Millwall FC product felt "pushed out" ahead of Crystal Palace move but got redemption at The Den | OneFootball

FLW takes a look back at Tony Craig's redemption arc at Millwall.

Blossoming academy products have become more of a rare occurrence in football nowadays, with only the cream of the crop making it through to the top level.

However, the story of Tony Craig at Millwall is a unique one - after being sold to Crystal Palace, the Lions' hometown boy made not one but two returns to The Den, having been forced out of the club originally.

The current Dorking Wanderers defender revealed all in a 2021 interview and his redemption arc for Millwall is a fascinating story of endeavour.

Tony Craig speaks out on 2007 Crystal Palace transfer

A boyhood Millwall fan, Craig came through the youth ranks at his beloved club and made his debut in a 3-3 draw with Nottingham Forest in April 2003.

In the years that followed, he seized his opportunities and established himself as a regular during the 2006-07 season, amassing 2,464 minutes across 30 league appearances.

Despite this, that summer threw up an unexpected surprise for the central defender as then manager, Willie Donachie called Craig up to tell him they had accepted an offer from Crystal Palace and that they wanted to bring someone else in.

Speaking to the Wall Talk podcast about how difficult it was for him, he said: “I had a phone call from my agent saying Crystal Palace are interested. You’re thinking, ‘what’s happening here?’

“All of a sudden [Lions boss] Willie Donachie called me up, and Willie Donachie never called you up. He goes, ‘Tone, we’ve accepted an offer from Crystal Palace’. I said, ‘Willie, I don’t want to go. You know what this club means to me, and the rivalry, if I go over there what it could do to me.’

“He goes, ‘we got an offer we can’t refuse, I’ve got another player I want to bring in and I want to sacrifice you to get this player in’.

“He said he’d give me 24 hours to think about it, but I said I didn’t want to go. I said, ‘Will, call me up in 24 hours, my mind will not change. I can assure you of that.’

“I was still living at home at this point. I‘m going downstairs telling me mum and dad they’d accepted an offer from Crystal Palace. My parents said whatever decision I made they’d stick with me.

“Twenty hours passed and he’s called me. ‘Tony, the offer, what are you thinking?’ I said: ‘I’m not going. I don’t want to go, I‘m not sure if it’s worth the hassle. Tell them thanks for the offer but the move’s not for me.’

“He said, ‘the money we get for you, I want to sign Ryan Smith [from Derby]. It’s done. It’s completed. We need the funds in, so you’ve got to go.’

“I told him if I didn’t agree terms then the move doesn’t happen. I remember he put the phone down and I didn’t ring him back. The next morning he rang me back saying he was putting his foot down. He was selling the club to me, saying it was the perfect opportunity to move up to the Championship.

“A couple of days later I‘m meeting [Crystal Palace manager] Peter Taylor for the first time. I turned down three offers from them, but when the fourth came in you’ve got Willie on the phone, the board on the phone saying we need the money.

“Unfortunately the move materialised and I had to move on. The number was in my head and Crystal Palace got to that number.

“I did feel pushed out, there were no other options because no other team came in for me.”

Tony Craig earns his revenge

After moving to the Eagles, Craig's desire to return to Millwall soon became apparent, and his wish was granted during the 2007-08 season when he rejoined his former club on a one-month loan. This move was made permanent in the summer of 2008, and the centre-back wasted no time in exacting swift revenge on Donachie, who had since left The Den.

A four-year spell continued and the centre-back helped Millwall secure promotion to the Championship via the play-offs in 2009-10.

However, he struggled to make an impact in the second tier and in the summer of 2012, he made his second permanent switch away from the Lions as he joined League One Brentford.

His three years at Griffin Park were successful, and he added a second promotion to his name as the Bees went up via the automatic spots of League One in 2013-14.

As his playing time gradually declined, Craig’s contract with Brentford expired, paving the way for one final opportunity to win over the Millwall faithful once again.

A serious knee injury initially hampered his first season, but by the time the 2016-17 campaign arrived, Craig was ready to make one final contribution. Captaining his side in 57 appearances that season, he led the Lions to the play-off final, where his perseverance was finally rewarded. He secured a third promotion from the third tier as Steve Morrison's last-gasp goal sealed a dramatic victory over Bradford City at Wembley.

Since then, Millwall have gone on to have eight successive seasons in the Championship and Craig is still playing to this day, a mainstay at centre-back for Marc White's Dorking.

A ruthless leader, Craig will always be revered by Lions supporters, and his difficult transfer to Crystal Palace is now firmly a chapter left in the past.