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Craig Wighton

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Craig Wighton
Personal information
Full name Craig Ross Wighton
Date of birth (1997-07-27) 27 July 1997 (age 27)
Place of birth Dundee, Scotland
Position(s) Forward
Team information
Current team
 Dunfermline Athletic
Number 9
Youth career
2012–2013 Dundee
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2013–2018 Dundee 83 (7)
2014–2015 → Brechin City (loan) 4 (2)
2015–2016 → Raith Rovers (loan) 16 (1)
2018–2021 Heart of Midlothian 27 (3)
2020 → Arbroath (loan) 5 (3)
2021 → Dunfermline Athletic (loan) 10 (6)
2021– Dunfermline Athletic 79 (21)
2022 → Arbroath (loan) 13 (0)
International career‡
2012 Scotland U15 2 (0)
2013 Scotland U16 3 (0)
2013–2014 Scotland U17 14 (6)
2015–2016 Scotland U19 5 (0)
2017 Scotland U20 5 (1)
2016–2018 Scotland U21 6 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 21:45, 30 October 2024 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 4 March 2019

Craig Ross Wighton (born 27 July 1997) is a Scottish professional footballer who plays as a forward for Scottish Championship side Dunfermline Athletic. He has previously played for Dundee, Brechin City, Raith Rovers, Arbroath and Heart of Midlothian.

Club career

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Dundee

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Youth

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While attending Harris Academy, Wighton was snapped by Dundee under the management of Barry Smith, the team he supported as a boy.[1] He came through the same training clinic, run by Ian Cathro, as fellow Scottish prospects Ryan Gauld and John Souttar. Wighton revealed he turned down a move to local rivals Dundee United, as his family are Dundee supporters.[2] While growing up, Wighton initially played out wide before joining Dundee, who then moved him into the striker position.[3]

Manager John Brown said in March 2013 that if Wighton continued his form at youth level he could soon make the first team, which could have meant him becoming the club's youngest-ever first-team player.[1] His first team debut for the club was delayed due to SPL rules.[4] Despite interest from elsewhere,[5] Wighton signed his first professional contract on his 16th birthday.[6] After signing a professional contract, he left school to concentrate on his football career.[7]

2013–14

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In the 2013–14 season, Wighton made his debut for the club, coming on as a substitute for Craig Beattie in the 81st minute, as Dundee beat Cowdenbeath 2–0 on 5 October 2013.[8] In his second appearance, Wighton set up two goals as Dundee beat Dumbarton 4–1 on 12 October 2013.[9] He then made his first start for the club, as Dundee beat Queen of the South 2–1 on 19 October 2013.[10]

He became the youngest-ever scorer in a competitive game for Dundee at the age of 16 years, three months and 13 days on 9 November 2013, beating the record held by Jocky Scott, scoring a goal in a 2–0 win against Raith Rovers.[11] His second goal came on 14 April 2014, when he scored after six minutes, as Dundee beat Cowdenbeath 4–0.[12] Throughout his debut season he regularly contributed in the Dundee first team, making a total of 14 appearances and scoring two goals for the club, in all competitions[13] as Dundee won the Scottish Championship. Throughout the season Wighton was linked with a move to Premier League clubs and Rangers.[14][15] At the end of the 2013–14 season, the club's manager Paul Hartley said he may consider loaning out Wighton to gain first team experience with the hope he could "do a Stevie May," the striker who Hartley had on loan at Alloa Athletic from St Johnstone in 2011–12 and had gone on to be a first team regular in the Scottish Premiership, earning a move to Sheffield Wednesday.[16]

2014–15

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On 16 August 2014, Wighton scored his first Premiership goal as Dundee drew 1–1 with Partick Thistle,[17] although afterwards, Hartley said he didn't want to talk too much about Wighton, but did announce he had signed a new three-year contract.[18] As a result of his performance, the club decided not to send Wighton on loan.[19]

On 18 December 2014, Wighton moved on a short-term loan to Brechin City.[20] After making his debut as a substitute he went on to score two in three starting appearances as well as aiding Brechin to a win over local rivals Forfar with a creative flick past the Forfar defence to assist Alan Trouten to his winning goal at Station Park.

2015–16

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On 23 June 2015, after much speculation it was finally confirmed that Wighton had joined Raith Rovers on a six-month loan deal.[21] On 3 January 2016, it was confirmed that following Wighton's loan spell at Raith Rovers he had returned to Dundee.[22] Wighton managed to add 2 goals to his name after returning to the club from his loan spell, he came off the bench to score in an empathic 5-2 Victory over Ross County and more noticeably he scored a 93rd minute winning goal in a Dundee derby known as the "Doon Derby", a result which confirmed that rivals Dundee United would be relegated.[23]

2016–17

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Wighton signed a three-year contract with Dundee in June 2016.[23]

Wighton picked up a Man of the Match award with an impressive performance in a 2-0 Victory over Motherwell having set up both goals. After a frustrating season with the club just avoiding relegation Wighton revealed that his glimpses of quality throughout the season were not good enough as he was determined to show more consistency the season after.

2017–18

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After impressing manager Neil McCann in pre-season, Wighton picked up a knee ligament injury which ruled him out for several months. A season which was described to be "Very Crucial" for Wighton's development and career, McCann also went on to say he was "heartbroken" for the youngster due to the situation.[24]

Heart of Midlothian

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2018–19

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Wighton moved to Heart of Midlothian for an undisclosed transfer fee in August 2018.[25]

2019–20 & Arbroath

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He was dropped from the Hearts first team squad by Daniel Stendel in January 2020, and was then loaned to Arbroath.[26] Wighton scored on his debut with the Lichties in a win over Partick Thistle.[27] After impressing in his short spell for the Lichties with 3 goals in 5 games, Wighton returned to Hearts in May due to the early curtailment of the 2019–20 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[28]

2020–21

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Wighton scored his first goals for Hearts when he scored a hat-trick in a Scottish League Cup tie against Raith Rovers.[29] He went on to play for Hearts as a substitute in the 2020 Scottish Cup Final, however he had his penalty in the shootout saved by Conor Hazard as Hearts ultimately lost.[30]

Dunfermline Athletic

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On 4 February 2021, Wighton agreed to sign a pre-contract with Dunfermline Athletic[31] and a week later, signed on loan for the club for the remainder of the 2020–21 season.[32] On 14 January 2022, Wighton once again joined Scottish Championship table-toppers Arbroath on loan for the remainder of the season.[33]

On 14 April 2023, during a successful campaign in Scottish League One the following season under new manager and former teammate James McPake during which he had his highest-scoring season yet, Wighton signed a new two-year contract with the Pars to remain at the club until 2025.[34] The next day, Wighton would score a brace in a 5–0 rout of Queen of the South at East End Park which officially confirmed Dunfermline as Scottish League One champions.[35] Wighton would finish the season with 20 goals, his highest total in his career.

After scoring 6 goals in 24 appearances the following season including 5 goals in the Championship, Wighton suffered a knee injury in February 2024 in a game against Greenock Morton, which manager McPake confirmed would likely rule him out for the remainder of the season, though he would return in the last game as a substitute.[36][37]

Style of play

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His then teammate at Dundee, Gavin Rae said Wighton's playing style reminds him of Aaron Ramsey, who Rae played alongside in his time at Cardiff City.[38] Then assistant Manager Ray Farningham described Wighton as "one of the top young prospects in the Scottish game."[39]

International career

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Wighton represented the Scotland Under-15 side once and also played for the Under-16's.[40]

He was chosen to be part of the Scotland Under-17 squad for the 2014 UEFA European Under-17 Championship.[41] On 23 September 2013, Wighton scored a hat-trick (the first in his professional career), as Scotland beat Slovenia Under-17 3–1.[42] Scotland made it through to the semi-final, however they were eliminated from the competition as they lost 5–0 to the Netherlands.[43]

Wighton was selected for the under-20 squad in the 2017 Toulon Tournament.[44] The team secured the bronze medal,[45] the nations first ever medal at the competition.[46] He chosen for the under-21 squad in the 2018 Toulon Tournament,[47] The team lost to Turkey in a penalty-out and finished fourth this time.[48]

Career statistics

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As of match played 29 October 2024[49]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Scottish Cup League Cup Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Dundee 2013–14[50] Scottish Championship 13 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 14 2
2014–15[51] Scottish Premiership 16 1 1 0 0 0 — 17 1
2015–16[52] 13 2 2 0 0 0 — 15 2
2016–17[53] 31 2 1 0 3 0 — 35 2
2017–18[54] 7 0 0 0 0 0 — 7 0
2018–19[55] 3 0 0 0 5 1 — 8 1
Total 83 7 5 0 8 1 0 0 94 8
Brechin City (loan) 2014–15[51] Scottish League One 4 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 2
Raith Rovers (loan) 2015–16[52] Scottish Championship 16 1 0 0 3 0 2[a] 0 21 1
Heart of Midlothian 2018–19[56] Scottish Premiership 17 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 19 0
2019–20[57] 2 0 2 1 1 0 0 0 5 1
2020–21[58] Scottish Championship 8 3 0 0 5 3 0 0 13 6
Total 27 3 4 1 6 3 0 0 37 7
Arbroath (loan) 2019–20[57] Scottish Championship 5 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 3
Dunfermline Athletic (loan) 2020–21[58] Scottish Championship 10 6 1 0 0 0 2[b] 0 13 6
Dunfermline Athletic 2021–22[59] 14 0 0 0 5 3 0 0 19 3
2022–23[60] Scottish League One 34 16 2 2 3 0 3[a] 2 42 20
2023–24[61] Scottish Championship 20 5 1 0 4 1 0 0 25 6
2024–25[62] 11 0 0 0 2 0 2[a] 0 15 0
Total 79 21 3 2 14 4 5 2 101 29
Arbroath (loan) 2021–22[59] Scottish Championship 13 0 2 1 0 0 1[c] 0 16 1
Career total 238 43 13 3 30 8 10 2 292 58
  1. ^ a b c Appearances in the Scottish Challenge Cup
  2. ^ Appearances in the Scottish Premiership Playoffs
  3. ^ Appearance in the Premiership play-offs

Honours

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Dundee
Hearts

Dunfermline Athletic

References

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  1. ^ a b "John Brown: Wighton could join line-up". Evening Telegraph. 29 March 2013. Archived from the original on 31 July 2014. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
  2. ^ McLean, Euan (26 March 2014). "Dundee starlet Craig Wighton reveals why he had to snub move to Tannadice". Daily Record. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
  3. ^ Kell, Tom (10 May 2014). "Wighton on his and Scotland's learning curve". UEFA.com. Archived from the original on 31 July 2014. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
  4. ^ Kennedy, Liam (26 April 2013). "Dundee FC put contract talks on hold". Evening Telegraph. Archived from the original on 31 July 2014. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
  5. ^ "Dundee boss confident of keeping young star". The Courier. 26 April 2013. Archived from the original on 31 July 2014. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
  6. ^ Kennedy, Liam (6 June 2013). "Bomber: Youngsters will get a chance". Evening Telegraph. Archived from the original on 31 July 2014. Retrieved 31 July 2013.
  7. ^ Robertson, Neil (7 March 2014). "Dundee boss keen for Craig Wighton to develop at Dens". The Courier. Archived from the original on 8 August 2014. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
  8. ^ Flynn, Stephen (8 October 2013). "Wighton staking claim for spot in Dundee team". Evening Telegraph. Archived from the original on 8 August 2014. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
  9. ^ Kennedy, Liam (14 October 2013). "MacDonald the main man as Dundee trounce Dumbarton". Evening Telegraph. Archived from the original on 31 July 2014. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
  10. ^ "Craig Wighton set for first Dundee start". Evening Telegraph. 18 October 2013. Archived from the original on 31 July 2014. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
  11. ^ Duthie, Tom (14 November 2013). "Sweet 16: Dundee's youngest scorers". eveningtelegraph.co.uk. Archived from the original on 31 July 2014. Retrieved 6 May 2014.
  12. ^ "Match Report: Dundee 4 – 0 Cowdenbeath". BBC Sport. 12 April 2014. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
  13. ^ "soccerway". soccerway.com. Retrieved 6 May 2014.
  14. ^ Kennedy, Liam (10 October 2013). "Swansea and Sunderland eye up Dundee teen Wighton". Evening Telegraph. Archived from the original on 31 July 2014. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
  15. ^ Duthie, Tom (28 November 2013). "Arsenal keep Dundee and United kids in their sights". Evening Telegraph. Archived from the original on 31 July 2014. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
  16. ^ Robertson, Neil (22 May 2014). "Dundee may send Craig Wighton to do a Stevie May". The Courier. Archived from the original on 8 August 2014. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
  17. ^ Crawford, Kenny (16 August 2014). "Dundee 1–1 Partick Thistle". BBC Sport. Retrieved 16 August 2014.
  18. ^ Crawford, Kenny (16 August 2014). "Craig Wighton: Dundee manager tries not to overhype youngster". BBC Sport. Retrieved 16 August 2014.
  19. ^ "Dundee scrap plans to send Craig Wighton on loan". Daily Express. 19 August 2014. Retrieved 19 August 2014.
  20. ^ "WIGHTON JOINS BRECHIN ON LOAN". Dundee F.C. 18 December 2014. Archived from the original on 18 December 2014. Retrieved 20 December 2014.
  21. ^ "WIGHTON JOINS RAITH ON LOAN". Dundee F.C. 23 June 2015. Archived from the original on 23 June 2015. Retrieved 23 June 2015.
  22. ^ "WIGHTON RETURNS FROM LOAN". Dundee F.C. 3 January 2016. Retrieved 3 January 2016.
  23. ^ a b "Craig Wighton: Dundee striker signs new three-year deal". BBC Sport. BBC. 18 June 2016. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
  24. ^ "NEIL MCCANN HEARTBROKEN FOR DUNDEE FORWARD CRAIG WIGHTON AFTER LIGAMENT INJURY". The Evening Telegraph. 26 July 2017. Retrieved 31 July 2017.
  25. ^ McLauchlin, Brian (30 August 2018). "Craig Wighton: Forward joins Hearts from Dundee". BBC Sport. Retrieved 30 August 2018.
  26. ^ "Hearts' Craig Wighton makes Arbroath loan switch". BBC Sport. 22 January 2020. Retrieved 22 January 2020.
  27. ^ Dewar, Heather (25 January 2020). "Arbroath 2-1 Partick Thistle". BBC. Archived from the original on 25 January 2020. Retrieved 25 January 2020.
  28. ^ "Thank you Craig Wighton". Arbroath FC. 7 May 2020. Retrieved 15 May 2020.
  29. ^ "Hearts 3-1 Raith". BBC. Retrieved 20 December 2020.
  30. ^ "Celtic 3-3 Hearts". BBC. Retrieved 20 December 2020.
  31. ^ "Craig Wighton: Dunfermline sign Hearts man on pre-contract". dunfermlinepress.com. 4 February 2021. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
  32. ^ "Craig Wighton arrives on loan". Dunfermline Athletic FC. 12 February 2021. Retrieved 12 February 2021.
  33. ^ "Craig Wighton". Arbroath FC. 14 January 2022. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
  34. ^ "New deal for Craig Wighton | Dunfermline Athletic Football Club". dafc.co.uk. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  35. ^ "Dunfermline crowned League 1 champions after rout". BBC Sport. Retrieved 15 April 2023.
  36. ^ "Pars star's 'season is over' reveals boss". Dunfermline Press. 15 February 2024. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
  37. ^ "Ayr United 3-3 Dunfermline Athletic: Side share six-goal thriller". BBC Sport. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
  38. ^ Flynn, Stephen (13 November 2013). "Young Dundee star reminds Rae of Arsenal top man Ramsey". Evening Telegraph. Archived from the original on 29 October 2014. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
  39. ^ Duthie, Tom (4 December 2013). "Wighton's confidence won't be knocked". Evening Telegraph. Archived from the original on 29 October 2014. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
  40. ^ "Craig Wighton player profile". Scottish FA. Retrieved 16 August 2014.
  41. ^ "Scotland U17 squad named for Euro elite round". scottishfa.co.uk. Retrieved 6 May 2014.
  42. ^ "Slovenia U17 1 Scotland U17 3: Hat-trick for Dundee striker Craig Wighton". The Courier. 24 September 2013. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
  43. ^ Stewart, Craig P. (19 May 2014). "Netherlands 5–0 Scotland: Positives for U-17s". The Scotsman. Retrieved 16 August 2014.
  44. ^ "Scotland squad for Toulon announced". Scottish Football Association. 17 May 2017. Retrieved 1 July 2022.
  45. ^ "Scotland finish third at Toulon Tournament with 3-0 win". Scottish Football Association. 10 June 2017. Retrieved 1 July 2022.
  46. ^ "JULES AND HOLSGROVE TAKE BRONZE WITH SCOTLAND IN TOULON". Reading FC. 11 June 2017. Retrieved 1 July 2022.
  47. ^ "Scotland Under-21 squad announced for Toulon tournament". Scottish Football Association. 3 May 2018. Retrieved 1 July 2022.
  48. ^ "Scotland finish fourth at the Toulon tournament after shoot-out defeat to Turkey". Scottish Football Association. 10 June 2018. Retrieved 1 July 2022.
  49. ^ Craig Wighton at Soccerway
  50. ^ "Games played by Craig Wighton in 2013/2014". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 17 November 2017.
  51. ^ a b "Games played by Craig Wighton in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 17 November 2017.
  52. ^ a b "Games played by Craig Wighton in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 17 November 2017.
  53. ^ "Games played by Craig Wighton in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 17 November 2017.
  54. ^ "Games played by Craig Wighton in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 17 November 2017.
  55. ^ "Games played by Craig Wighton in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 August 2018.
  56. ^ "Games played by Craig Wighton in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
  57. ^ a b "Games played by Craig Wighton in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
  58. ^ a b "Games played by Craig Wighton in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
  59. ^ a b "Games played by Craig Wighton in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
  60. ^ "Games played by Craig Wighton in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
  61. ^ "Games played by Craig Wighton in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 18 July 2023.
  62. ^ "Games played by Craig Wighton in 2024/2025". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
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