Martin Cranie

Who Is Martin Cranie?

Martin Cranie is an English footballer. He is known for playing defence in the English game. Fans remember him for his hard work on the pitch. He has played for several clubs and even wore the England under21 shirt.

Early Life and Background

He was born on September 23 1986.

Career and Claim to Fame

Martin began his football journey in the Southampton youth academy. He later moved to Portsmouth where he started his professional career. After a few loan spells he signed for Coventry City. He spent three seasons at Barnsley and finished his playing days with Luton Town. He also represented England at under21 level. You can learn more about him at en.wikipedia.org wiki Martin Cranie.

Birthday, Age and Zodiac

His birthday is September 23 1986. That makes him forty years old today. His zodiac sign is Libra. Libras are known for being balanced and friendly. They often try to keep peace and enjoy good company.

Fun Facts and Legacy

Martin Cranie is a footballer who was born on September 23 1986. He is now forty years old and a Libra. He played for Southampton, Portsmouth, Coventry City, Barnsley and Luton Town. He also played for England under21. Fans still talk about his steady defending and his calm nature on the field.

Martin Cranie - Quick Facts

Profile Overview of Martin Cranie

Martin James Cranie (born 26 September 1986) is an English former professional footballer. He last played as a centre back and right back for Championship club Luton Town. He is a former England U21 international. He began his career with the Southampton youth academy before moving to local rivals Portsmouth and later to Coventry City after several loan spells, then followed by three years at Barnsley.

This profile of Martin Cranie covers Early Life and Family Background, Southampton, Portsmouth, Coventry City and Barnsley.

Early Life and Family Background of Martin Cranie

Born at Yeovil, Somerset, Cranie attended the local Buckler's Mead Community School between 1998 and 2003 after completing his primary school education at Birchfield Community School.

Southampton of Martin Cranie

Following an injury crisis at the club, manager Paul Sturrock was forced to use Cranie in the first-team against Chelsea in May 2004. But his debut was marred when he inadvertently scored an own-goal, in a 4–0 defeat. After the match, Cranie's teammate Danny Higginbotham said: "He's a good player with a bright future who certainly didn't look out of place at all." Cranie, one of the youngest post-war players to make their debut for the club, described it as a "good experience". "I was asked to play left wing-back, which I had never played before, but being out on the pitch with some of those players was unbelievable."

In October 2004, Cranie spent time on loan to AFC Bournemouth. He made three appearances for the club, and although they were keen to extend his loan spell, their request was rejected. After his loan spell with Bournemouth ended, Cranie made his first appearance of the season, in a 0–0 draw against Charlton Athletic on 26 December 2004. He later made two more appearances in the 2004–05 season, as Southampton were relegated from the Premier League. He was a member of Southampton's youth team that reached the final of the FA Youth Cup in 2005, losing on aggregate to Ipswich Town.

The 2005–06 season saw Cranie make eleven appearances and then, on 7 November 2006, he joined League One side Yeovil Town on loan until January. After spending two months back with Southampton, on 2 March 2007, he returned to Yeovil on loan until Easter. Cranie stayed with the club for several weeks before returning to his parent club on 30 March 2007. He made his first and only 2006–07 appearance for the Saints in the second leg of the play-off semi-final against Derby County where he acquitted himself well although his side was defeated on penalties.

With lack of first team opportunities, Cranie hinted at leaving the club when his contract expired at the end of the 2006–07 season, though he said that he was "keeping his options open". "I would like to break into the first team but if not I will have to look elsewhere to get my football." At the end of the 2006–07 season, Cranie was offered a one-year contract to stay at the club, but rejected the offer. Then manager George Burley, begrudgingly accepted, and understood, Cranie's decision to leave the club.

Portsmouth

Cranie signed with Portsmouth on 26 June 2007, rejoining his former manager Harry Redknapp.

He made his Portsmouth debut in the first home game of the 2007–08 season against Manchester United on 15 August 2007, with a solid performance at right back. On 6 October, after three appearances for Portsmouth, Cranie agreed to join Queens Park Rangers on a three-month loan. QPR, bottom of the Championship, were interested in Cranie when he was with the Saints. He made his Queens Park Rangers debut on 8 October 2007, in a 1–0 win over Norwich City. But his loan ended when he suffered a broken leg after just six appearances for the London side.

In September 2008, Cranie joined Championship side Charlton Athletic on loan until the end of the year. He made his Charlton Athletic debut on 13 September 2008, in a 3–1 loss against Wolves. After making nineteen appearances, Cranie returned to Portsmouth in January 2009 and appeared in two FA Cup matches.

On 12 August 2009, Portsmouth agreed to sell Cranie to Coventry City for £500,000.

Coventry City

On 13 August 2009, Cranie transferred to Coventry City, signing a three-year contract with the Championship club. It was disclosed that the transfer fee was £500,000.

Two days after signing with the club, Cranie made his Coventry City debut, coming off in the 72nd minute, in a 2–0 win over Barnsley. Thirty days later, Cranie scored his first career goal in Coventry's 3–2 home win against Sheffield United on 15 September 2009. The goal was a flicked header at the near post from a corner and turned out to be the match winner as it gave Coventry a 3–1 lead. In mid-November Cranie found himself in an unfamiliar role as a right-back and on the bench, slipping down to the pecking order following the arrival of Leon Barnett and Richard Wood. Cranie then provided an assist for Jon Stead, which turned out to be the only goal in a 1–0 win over Peterborough United on 6 March 2010. Ahead of a match against Middlesbrough on 24 April 2010, Cranie suffered a knee injury in training, but eventually recovered and was in the squad, which played to a 1–1 draw. Cranie later regained his first team place making forty league appearances for the club in his first season.

Before the start of the 2010–11 Norwich City was said to want to sign Cranie. This was denied by Manager Aidy Boothroyd. Despite this, Cranie continued to be in the first team at the club and stayed at the club when the summer transfer closed. After being sidelined for one game with an ankle injury, Cranie returned to the first team until he was placed on the substitution bench for the rest of 2010. Cranie regained his first team place throughout the rest of the season until he was sent-off after a second bookable offence in a 1–1 draw against Leicester City on 26 February 2011. He sustained a hamstring strain during a match against Hull City. In his second season Cranie made thirty-six appearances for the club.

Source: adapted from Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Cranie), text available under CC BY-SA 4.0.