Highlights
- Bryson’s transfer to Derby in 2011 was a turning point, sparking a climb up the Championship table.
- The midfielder made history with an East Midlands Derby hat-trick in 2013, memorable for Rams fans.
- Despite never securing Premier League promotion, Bryson’s impact and popularity at Derby is undeniable.
Craig Bryson joined Derby County in July 2011 from Scottish Premiership side Kilmarnock for an initial fee of £350,000 – 276 appearances later, the Scot left the Rams as a hero.
After relegation from the Premier League in 2007/08, the Rams struggled to mount any play-off challenges in the next few seasons. However, the transfer of Bryson ahead of the 2011/12 season sparked a change at Pride Park as the club finally climbed the Championship table.
The ex-Scottish international had been on trial at Derby a few years before his eventual arrival, however, manager Billy Davies failed to see a starting place for Bryson, allowing him to join Kilmarnock from Clyde instead.
Despite this, the midfielder jumped at the chance to move to England at the second time of asking, as he played a crucial role in Nigel Clough’s team for the next two seasons, winning Derby’s Player of the Season in his first year at the club.
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Chris Martin’s 2013 loan move to Derby County proved to be the start of a near perfect story.
Steve McClaren’s arrival and making history
Although Clough was starting to improve Derby’s league position year-on-year, the club parted ways with the son of legend Brian Clough after a 1-0 defeat to rivals Nottingham Forest, just nine games into the 2013/14 season.
Steve McClaren was appointed as the new man to take the club forward, and forward he took them.
The Rams embarked on a seven-match winning run through November and December 2013, to take them just outside the automatic promotion spots. Bryson netted his eleventh goal of the season after just 22 games, in a 1-1 draw away at Huddersfield Town, doubling his total for the club from the start of the season.
The ex-Killie stalwart had already scored his first career hat-trick back in September in a 5-1 away victory against Millwall by the time Forest visited Pride Park Stadium. Derby had failed to score in their last four matches, but this soon changed.
A sixth minute opener from Bryson was the start of a crushing 5-0 win over their bitter rivals, with Derby making it three before the break with one more from the Scottish midfielder and a goal from Jeff Hendrick.
Johnny Russell’s wonderstrike took it to 4-0 before Patrick Bamford was fouled in the box by Forest goalkeeper Karl Darlow.
Bryson stepped up from the spot to make history, and became the first Rams player since Steve Bloomer in 1898 to score a hat-trick in the East Midlands Derby – costing Billy Davies his job at Forest in the process.
Derby went onto the 2014 Championship play-off final, but after a superb season where he scored 16 goals and 14 assists, he failed to make the starting eleven as QPR scored a last minute winner to win promotion to the Premier League.
More failed play-off campaigns and eventual exit
After coming so close the year before, the Rams were one of the favourites to win promotion in 2014/15.
Despite being in the top four for most of the season, Derby missed out on the play-offs on the last day of the season and finished eighth. Bryson scored just four times, and picked up just five assists in a disappointing campaign.
McClaren was sacked by Derby at the end of the season, with Paul Clement taking over for 2015/16. Bryson, now 28, spent the first part of the campaign on the sidelines with a knee injury, and made just 21 appearances as Derby were beaten in the play-off semi-finals by Hull City.
Bryson was struggling to recapture the same goal-scoring form that set him apart in 2013/14 – where he was once again named player of the season. However, he was still crucial in Derby’s pushes for promotion as he moved into a deeper role.
Another year without promotion followed and surprisingly, Bryson was sent out on loan ahead of the 2017/18 season to Cardiff City, much to the disappointment of Rams fans. Ironically, it was at Cardiff where he finally won promotion from the second tier.
|
Craig Bryson Derby County stats (TransferMarkt) |
Apps |
Goals |
Assists |
|---|---|---|---|
|
2011/12 |
44 |
6 |
6 |
|
2012/13 |
37 |
5 |
5 |
|
2013/14 |
45 |
16 |
14 |
|
2014/15 |
38 |
4 |
5 |
|
2015/16 |
21 |
3 |
0 |
|
2016/17 |
34 |
2 |
2 |
|
2017/18 |
4 |
1 |
0 |
|
2018/19 |
28 |
3 |
2 |
Nevertheless, he was at Pride Park when Derby beat Forest 2-0, getting great acclaim from the fans as his face was shown on the big screen in the corner of the stadium. Bryson said to club media at the time: “It was a bit of a strange experience coming back to watch the Derby vs Forest match. My face went up on the screen, but just to hear the Derby fans sing that song when I wasn’t actually at the club was amazing,
“It made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up, and it’s a moment that I don’t think I will ever forget.”
The fan favourite returned for his final season in black-and-white under Frank Lampard, as once again the Rams failed at Wembley. However, by this point, Bryson had already cemented his place in Derby folklore, as he left the club at the end of his contract.
But, after two player of the season awards, 42 goals, 36 assists and 273 Championship appearances, it is safe to say that Craig Bryson is a modern legend for Derby. He was named the club’s ‘Player of the Decade’ for the 2010s in a BBC vote, yet even he will still have regrets about never being able to take his club back to the promised land.
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Kris Commons’ free transfer in 2008 was perfect for the Rams’ return to the Championship then. A similar one this year would put them in good stead.