Craig Halkett
{{Short description|Scottish footballer}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2019}}
{{Use British English|date=January 2018}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name = Craig Halkett
| fullname = Craig Peter Halkett
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1995|5|29|df=y}}
| birth_place = Kirkintilloch, East Dunbartonshire, Scotland[https://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/record-results?search_type=people&dl_cat=statutory&dl_rec=statutory-births&surname=Halkett&surname_so=exact&forename=Craig%20&forename_so=starts&sex=M&from_year=1990&record_type=stat_births Statutory registers - Births - Search results], ScotlandsPeople. Retrieved 21 January 2022
| height = 183cm
| currentclub = Heart of Midlothian
| clubnumber = 4
| position = Defender
| youthyears1 =
| youthyears2 = 2010–2014
| youthclubs2 = Rangers
| years1 = 2014–2016
| clubs1 = Rangers
| caps1 = 0
| goals1 = 0
| years2 = 2014
| clubs2 = → Clyde (loan)
| caps2 = 12
| goals2 = 0
| years3 = 2015
| clubs3 = → Berwick Rangers (loan)
| caps3 = 4
| goals3 = 0
| years4 = 2016–2019
| clubs4 = Livingston
| caps4 = 117
| goals4 = 16
| years5 = 2019–
| clubs5 = Heart of Midlothian
| caps5 = 107
| goals5 = 5
| nationalyears1 = 2014
| nationalteam1 = Scotland U19{{cite web |url=http://www.scottishfa.co.uk/football_player_profile.cfm?page=1921&playerID=126411&squadID=9 |title=Craig Halkett |publisher=Scottish Football Association |access-date=3 October 2015}}
| nationalcaps1 = 1
| nationalgoals1 = 0
| club-update = 19 May 2025 (UTC)
}}
Craig Peter Halkett (born 29 May 1995) is a Scottish footballer who plays as defender for {{Scottish football updater|HeartofM}} club Heart of Midlothian.
Initially a striker in his youth, Halkett joined Rangers at age fourteen before being moved to defensive roles and being loaned out to Scottish League Two clubs Clyde and Berwick Rangers. After being released by Rangers, Halkett spent several years at Livingston, making over 100 appearances, before signing a contract with Heart of Midlothian in 2019.
Club career
= Rangers =
Raised in Kirkintilloch and a boyhood Rangers fan,{{Cite news|url=https://www.glasgowtimes.co.uk/sport/14201851.craig-halkett-eyes-livi-bow-against-rangers-at-ibrox/|title=Craig Halkett eyes Livi bow against Rangers at Ibrox|newspaper=Glasgow Times|access-date=31 October 2021}}{{cite web|url=https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/leaving-rangers-like-stepping-cliff-13909204 |title=Leaving Rangers was like stepping off a cliff but it's the best decision I've ever made insists Craig Halkett|author=Gordon Parks|work=Daily Record|date=26 January 2019|access-date=30 January 2019}}{{ cite news | url=http://www.rangers.co.uk/news/academy-news/item/8527-halkett-i-learned-a-lot | title=Halkett: I Learned A Lot | publisher=Rangers F.C. | date=18 February 2015 }} Halkett joined the club as a youngster. Initially playing as a striker, he was moved into more defensive roles by youth coach Alan Kernaghan. After winning the Scottish Youth Cup in 2014,{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/27403333 |title=Rangers break Hearts in Youth Cup penalty shoot-out win|work=BBC Sport|date=13 March 2014|access-date=30 January 2019}} he was loaned out twice, to Clyde{{Cite news | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/29026791| work=BBC| title=Ibrox club loans out seven fringe players | date=2 September 2014| publisher=BBC Sport }} and Berwick Rangers,{{cite news| url=http://rangers.co.uk/news/academy-news/halkett-heads-out-on-loan/?| work=Rangers Football Club| title=Halkett Heads Out On Loan| date=30 October 2015| publisher=Rangers F.C.| access-date=1 March 2016| archive-date=4 January 2016| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160104234325/http://rangers.co.uk/news/academy-news/halkett-heads-out-on-loan| url-status=dead}} both playing in the fourth tier.
= Livingston =
In January 2016, Halkett was informed by Rangers that there was no immediate prospect of him progressing to the first team and he left the Ibrox club without having made a senior appearance, joining then Scottish Championship side Livingston.{{cite news | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/35307242| work=BBC Sport| title=Andy Halliday & Jason Holt sign new Ibrox deals| date=13 January 2016}} He scored his first professional goal against Rangers in a 1–0 win for Livingston on 26 April 2016.{{Cite news | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/36079242| author=Chick Young| author-link=Chick Young| title=Livingston 1-0 Rangers | date=26 April 2016| work=BBC Sport }}
The Lions were relegated from the Championship at the end of his first campaign in a play-off, but Halkett became an increasingly important player for the West Lothian side, helping them to immediately return from League One in 2016–17, followed by a second consecutive promotion to the Scottish Premiership after finishing runners-up in the regular season, once more via the play-offs.{{cite web|url=https://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/competitions/premiership/partick-thistle-0-1-livingston-agg-1-3-hopkin-s-men-seal-promotion-1-4742233 |title=Partick Thistle 0 - 1 Livingston (agg 1-3): Hopkin's men seal promotion|work=The Scotsman|date=20 May 2018|access-date=30 January 2019}}
Halkett was made club captain, and was an important part of Livingston's 2018–19 season, with the team's defence gaining much praise with the relatively few number of goals conceded compared to similarly-placed teams in the league.{{Cite web|date=2019-01-15|title=Livingston must keep Craig Halkett beyond his current contract|url=https://www.nottheoldfirm.com/analysis/livingston-must-keep-craig-halkett-beyond-his-current-contract/|access-date=2022-01-25|website=Not The Old Firm|language=en-GB}}
= Hearts =
In April 2019, Halkett signed a pre-contract agreement with Hearts.{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/47775439 |title=Hearts: Livingston's Craig Halkett signs pre-contract to switch on three-year deal |publisher=BBC Sport |date=1 April 2019 |access-date=1 April 2019}} He suffered a knee injury in October 2019, and it was announced he would be out for 10 weeks.{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/49932937|title=Craig Halkett: Hearts defender to miss 10 weeks with knee injury|date=4 October 2019|via=www.bbc.co.uk}}
On 11 January 2022, Halkett signed a new two-and-a-half-year contract with Hearts, keeping him at the club until the end of the 2023–24 season.{{Cite web|title=Halkett signs new deal {{!}} Heart Of Midlothian Football Club|url=https://www.heartsfc.co.uk/news/article/halkett-signs-new-deal|access-date=2022-01-11|website=www.heartsfc.co.uk}}
International career
Halkett represented Scotland once, at under-19 level in 2014. He received his first call-up to the senior Scotland squad in March 2022.{{Cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/60813364 |title=Scotland: Sunderland striker Ross Stewart, Hearts defender Craig Halkett & St Johnstone keeper Zander Clark called up |date=21 March 2022 |work=BBC Sport |access-date=21 March 2022|publisher=BBC}}
Career statistics
{{updated|19 May 2025}}
{{Reflist|group=lower-alpha}}
Honours
Rangers Academy
- Scottish Youth Cup: 2013–14{{cite web | title=Rangers break Hearts in Youth Cup penalty shoot-out win | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/27403333 | publisher=BBC Sport | date=13 May 2004 | access-date=21 May 2021}}
Livingston
- Scottish League One: 2016–17{{cite web |title=Livingston 2–1 Alloa Athletic |url=http://livingstonfc.co.uk/livingston-2-1-alloa-athletic/ |publisher=Livingston F.C. |date=8 April 2017 |access-date=8 April 2017}}
Heart of Midlothian
- Scottish Championship: 2020–21{{cite web | title=Craig Halkett makes Hearts future admission as defender recalls most challenging time of his career | url=https://www.edinburghlive.co.uk/sport/football/craig-halkett-makes-hearts-future-20450792.amp | work=Edinburgh Live | date=23 April 2021 | access-date=21 May 2021}}
- Scottish Cup: Runner-up 2019–20{{cite web | title=Celtic 3:3 Hearts | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/55291058 | publisher=BBC Sport | date=20 December 2020 | access-date=21 May 2021}}
Individual
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{Soccerbase}}
{{Heart of Midlothian F.C. squad}}
{{2017–18 PFA Scotland Scottish Championship Team of the Year}}
{{2018–19 PFA Scotland Scottish Premiership Team of the Year}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Halkett, Craig}}
Category:Scottish men's footballers
Category:People educated at Kirkintilloch High School
Category:Footballers from Kirkintilloch
Category:Men's association football defenders
Category:Berwick Rangers F.C. players
Category:Livingston F.C. players
Category:Scottish Professional Football League players
Category:Scotland men's youth international footballers