Millwall captain Tony Craig reflects on living out a supporter's dream ahead of testimonial

By Peter Smith

Thursday 28 July 2016 09:58, UK

Every football supporter fantasises about playing for the club they support. Few achieve that ambition and pull on the shirt. Fewer still go on to wear the captain's armband, while barely a handful are rewarded with a testimonial for services to their team.

Tony Craig has done it all. Two decades and 254 appearances on from watching Millwall as a boy in the Cold Blow Lane stand, the defender will lead his side out against Brentford on Saturday at the Den for a game in his honour. It's an occasion he admits he could not even have dreamed about all those years ago.

"It gives me goosebumps even talking about it," he said to Sky Sports. "You could say it's a dream come true, but it's something you'd never even dare to dream about. I can't believe my luck.

"I've had to move on a couple of times but thankfully the club have always wanted me to come back and it's a club I absolutely adore and love playing for; I love playing every single minute and every time I put the shirt on. I'm a fan and to do it, I'm living my dream. Every day is a dream come true."

It hasn't always been plain sailing for Craig at Millwall. There have been two play-off final defeats, a relegation and, as he says, spells away from the club. But Craig - now in his fourth stint as a Millwall player - is relishing life under manager, and former team-mate, Neil Harris.

"We've known each other for many years and he knows my strengths and weaknesses," Craig says of Harris, Millwall's all-time top scorer who steered the club to the League One play-off final in his first full season as a manager in 2015/16.

"Neil and [assistant manager] Dave Livermore did exceptionally well in their first year and hopefully they can have another good one. Ever since he took the team over, there's a style the gaffer keeps saying about which is 'the Millwall way'. That's to fight for every ball, to battle and to stand up and be counted."

It's an approach personified by Craig. The tough-tackling, hard-hitting centre-back is one of Harris' key leaders on the field and, at 31, is now an experienced head, able to guide and mentor Millwall's blossoming young talents.

Aiden O'Brien, Ben Thompson, Fred Onyedinma and Sid Nelson were among the academy graduates to make their mark last season and now form an important part of Harris' ambitious squad.

But the goals of striker Lee Gregory will also be a key factor in whether Millwall can win promotion to the Championship. While his former Halifax team-mate Jamie Vardy was firing Leicester City to the Premier League title last season, Gregory found the net 27 times in all competitions.

His goal return has attracted attention from Championship clubs but captain Craig says the frontman is fit and focused on producing another successful season in south London.

"Lee Gregory is a great lad and his goalscoring record last year was absolutely brilliant so it was obvious people were going to come and have a sniff round him," Craig said.

"But he's come in for pre-season, got fighting fit and to me he looks ready for the season. Lee and Steve Morison last season were a very good partnership up there so hopefully that can continue this season.

"We're a good team and we've kept the core of the squad, so let's see where the season takes us. There are a lot of good sides in this league, some big sides have come down and it's exciting times, an exciting league to be involved in. Hopefully we can push it all the way."

Craig won promotion from League One with Millwall in 2010 thanks to a play-off final victory over Swindon at Wembley. Along with scoring on his home debut in front of the Cold Blow Lane end, he says walking up the steps to lift the trophy that day is one of his highlights of his career.

His testimonial on Saturday will be another. Then the hard work of battling for another promotion begins.

Buy tickets for Tony Craig's testimonial, Millwall v Brentford on Saturday July 30, at www.millwallfc.co.uk/tickets or on the day at the Den