Craig Sives

Craig Sives

Personal information
Full name	Craig Stuart Sives
Date of birth	9 April 1986 (1986-04-09) (age 25)
Place of birth	Edinburgh, Scotland
Height	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Playing position	Centre-back, Right-back
Club information
Current club	Shamrock Rovers
Number	4
Youth career
1992-2000	Hutchison Vale B.C.
2000–2002	Heart of Midlothian
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
2002–2009	Heart of Midlothian	2	(0)
2006–2007	→ Partick Thistle (loan)	17	(1)
2007–2008	→ Dundee (loan)	0	(0)
2008	→ Queen of the South (loan)	10	(0)
2009	Tynecastle F.C. (trialist)	1	(0)
2009–-	Shamrock Rovers	40	(2)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Craig Stuart Sives (born 9 April 1986) is a Scottish professional association football player who currently plays for Shamrock Rovers in the League of Ireland.

Career

Sives attended Oxgangs Primary School and Firrhill High School, and played for youth club Hutchison Vale, before signing for boyhood favourites Hearts in June 2002.^[1] After impressing in the clubs under 19 and reserve teams, the towering centre back was given his debut in the 2004 Festival Cup against Hibernian, scoring the opening goal in a 3–1 win.^[2] He made two league starts in the 2004–05 season, but he did not make any appearances during 2005–06 because of a serious back injury.

Sives signed a 5 year contract in July 2006 and spent the 2006–07 season on loan with Partick Thistle in order to gain further experience. Despite a good start to his Thistle career, he was again sidelined by injury in early November 2006 when a groin injury suffered incapacitated him for five months. He returned for the last 2 months of the season^[3] but it later transpired that he had been playing with a double hernia, which was repaired by an operation in May 2007.

Dundee signed him on loan for the 2007–08 season, but he did not play any competitive matches due to injuries.^[4]

Sives then signed for Dumfries club Queen of the South on a short term loan deal on 1 September 2008.^[5] Sives returned to Hearts in December 2008 after playing the whole of November with an ankle ligament tear.^[6]

In January 2009 after 3 and a half injury-plagued seasons he was released from his contract at Hearts.

Almost immediately after his release from Hearts he played for Tynecastle, as a trialist, in an East of Scotland Football League match against Stirling University in which Tynecastle won 2-1. He partnered his younger brother Steven in the centre of the Tynecastle defence.

In March 2009, after a failed medical, Shamrock Rovers offered him a career lifeline as a non paid member of their squad while he went through a rehabilitation program with the clubs medical staff.^[7] He was rewarded with a short term contract in May 2009.

Sives made his Rovers debut in an FAI Cup clash at the Tallaght Stadium on the 13th of June 2009 against Drogheda United [9].

Voted Rovers' Young Player of The Year on 7 November 2009 by Rovers fans [10].

Craig scored his first goal for the Hoops in August 2010 [11].

He helped Rovers win their first League of Ireland championship in 16 years on the final day of the 2010 season after a 2-2 draw in Bray.^[8]

He has played for Scotland at Schoolboy,^[9][10] Under 17, 18 and 19^[11] level.

Honours

Team

• League of Ireland: 2
  • Shamrock Rovers - 2010, 2011

• Setanta Cup: 1
  • Shamrock Rovers F.C - 2011

Personal

• Young Player of the Year
  • Shamrock Rovers - 2009

References

1. ^ [1]
2. ^ [2]
3. ^ [3]
4. ^ Dundee 2007/2008 player appearances, Soccerbase.
5. ^ Sives moves to Queen of the South, BBC Sport, 1 September 2008.
6. ^ Kinniburgh joins Queens on loan, BBC Sport, 8 December 2008.
7. ^ [4]
8. ^ [5]
9. ^ [6]
10. ^ [7]
11. ^ [8]

External links

• Craig Sives career stats at Soccerbase
• Appearances at londonhearts.com

Persondata
Name	Sives, Craig
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	9 April 1986
Place of birth	Edinburgh, Scotland
Date of death
Place of death