From Dundee to Down Under and all the several thousand miles back, Simon Murray’s journey to the peak of Scottish football has been anything but orthodox.
The striker didn’t start playing professionally until he was 22, but after signing a £30-a-week Arbroath contract at a local McDonald’s, he hasn’t looked back.
“My last junior team was Dundee Violet, but it was mostly Tayport for me,” he said.
“I came back with John McGlashan. I actually did a bit of travelling in Australia when I was 21. I went away for a year. I had a problem with shin splints. Then John phoned me and said that I needed to get back, that I was missing the opportunity to get back into the professional leagues. John said he’d get me that opportunity. He was manager of Dundee Violet at the time. We had eight games left, they were bottom of the league, and I went and scored 15 goals towards the end of the season. We stayed up. He got me trials at Arbroath. I just went to one training session in Perth – Paul Sheerin was the manager – and I met him in McDonald’s the next day. He offered me £30 a week and I told him immediately I’d sign.”
Murray’s stint in Oz clearly did him no harm. Labouring for a Scottish roofer named Jock may have been the closest he got to physical endurance while away, mind you.
Now the sole non-Celtic PFA Scotland Player of the Year nominee for 2024/25, the 33-year-old has come quite a distance from his days of buckling down and grafting on site, as well as developing his trade at junior level, as much as he had an outstanding few moments of madness in the latter.
“That’s where you learn. I was 16 years old, and I was playing against tough defenders. There were a few games – Arnadale, Arniston – I was up against old school players, and they’d just elbow you off the ball and this thing and the next.
“I’d never been part of a fine system. But there was one time, I’d had about £20 worth of fines and I was thinking ‘I don’t want to pay this.’ I was on about £4 a week back then. The way we used to do the warm up, the assistant manager was in the semi-circle on the pitch and all the boys were running round. One of them, the captain, said, ‘If you peel off the back and sprint into Cas and floor him, I’ll let you off with the fines.’ So, we were jogging around, and I peeled off and, full force, smashed him. All the boys, it was just hilarity. But he never got up. He had to go to hospital. I’d broken his rib.
“I got off with my fine, though, that was the most important thing. But the whole dressing room, that’s where I learned a lot. These boys weren’t in it for the money or anything like that. It was just all about the togetherness and just winning. That’s where I get my sort of winning attitude, just enjoyment of winning.”
Murray’s 22 goals across all competitions this season make him one of Scotland’s top marksmen. He is just one strike away from equalling his tally from last season at Ross County.
The forward spent a year and a half in the Highlands but understandably couldn’t resist when his boyhood club came calling in the summer.
“Travelling up to County and back to family in Dundee, that was bringing stress. Travelling in cars for two hours and that – it was bringing problems. It does catch up on you.
“It wasn’t the only draw in coming to Dundee, it’s a great club and that and I’m from there. But the added bonus is that I live only about 45 seconds from the training ground. It was the best move I could get. When I came, I’d missed the pre-season with Dundee because I was to-ing and fro-ing with Ross County. I probably never really started hitting form until November, December.
“From that time, I started playing more like I was last year at County. From then I’ve kind of kept my consistency levels pretty much the same. In terms of that and the goals, it’s been good this season. But I should also say that I feel I’m playing in a pretty good attacking team. We score a lot of goals, and it’s great to play in.”
Tony Docherty was widely lauded for guiding Dundee to a memorable top six finish last season, and rightly so. His team haven’t enjoyed parallel levels of success this campaign, however, and they remain just two points ahead of a relegation play-off place with four games to go.
Regardless, Murray loves working under the man dubbed ‘The Doc’. “When you have somebody that gives you that sort of trust, it’s massive. I met him in the summer and we spoke quite a lot. He wanted me to come back to my home city and be the main man. I’ve always thought that if I’d been given an opportunity by somebody, I wanted to reward them by how I go about my business. Thankfully, I’ve managed to play well for him.”
The fruits, or in this case, goals, of Murray’s labour could have been enjoyed by Dundee long before he made his debut for the club at 32. Indeed, he spent time in their, and United’s, academy as a pre-teen.
A young Murray was never fancied. While rejection doesn’t fuel him over two decades on, an inherent desire to continually prove his abilities does.
“It was someone’s opinion that I wasn’t good enough. Dundee’s academy wasn’t what it is like now. It wasn’t as good a setup, and Dundee United’s was the same. Maybe just at the time, I wasn’t good enough. But it’s not about rejection, I don’t need to prove anybody wrong. I just need to prove myself right. Even now, I get a sense of ‘He’s not good enough’. But that’s good enough for me…because it just gives you that extra motivation to do your talking on the pitch.”
Given he was roofing with Jock back in the mid-2010s, it has be to admired that Murray has managed to make a living out of football. Getting to the top is one thing, but staying there is another, at least that’s what one of the striker’s old teammates told him.
“Obviously, I was an apprentice plumber and playing junior football. You’re doing a hard sort of graft. I loved that at the time. You were having a laugh too and it’s a different sort of camaraderie also. It’s just what you’re used to. But when you see the side of being a professional footballer… I remember someone saying to me – he was playing for Albion Rovers at the time – that the hard part is not getting full-time, it’s staying full-time. Staying in that environment – that’s the hardest bit. It’s not getting the opportunity, it’s staying there for a prolonged length of time.
“So I think when I went into Dundee United, and I saw the Sean Dillons and John Rankins and how they went about it all, I just tried to copy them and emulate how they looked after their selves.”
If Murray can prolong his career to the extent of the Irish stalwart, he’ll be happy, even if his good lady may not feel the same.
“Obviously, I look after myself. I still feel I’ve got a lot of miles in the tank. If I can get to 40, that would be a decent achievement. 40 is probably the aim, although I’m not sure what the wife would say. I definitely want to do as much now as I can. I don’t know what I’d do without football on a Saturday, to be honest. At the moment, I’m just enjoying it. Hopefully, keep fit and injury-free. Since my injury, I’ve done a lot in the gym and look after myself. If I could get to 40, I’ll take it from there and see what happens.”
If Murray does indeed make it to 40, not only will it be an admirable achievement for a player who wasn’t initially fancied to go pro, but it also means we’ll more than likely see him find the back of the net countless times over in the coming years.
Recognized for his fine goalscoring form this season as a PFA Scotland Player of the Year nominee, Murray doesn’t take praise from his fellow players lightly. “Obviously, you play against them week in week out, and it’s pretty good you’re on the pitch, and they maybe recognize what you are offering your team. Or if you’re a hard opponent against them. When you get a vote, it’s pretty special.”
Callum McGregor voted in favor of Murray winning the prestigious award. “He’s done amazing,” said the Celtic skipper.
“The one if I had to pick outside Celtic, he has been the outstanding candidate. He’s scored a lot of goals, he’s scored in big games and he’s actually played really well against us as well. So he’s given us problems. I always look at who’s been good against us as well and try and pick somebody from that. He more than deserves his place.”
Although McGregor hung up his international boots at the age of 31 to focus on club football, he thinks Steve Clarke would be wise to consider handing Murray a call-up as Scotland begin their preparations for the 2026 World Cup with a duo of friendlies against Iceland and Liechtenstein in June.
“He’s the type of guy that would represent Scotland in the best possible way. He works as hard as he possibly can. He’s sprinting about the pitch constantly. He’s always trying to help his team. He’s trying to set the tone. And then when you score that number of goals as well, then you know he’s got a goal in him. Like I said, he’d probably be the perfect candidate. If he was going to get there in the summer, then who knows?
“You’ve seen everybody has different journeys and you see some of the England boys as well that have come in late on and done really well. [It’s the] same with Scotland as well. I don’t think there should ever be an age limit on when you can get back in the squad or get your first cap or whatever it is. If you’re doing well in the moment, of course, you need a bit of luck as well, then I don’t think there should be a limit on that. If you’re doing well and you deserve it, then you should be in.”
Ever-humble, Murray wouldn’t hesitate to represent his country, should the call one day come.
“All I would say is that it’s amazing for people to come out and talk about me like that. I’m the top goal scorer in Scotland, that’s a great achievement as well. At least, for the moment…we’ll see how that ends. If I could do that, and can play like people in the squad aren’t, then who knows? I’ll just try to keep doing what I am.
“I love playing football, love playing on a matchday. It’s the best day of the week, turning up on a Saturday, and you’re ready to go toe to toe. That’s what I love about it. I’ll just keep doing what I’m doing.”
Dundee face Motherwell this weekend in their penultimate home game of the season. Perhaps Clarke’s watchful eyes will gaze over Dens Park as Murray looks to perpetuate his local hero status and ensure his boyhood club remain in the top-flight.
