Craigan challenges wife's loyalty

STEPHEN CRAIGAN will tell his new Scotland-supporting wife she can forget about getting a ticket for tomorrow's match unless she supports Northern Ireland.

Motherwell stopper Craigan is expected to line up for Nigel Worthington's men tomorrow at Hampden.

But Craigan has told his wife that unless she ditches her tartan scarf, she won't be getting a complimentary brief from her husband.

Craigan said: "My wife's Scottish and all her family are big Scotland fans. It's going to be interesting to see where her loyalties lie on Wednesday night. But I've told her she hasn't got a hope of getting a ticket off me unless she wants to sit in the Northern Ireland end and cheer us on. She may think I'm joking but I'm deadly serious. I'll be playing for Northern Ireland and I want us to win – Scotland are simply another team that must be beaten in my eyes.

"Yes, I may have lived and worked in Scotland for some time now but that doesn't mean I want anything less than a good performance and a Northern Ireland win at Hampden.

"If that causes a few arguments then so be it."