Craig Derek Mahon (born 21 June 1989) is an Irish former footballer who played as a winger. He currently manages club AFC Fylde. He has played in the Football League for Accrington Stanley.
Early life Craig Derek Mahon was born on 21 June 1989 in Dublin.
Club career Early career Mahon's footballing education took place at the Dublin-based club Lourdes Celtic, from there he signed as trainee in the 2006–07 season at Wigan Athletic he then progressed through the ranks. He signed a one-year professional contract with Wigan in June 2008.
Mahon signed for Accrington Stanley on loan in the 2008–09 season. He made his debut on 29 November 2008 in a League Two match against Bury, which ended in a 2–1 home defeat for Accrington.
In the summer of 2009, he was released by Wigan and went on to have a short spells with Salford City and Burscough.
After trials at Football League clubs Bury and Rochdale, Mahon signed for Conference North club Vauxhall Motors on 4 September 2010. He signed a further one-year contract on 26 July 2011. The club secured the services of Mahon on a further one-year contract on 27 July 2012. He was voted the Vauxhall Motors Player of the Season for the 2012–13 season.
Chester Mahon signed for Conference Premier club Chester on 23 May 2013. First season at Chester included time on loan at the Northern Premier League side AFC Fylde. At the end of the season he agreed new deal.
On 7 November 2014, Mahon became the father of twins. The following day Mahon was back on the pitch playing for Chester against Football League team Southend United in the FA Cup first round. Mahon had further cause for celebration by scoring the winning goal in the 51st minute, the match ending 2–1 to Chester as they pulled off a surprise victory against higher-ranked opponents. He signed a new two-year contract in April 2015 though his displays in the FA Cup drew attention from Football League scouts.
Mahon signed further two-year deal in May 2017 and stayed with Chester despite financial troubles hit the club and relegation to the National League North in April 2018.
At the end of May 2019 Mahon extended his stay at Chester to seventh year. He was loaned out to Northern Premier League side Ashton United in December, before signing for Altrincham in January 2020.
On 12 September 2017, Mahon broke the all-time appearance record for Chester and went on to make 215 league appearances during his seven year stay with the club.
Later career He was part of the Altrincham team that beat Chester in the play-off quarterfinals and eventually were promoted to the National League on 1 August 2020 after beating Boston United 1–0 in the final.
Mahon signed for National League North club Curzon Ashton in September 2020. He signed a further one-year contract as a player-coach in August 2021. In October, he took the role of interim manager for three games, whilst the club recruited a new manager. In September 2023, he was appointed interim manager for a second time following the departure of Adam Lakeland. On 8 February 2024, Craig was offered the Management role on permanent deal until June 2025.
International career Mahon represented the Republic of Ireland at youth level, making his debut for the under-18 team on 7 February 2007 in a 0–0 draw against the Netherlands. He appeared for the under-19 team later in the year, playing in a 2–1 defeat against Chile.
Management career On 13 June 2025, Mahon departed Curzon Ashton, joining recently relegated National League North club AFC Fylde as head coach. He led the team to an immediate return to the National League in his first season in charge, a 4–2 win over Merthyr Town on the final day of the 2025–26 season seeing the Coasters crowned Champions.
Personal life Craig Mahon is a nephew of a former Tranmere Rovers midfielder Alan Mahon. During the time with Chester he combined his playing career with work at Wigan Athletic Community Trust.
Career statistics
+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueFA CupEFL CupOtherTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsWigan Athletic2008–09Premier League0000000000Accrington Stanley (loan)2008–09League Two2000000020Salford City2009–10NPL Division One North15531—62248Burscough2009–10NPL Premier Division93——00932010–11NPL Premier Division106——00106Total199——00199Vauxhall Motors2010–11Conference North35360—104232011–12Conference North41421—304652012–13For FA Cup second qualifying round: For FA Trophy third qualifying round: Conference North41010—10430Total117791—501318Chester2013–14Conference Premier27300—202932014–15Conference Premier44641—205072015–16National League39110—404412016–17National League25110—102712017–18National League32100—103312018–19For FA Cup second qualifying round: For FA Cup third qualifying round: For FA Trophy third qualifying round: For FA Trophy third qualifying round replay: National League North40420—414652019–20For FA Cup second qualifying round: For FA Cup second qualifying round replay: For FA Trophy third qualifying round: National League North8010—10100Total2151691—15123918AFC Fylde (loan)2013–14NPL Premier Division60——0060Ashton United (loan)2019–20NPL Premier Division40——0040Altrincham2019–20National League North80——30110Curzon Ashton2020–21For FA Cup second qualifying round: National League North17110—101912021–22For FA Cup second qualifying round: For FA Cup third qualifying round: National League North41230—204622022–23For FA Cup second qualifying round: For FA Cup third qualifying round: For FA Cup third qualifying round replay: National League North46360—205432023–24National League North39740—604972024–25National League North27040—40350Total17013180—15020313Career total556463930044359556
Managerial statistics
+ Managerial record by team and tenureTeamFromToRecordCurzon Ashton (interim)19 October 202128 October 2021Curzon Ashton (interim)28 September 20238 February 2024Curzon Ashton8 February 202413 June 2025AFC Fylde13 June 2025Presenthttps://www.afcfylde.co.uk/news/2025/june/13/craig-mahon-appointed-afc-fylde-head-coach-today/Total
Honours As a player Altrincham National League North play-offs: 2020
As a manager AFC Fylde National League North: 2025–26
References
External links
Profile at the Curzon Ashton F.C. website