Craig Brewster facts for kids

Craig James Brown Brewster, born on December 13, 1966, is a Scottish former professional footballer who became a coach. He was well-known for his long playing career as a striker. He played for many clubs in Scotland, especially Forfar Athletic, Raith Rovers, Dundee United, and Dunfermline Athletic. He also had a successful time playing for Ionikos in Greece.

Brewster started his coaching career as a manager at Inverness CT in the Scottish Premier League. After a short time managing Dundee United, he went back to playing in 2007 with Aberdeen. He returned to manage Inverness CT for a second time in August 2007, but he left the club in January 2009. Brewster then worked as an assistant manager for Derek Adams at Ross County. He later took on various coaching roles at other clubs.

Craig Brewster's Football Journey

Playing Career Highlights

Starting Out in Football

Brewster was born in Dundee, Scotland. He grew up supporting Dundee United and joined their youth team. However, he didn't get a professional contract at first. He played for a local junior team, Stobswell, before joining Forfar Athletic in 1985. Back then, he played in midfield.

His good performances at Forfar caught the eye of Raith Rovers, who signed him in 1991. At Raith, he changed his position to a striker. He formed a great partnership with Gordon Dalziel, helping Raith win the First Division title in 1993.

Return to Dundee United

In 1993, Brewster went back to Dundee United. They paid £250,000 for him. After a tough start, his biggest moment came in his first season. He scored the winning goal for United in the 1994 Scottish Cup Final against Rangers.

However, the club was relegated a year later. Brewster helped them get promoted back to the top league in 1995–96. He even scored four goals in one match against Dumbarton. When his contract ended, he decided to try playing abroad. Thanks to a new rule called the Bosman ruling, he could move to a new club for free. He chose to join the Greek club Ionikos FC.

Playing in Greece and Scotland

Many Scottish players who moved to Europe at that time returned home quickly. But Brewster stayed at Ionikos FC for five seasons. While in Greece, he played in another national cup final, but Ionikos FC lost the 2000 Greek Cup to AEK Athens.

In July 2001, Brewster came back to Scotland, joining Hibernian. He played well with a young player named Garry O'Connor. In 2002, Brewster moved to Dunfermline Athletic. He had some of his best games there, playing alongside Stevie Crawford. Many fans and media thought he should be called up to the Scotland squad, but it never happened.

Player-Manager Roles

In November 2004, Brewster left Dunfermline to become a player-manager for Inverness CT. This meant he would play for the team and also manage them. After 18 months, he joined Dundee United as player-manager. This move made him the most expensive 39-year-old footballer ever at the time, costing £340,000.

However, a series of poor results led to Brewster leaving United in October 2006. He then joined Aberdeen as a player in December 2006. He played his first game for Aberdeen in January 2007 and scored his first goal against Hibernian. He later dislocated his shoulder but recovered and signed a contract extension.

His playing time at Aberdeen ended when he returned to manage Inverness CT in August 2007. He only played two league games for Inverness in this second spell, scoring a winning goal against Hearts. After being let go as Inverness manager in early 2009, Brewster signed with rivals Ross County until the end of the season.

Coaching Career

First Time at Inverness CT

In November 2004, Brewster took on the job of player-manager at Inverness Caledonian Thistle. He helped the club stay in the Scottish Premier League.

Managing Dundee United

Brewster became player-manager of Dundee United in January 2006. His return to United wasn't very successful. After a good start, the team only won one more game that season. He only managed two league wins in his nine months there.

On October 29, 2006, after a big loss to Falkirk, Brewster and his assistant left the club. After leaving Dundee United, he was linked with other managing jobs but decided to go back to playing for Aberdeen instead.

Second Time at Inverness CT

Brewster returned to manage Inverness CT in August 2007. The team was at the bottom of the league with no points. He helped the team improve, and in December 2007, they had an amazing 3-2 win over Celtic.

However, things got tough in early 2008 with a run of seven losses. Brewster was strict about player rules. Results eventually got better, and the team finished ninth in the league. But this improvement didn't last into the 2008–09 season. Brewster was let go on January 19, 2009, after seven straight league defeats left the team at the bottom.

Time at Ross County

Brewster became assistant manager at Ross County, working with manager Derek Adams. They helped Ross County reach the 2010 Scottish Cup Final. Brewster left the club in December 2010.

Coaching at Crawley Town

After six months without a job, Brewster joined Crawley Town as a first-team coach in June 2011. He became caretaker manager twice in 2012. As caretaker, he helped the club get promoted to Football League One. He stayed on as a coach when a new manager was appointed.

Other Coaching Roles

In November 2013, Brewster became assistant manager at Whitehawk. He later moved to a coaching role with the youth academy at Brighton & Hove Albion.

Plymouth Argyle

In June 2015, Derek Adams appointed Brewster as his assistant manager at Plymouth Argyle. Brewster left Argyle at the end of the 2017–18 season after having a hip operation.

Horsham

On November 25, 2019, Brewster was appointed sporting director of Horsham. On July 1, 2021, he also became the Head of Youth Development at the club.