A FEW miles south-east of Blackpool, not far from Royal Lytham & St Annes, one of the venues which hosts The Open, lies the home of a football team called AFC Fylde. They play in what is now known as the National League North – it used to be the Conference – the level just under the fourth tier of English football. It is an unlikely part of the world in which to find one of the few still-active players who can claim to have been part of a Treble- winning Celtic squad, a man who will be a keen observer of what takes place at Hampden Park this afternoon.

Stephen Crainey, a teenager during the 2000/01 season when Martin O’Neill’s team swept all before him, is still going strong. The runs up the wing from left-back are more carefully timed these days, as he is 34, but his passion for football and the club he left 13 years ago remains as strong as it ever was.

Crainey probably slipped off the radar of most Celtic supporters after he left for Southampton, which led to moves to Leeds United, Blackpool, where he enjoyed some fine days, Wigan Athletic, Fleetwood Town and now Fylde.

It isn’t Celtic. There isn’t anyone of Henrik Larsson’s stature; however, Crainey is enjoying himself as much as ever and while retirement remains a few years away, it’s time for some reflection on a career that has brought him plenty to be proud about.

“Nobody can ever take away from me that I was part of Celtic history when we won the Treble,” says Crainey who is without question one of the most down-to-earth footballers you could ever wish to meet.

“I lived my dream and how many can say that? Every time I pulled on that jersey and ran out at Celtic Park, I thought to myself, ‘is this really happening to me?’ I loved it all. I got a great grounding there and even just training with the likes of Henrik helped me off the pitch as well as on it.

“I was a huge Celtic fan, we went to home and away games, so to play for a few seasons was amazing. I played in the League Cup final, the first trophy on the way to the Treble, and when I look back now, I see myself as a lucky guy. Celtic are still my team. I go up for games and it’s the first result I look for. It’s always great when we win and Rangers lose. Ha.”

Crainey wasn’t lucky, though, because his professionalism from an early age shone through, although he never really got regular games.

He had three problems at Celtic: O’Neill’s reluctance to give any young player a run in the team; the fact he was always a modest lad; and his style of being an attacking left-back – which would get him a game in Ronny Deila’s team – was not to O’Neill’s liking.

And so although he never put a foot wrong, he was always more a squad player than a regular.

“My medals are at my mum and dad’s,” Crainey said. “I’m not one to put them on display or watch the old games. Maybe a few years down the line will be time to do that.

“I am proud of my Celtic days and what came afterwards. I train now with Fylde as I did with Celtic and all my other clubs, and that means I treat every session as if it’s my last. I have always given my all. That has never changed.

“In the end, I was in and out of the team at Celtic. I allowed my head to rule my heart and it was my decision to go. But there are no regrets. I was part of a special time at the club.”

Was his lack of ego a drawback? “I am who I am and will never change,” he says. “To be honest, I never got those who walked about as if they were Billy Bigtime. What is that all about?

“Leaving was the best thing I ever did, although it didn’t feel like it at the time, because I have had a great time in England, and still am.”

After Celtic, it was his years at Blackpool when he worked with Ian Holloway which stand out in his long career in England. That side won promotion to the Premier League, missed out on staying up by a point, and then made another play-off, all in a three-year period.

Crainey said: “We were a team full of guys who were forced into taking a step back to go forward. Ian was great. He comes across as a funny guy, which he is, but he is an intelligent man and was brilliant tactically. His ethos was we would try to score one more than the opposition. It was a great team to play in. We got 39 points in the Premier League so were really unlucky to get relegated. I look back on that time with real pride.”

Crainey made his Scotland debut in a 5-0 defeat to a brilliant France team in Paris. “I’ll tell the kids one day I was on the same park as Zidane,” he said, and he is proud of his career which brought 12 caps.

But why Fylde when there were opportunities to stay in the senior ranks? “It’s on my doorstep,” Crainey said. “I wasn’t doing much after I left Fleetwood, and Fylde gave me a call. I had offers and could have done the whole living away for a few days a week thing. But I have three kids and family comes first. It’s a great club, I am really enjoying it and while it’s not Celtic or the Premier League, the dressing room is great and I have played in every match.”

So would Crainey enjoy watching the present Celtic team sweep all before them, meaning the side he broke into would no longer be known as the last Treble-winning team? What do you think?

“I am as big a supporter now as I was then,” he said. “I like Deila. He has some really great players. The European defeats were disappointing and Rangers not being there is surreal but I would love to see all three trophies at Parkhead again.

“I hope they beat Ross County and get that first final place then go on and make Celtic history. You can’t buy that.”