Craig Russell

Craig Stewart Russell (born 4 February 1974) is an English former footballer. He played 305 league games in a 13-year English and Scottish football career.

He began his career at Sunderland, firing the "Black Cats" into the Premier League in 1995–96 as champions of the First Division. He was sold to Manchester City in November 1997. Rarely featuring at Maine Road, he was loaned out to Tranmere Rovers, Port Vale, Oxford United, and St Johnstone, before signing with St. Johnstone permanently in July 2000. He spent two full seasons in the Scottish Premier League before signing with Carlisle United in January 2003. An unused substitute in the 2003 Football League Trophy final, he moved on to Darlington in January 2004 before leaving the Football League in May 2005.

Career Russell signed schoolboy forms at Sunderland in May 1988 ahead of interest from other clubs, including Manchester United, as his parents were Sunderland fans.

He scored one goal for City in 1997–98 and one league goal (as well as two FA Cup goals) in 1998–99. He was signed by Frank Clark but found himself increasingly sidelined after Joe Royle took charge in February 1998. he started a six-week loan spell at Oxford United in February 2000, in a move that reunited him with former Sunderland manager Denis Smith. He scored twice in 16 games in 2000–01, and scored once in 14 games in 2001–02, as the club suffered relegation under Billy Stark. After eleven goalless appearances in 2002–03, he decided to leave the First Division side in October 2002, saying that his family did not take to life in the country. In January 2003 he moved on to Carlisle United, and scored his first goal for the club in a league game against Torquay United. He was an unused substitute in the 2003 Football League Trophy final at the Millennium Stadium, which ended in a 2–0 defeat to Bristol City. Roddy Collins' "Cumbrians" avoided relegation into the Conference National by one point and one place in 2002–03. The following season, he scored his second goal for the club against Walsall in the League Cup. He left Brunton Park to join fellow Third Division strugglers Darlington in January 2004, in a move that reunited him with David Hodgson, who had also been manager at Darlington during his loan spell. He featured 30 times in 2004–05, as the "Quakers" missed out on the play-offs on goal difference. He left The Darlington Arena in May 2005 and then signed for Newcastle Blue Star, and later South Shields, both of the Northern League.

Style of play Russell could play as a forward or at left-back. He was an athletic player and a strong runner. later moving on to Newcastle United and then former club Sunderland.

Career statistics

Honours Sunderland Football League First Division: 1995–96