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Craig Skelton

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English footballer

Craig Skelton
Personal information
Date of birth (1980-09-14)14 September 1980
Place of birth Middlesbrough, England
Height 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Position(s) Striker
Team information
Current team Marske United (joint manager)
Youth career
Darlington
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1999–2000 Darlington 1 (0)
2000 → Altrincham (loan) 4 (0)
2000–2001 Whitby Town
2001–2002 Blyth Spartans
2002 Whitby Town
2002–2003 Billingham Town (19)
2003 Spennymoor United
2003–2004 Billingham Town
2004–2005 Thornaby
2005–2007 Northallerton Town
2007–2008 Guisborough Town
2008–2010 Marske United
2010–2011 Redcar Athletic
2011 Marske United
2011–2012 Thornaby (15)
2012 Marske United
2012–201? Redcar Athletic
Managerial career
2024– Marske United
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Craig Skelton (born 14 September 1980) is an English footballer who played as a striker in the Football League for Darlington and in non-league football for a large number of clubs, mostly in the north east of England. He is currently joint manager of Marske United.

Playing career

Darlington

As a youngster with Darlington, the Middlesbrough-born Skelton was a regular goalscorer for the junior teams. Celtic's city rivals Rangers also showed an interest, but an ankle injury prevented further progress. He returned to Scotland for further trials after his recovery, but no move ensued.

In February 2000, Skelton signed on loan for Conference Premier club Altrincham: his debut, playing in midfield in a home defeat to the division's bottom club, Welling United, was described in the local newspaper as "a baptism of fire for Skelton, who could add nothing to an ineffective Robins attack, and found himself in referee Clattenburg's book for an over-zealous challenge". He appeared in four Conference matches without scoring.

In October, his improved scoring form for Darlington's reserves earned him inclusion in the first-team squad for the visit to Cardiff City in Division Three. With Cardiff a goal up, Skelton came on for his Football League debut as an 82nd-minute substitute, but Darlington were unable to prevent the home side increasing their lead. He made no more first-team appearances for the club and, to the reported surprise of supporters, was released at the end of November when his latest monthly contract expired.

Non-league football

He signed for Whitby Town of the Northern Premier League, with whom he spent what remained of the season. He moved on to Blyth Spartans, also of the Northern Premier League, for 2001–02, but by March 2002 was back with Whitby. In November 2002, he signed for Northern League club Billingham Town, and scored 19 goals to help them reach the highest league finish in their history, third in the Northern League First Division. Early the next season, he returned to the Northern Premier with Spennymoor United, newly promoted to the First Division, but he stayed there only a month before being released back to Billingham. In his first game back, away at Durham City, he scored what was believed to be the fastest Northern League goal ever, after no more than eight seconds, and he was a member of the team that beat Bishop Auckland to win the 2004 Durham Challenge Cup, the first major trophy in the Billingham club's history.

Skelton began the 2004–05 season with Billingham, but soon moved on to fellow Northern League side Thornaby, and in January 2005, dropped down a division to join Northallerton Town, for whom he scored twice on his debut in a 3–1 win at Marske United and scored 14 goals as they came close to achieving promotion. He broke his ankle in the following pre-season, and was only able to return in the last few weeks of the campaign as Northallerton clinched promotion to the First Division. Skelton missed much of the season with injuries, and returned to the Northern League second tier with Guisborough Town in the 2007 close season.

He moved to Marske United for 2008–09, helping them reach the quarter-finals of the 2009 FA Vase fifth place in Northern League Division Two in 2008–09 and fourth in 2009–10. After a first foray into the Wearside League with Redcar Athletic for 2010–11, Skelton rejoined Marske United, newly promoted to the first tier of the Northern League, for 2011–12. He soon left for the second tier with former club Thornaby, but returned to Marske United in March 2012. He started the next season back with Redcar Athletic in the Wearside League.

Coaching career

In March 2024 Skelton was appointed joint manager of Marske United alongside Simon Kasonali.

References

  1. ^ "Craig Skelton". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 6 November 2014.
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  26. Simpson, Ray (22 September 2008). "West look for new boss after Owers resignation". The Northern Echo. Darlington. Retrieved 6 November 2014.
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  29. Pratt, Malcolm (2 August 2010). "Rebuilt Prudhoe alive and kicking". The Journal. Newcastle – via NewsBank.
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  33. Pratt, Malcolm (4 August 2012). "Wearside League". The Journal. Newcastle. Retrieved 6 November 2014.
  34. "Club update". Marske United. 11 March 2024.
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