Derby County deal for £350k star was amazing - He created history vs Nottingham Forest | OneFootball

Craig Bryson's 2011 move to the Rams went under the radar, but he made himself a legend at Pride Park.

This summer marks 15 years since Craig Bryson made the switch to Derby County from Scottish side Kilmarnock. It was a move that did not raise too many eyebrows at the time, but when he departed eight years later, he left a legend.

The Rams paid just £350k for the midfielder in June 2011, as he bid farewell to a club that he led as captain and he made his way south of the border for the first time in his career. In fact, the now retired star had been on trial with the East Midlands outfit before, but missed out on his opportunity while Billy Davies was manager.

Nevertheless, he had a point to prove in black-and-white, and as he was a relatively unknown name in England, he came without a reputation. It was something that aided him, and he was able to settle in at Pride Park without the pressure that a multi-million pound signing would have.

Yet, just three years later, Bryson would make himself a Derby legend and his name will forever be associated with the club. In just 90 minutes of football, the Rutherglen-born ace would become an icon in DE24 who will never be forgotten.

Craig Bryson made a great impact early on at Derby County

The then 24-year-old registered an assist on his Championship debut, as the Rams ran out 2-1 winners against Birmingham City, and just two weeks later, he would find the back of the net for the first time as his new side beat Blackpool 1-0 at Bloomfield Road

Bryson would end his first season in England with six goals and six assists in 44 league games. However, Derby themselves were unable to finish in a play-off place - eventually ending the campaign in 11th. Despite this, it was a positive start, and he would only get better under Nigel Clough.

While he would only have 10 goals involvements in 2012/13, injuries played a larger role, and he made just 37 appearances in the Championship. It was a season that proved to be Clough's final one in the dugout at Pride Park, and this would prove pivotal for not only Bryson, but the rest of his teammates in the East Midlands.

At the end of September 2013, Derby sacked their head coach, replacing him with former England manager Steve McClaren. With this move, the team would change to a 4-3-3 formation, and the Scottish midfielder's talent would finally be fully unlocked.

Craig Bryson wrote his name into Derby County history with a hat-trick v Nottingham Forest

While a defeat to Nottingham Forest saw Clough lose his job in DE24, he had overseen a 5-1 away win over Millwall just weeks prior. Bryson scored what would be the first of two hat-tricks that season during the rout at The Den, in what would be his best-ever scoring campaign.

In March 2014, Derby's momentum under McClaren had started to simmer. Leicester City and Burnley were building a gap at the top of the Championship table and the Rams had not scored a goal in their last four. However, the visit of Forest to Pride Park would be momentous as the home side ran out 5-0 winners.

Bryson scored three, including a penalty to finish the game and claim the match ball. In doing so, he became only the second Derby player to have scored a hat-trick in the East Midlands derby, and he now lives in the history books next to club legend Steve Bloomer, who did the same in 1898.

While the midfielder would never reach the same heights as he did in the 2013/14 campaign in the remaining years he had with the club, there is no denying the icon status that he still has at the Championship club.