| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Craig Morgan[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 16 June 1985 | ||
| Place of birth | St Asaph, Wales | ||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||
| Playing position | Defender | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Preston North End | ||
| Number | 6 | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2002–2005 | Wrexham | 52 | (1) |
| 2005–2007 | Milton Keynes Dons | 43 | (0) |
| 2006 | → Wrexham (loan) | 1 | (0) |
| 2006–2007 | → Peterborough United (loan) | 6 | (0) |
| 2007–2010 | Peterborough United | 119 | (4) |
| 2010– | Preston North End | 33 | (3) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2001–2003 | Wales U17 | 6 | (0) |
| 2002–2003 | Wales U19 | 3 | (0) |
| 2003–2006 | Wales U21 | 12 | (0) |
| 2006– | Wales | 23 | (0) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 22:36, 5 November 2011 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals). |
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Craig Morgan (born 16 June 1985 in St Asaph) is a Welsh international footballer who currently plays as a defender for Football League Championship side Preston North End.
After beginning his career with spells at Wrexham, where he helped win the Football League Trophy in 2005, and Milton Keynes Dons, he joined Peterborough United in January 2007 after a short loan spell, helping the club reach the Football League Championship by winning consecutive promotions in the 2007–08 and 2008–09 seasons.
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Morgan began his career as a youth player at Wrexham, making his professional debut at the end of the 2001–02 as a substitute during a 5–0 win over Cambridge United at the age of 16, a game which confirmed Wrexham's relegation to Division Three,[2] and was handed a second substitute appearance the following week in a 1–0 defeat to Stoke City.[3] Morgan remained a bit part player the following season, although he did score his first professional goal during his first appearance of the season on 5 October 2002 in a 2–2 draw with Cambridge United.,[4] making seven appearances in all competitions as Wrexham gained promotion back into Division Two at the first attempt.In Welsh tongue his nickname is dogdoo, which loosely translates as canine excrement which is his style of play.
The 2003–04 season saw Morgan begin to establish himself in the Wrexham first team, making 21 appearances in all competitions as the club mostly stayed clear of a relegation battle with a 13th placed finish. During the latter part of the season, Morgan was sent off for the first time in his professional career, in a 0–0 draw with Plymouth Argyle on 27 March 2004.[5] The following season saw him make his most amount of appearances in a single season for Wrexham, including playing in all six of the team's matches as they won the Football League Trophy, beating Southend United 2–0 in the final at the Millennium Stadium.[6] However the season ended in disappointment for the team as they were relegated back into Division Three after being docked ten points due to entering administration.[7]
Following relegation, Morgan, who was out of contract with the club, entered into talks over a new contract but rejected the first offer made by Wrexham stating: "Wrexham have been a great club for me, I understand their financial problems, but I'm not happy with my offer."[8] Two weeks later Morgan's departure from Wrexham was confirmed, signing a two-year contract with League One side Milton Keynes Dons, who had previously been warned by Wrexham boss Denis Smith over their attempts to sign him,[9] for an undisclosed five-figure transfer fee.[10]
He made his debut for his new club on 6 August 2005, the opening day of the 2005–06 season, in a 2–2 draw with Bournemouth,[11] and appeared in 47 during the season which ended in relegation from Division Two. After starting the next season in the first-team, Morgan fell out of favour and was allowed to return to his first club Wrexham on a one-month loan deal,[12] one week after making his debut for Wales, becoming the first Milton Keynes Dons player to win an international cap since the team's relocation. He made two appearances during his loan spell before returning to the National Hockey Stadium where he did not make another appearance before being sent out on loan again on 23 November 2006, this time to Peterborough United, until January 2007.[13]
He made his debut for The Posh on 2 December 2006 in a 2–1 win over Tranmere Rovers in the second round of the FA Cup as an 85th minute substitute for Shane Huke.[14] After impressing during his initial loan spell, having made seven appearances, his move was made permanent on 2 January on a free transfer.[15] He quickly established himself in the first team and scored his first goal for the club in a 2–0 victory over Notts County on 3 March 2007.[16]
In the 2007–08 season he made 41 league appearances, as well as signing a new three-year contract in February 2008,[17] as the club won promotion to League One by finishing as runners-up to Milton Keynes Dons. Ahead of the clubs League One campaign in the 2008–09 season, Morgan was handed the captaincy of the team at the age of just 23, taking over from Micah Hyde.[18] However on 29 September he was replaced as captain by Russell Martin, less than two months later. Peterborough Manager Darren Ferguson put the decision down to Morgan's involvement with the Welsh national team, which often saw him miss while on international duty, stating: "Craig did fine, it's nothing about that, he was just missing games."[19] Despite losing the captaincy, he remained a regular first-team player and helped the side to their second consecutive promotion after forming a defensive partnership with Gabriel Zakuani,[20] finishing as runners-up to Leicester City and reaching the Football League Championship. During the summer break after the 2008–09 season, Morgan became Peterborough's all-time record international appearance maker by winning his 14th cap for Wales in a friendly against Estonia.[20]
On 6 July 2010, Morgan joined Preston North End for a fee in the region of £400,000.[21]
Morgan made his debut for the Wales under-17 side on 24 September 2001 in a 2–0 friendly win over Scotland,[22] going on to win 6 caps for the side before moving up to under-19 and under-21 levels.
He made his debut for the Wales senior side on 11 October 2006 in a 3–1 win over Cyprus at the Millennium Stadium during the qualifying campaign for Euro 2008.[23]
| Club | Season | League | National Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| App | Goals | App | Goals | App | Goals | App | Goals | App | Goals | ||
| Wrexham | 2001–02 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 2002–03 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 1 | |
| 2003–04 | 18 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 21 | 0 | |
| 2004–05 | 26 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 34 | 1 | |
| Wrexham (loan) | 2006–07 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Subtotal | 53 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 1 | 66 | 2 | |
| Milton Keynes Dons | 2005–06 | 40 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 47 | 0 |
| 2006–07 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | |
| Subtotal | 43 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 51 | 0 | |
| Peterborough United (loan) | 2006–07 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| Peterborough United | 2006–07 | 17 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 1 |
| 2007–08 | 41 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 46 | 2 | |
| 2008–09 | 27 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 34 | 0 | |
| 2009–10 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 0 | |
| Subtotal | 107 | 3 | 12 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 125 | 3 | |
| Total | 203 | 4 | 18 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 13 | 1 | 242 | 5 | |
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