the full Scotland international team on September 3, 2005. He came on as a substitute in a game against Italy.

He scored his first goal for Scotland in a 2–1 victory against Georgia on March 24, 2007. In total, he played seven games for Scotland between 2005 and 2007, scoring one goal.

Life Outside Football

Craig Beattie was born in Glasgow, Scotland. In April 2014, he faced some money problems. However, he handled the situation well, and his accountant praised him for his actions.

As of 2021, Craig has taken on a role as 'Members Services Officer' at PFA Scotland, which is a union for footballers.

Career Statistics

Club Appearances and Goals

International Goals

Scores and results list Scotland's goal tally first, score column indicates score after Beattie goal.

International goal scored by Craig Beattie

No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition	Ref.
1	24 March 2007	Glasgow, Scotland	Georgia	2–1	2–1	UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying

Awards and Achievements

Craig Beattie won several awards and championships during his football career:

With Celtic:

• Scottish Premier League: 2003–04, 2005–06, 2006–07
• Scottish Cup: 2003–04, 2006–07

With West Bromwich Albion:

• Football League Championship: 2007–08

With Hearts:

• Scottish Cup: 2011–12

With Dundee:

• Scottish Championship: 2013–14

With Scotland Youth Teams:

• Victory Shield: 1998–99

See also

In Spanish: Craig Beattie para niños