Simon Murray isn’t a great believer in fairytales - even if he’s been in a dressing room where sorcery and magic spells were very real. The Queen’s Park striker currently finds himself in the middle of one of Scottish football’s modern day romances.
Despite defeat at Cove Rangers on Friday, the Spiders are looking to weave their magic in a Premiership promotion push. And their leading man insists there’s nothing make-believe about their intentions just three years after shedding amateur status.
Murray’s own footballing story, which saw him rack up his 250th professional appearance on Friday night, wouldn’t look out of place among some of the best sellers on the book shelves. Especially the chapter on his spell with Bidvest Wits in Johannesburg three years ago. The 30-year-old tells the story as if it’s the most normal thing in football. But then, having experienced the wild ups and downs of the football rollercoaster from the Tayside Juniors to Scottish Premiership, he’s bound to have seen some crazy sights.
The Dundonian spent 18 months in the rainbow nation before rupturing his ACL. It was an injury he feared could put his career in danger. Months before that misfortune the frontman was in the form of his life .. despite opposing teams going to remarkable lengths to stop him and his team mates.
Murray said: “South Africa was a great experience and if it hadn’t been for the injury I might still be out there. You wouldn’t believe some of the stuff that went on. There was a game away to Black Leopards, a team from Limpopo which is near the border of Zimbabwe. They get big crowds because there’s nothing much else to do out there.
“It was quite an atmosphere and when I walked into the dressing room the kit man was there throwing magic potion smoke bombs around and burning candles. I asked him what he was up to. He said ‘I’m reversing the spell they’ve put on us’.
“Fair enough then! It’s all these voodoo spells that some of these teams put on the room believing it will bring you injury or bad luck or so you can’t score. You see many things as a young kid growing up in Dundee. But this .. well it was a new one on me. Thankfully that wasn’t the game where I did my ACL. That would have been too freaky. I’d be suing someone if that had been the case!”
Three years on and Murray is now casting his own magic with Queen’s Park where he’s finished top scorer two seasons running, helping the Spiders make the leap from League Two to Championship. He lost 16 months of his career to that brutal ligament tear which came just three minutes into the opening league game of the season in 2019.
The arrival of Covid a few months later further derailed his rehab and the striker was facing a bleak outlook until Queen’s Park made him an offer he couldn’t refuse in September 2020. The ambitious Spiders brought the former Dundee United and Hibs ace back to Scotland and put him through the final few months of his rehab in the hope he’d pay them back in goals.
So far so good on that front. But skipper Murray insists he’s only just got started. He’s got unfinished business in the Premiership after hitting six goals in 22 outings for Hibs following a spell at Dundee United where he’d netted seven times in 22 top flight outings before the Tannadice side’s relegation to the Championship in 2016. Some might still scoff at the suggestion Queen’s Park could be in the top flight this time next year.
But Murray said: “Why not? We’re in the mix. We’re doing well. There’s points that we’ve left out there that are disappointing too. It’s really exciting to play in. You’re always looking at other scores. This is the hardest division in Scotland to get out of. Rangers and Hibs even struggled in it. It’s ultra competitive and this season is no different.
“But I want to get back to the top flight and I’d love it to be with Queen’s Park. I’ve a point to prove - not to anyone else but to myself. I left Hibs because I had a great opportunity in South Africa and I might still be out there if it wasn’t for the injury.
“I just twisted my knee, landed awkwardly and it was quite a bad one. It hurt but nothing major because I tried to play on for a few minutes but then I cut inside and my leg just gave way again. In the end I lost about 16 months of my playing career. When Queen’s Park signed me they knew I was injured and knew it would take four or five months for me to be back playing. They put me through rehab which I’ll always be grateful for. I feel like I’ve paid them back but there’s more to come.
“There’s always the fear that you might not play at a certain level again. But I also think players can use that as an excuse. My manager in South Africa, Gavin Hunt, said if you cheat the game you’ll get nothing back. I feel there’s more to come in fitness terms. My numbers are still getting better every week. I firmly believe I can take another step up and play at a higher level again.”
Murray hit the 250 games landmark on Friday night at Cove. But there’s a more important number in his sights as he chases down his dad Gary’s professional total. Murray senior was a striker too at Hibs, Montrose and Forfar before having to retire due to a knee injury at the age of 30.
There’s no accurate record of his official goal tally - but the 63-year-old is insistent it’s close to 150 in all competitions. Murray junior currently has 97 career goals to his name and said: “It’s interesting to hear about dad’s goals because I’d love to beat his record!
“Nobody is certain how many he scored but he’s sure he got close to 150. That’s got to be my target. I’ve a few to go but it’s doable. Reaching 100 is the first target and that’s got to be achievable this season now. My dad never misses a match. He’s at every Queen’s Park game home and away.
“He’s been a big influence on my career. I never got to see him play unfortunately. He struggled with his knees and had to retire at 30. It’s good to have targets and reach landmarks. But in all honesty I just want to do my best for the team. My job is to provide goals but I don’t put pressure on myself. Although it would be nice to have a momento of my goals to show my three-year-old son Novah when he is older.”
Murray has paid tribute to Owen Coyle for helping him rediscover his best form after a dry spell in front of goal. The striker went 11 games without bulging the net for Queen’s Park in the middle of last season. But the appointment of the former Ireland striker sparked a resurgence that helped the Spiders clinch a successive promotion.
Coyle arrived at Hampden in March after leaving Jamshedpur in India. And Murray hit a run of form that saw him score in the play-off semi final win over Dunfermline and both legs of the final including an extra time penalty winner against Airdrie.
Murray said: “I had hit a lull last season. I didn’t feel myself, didn’t feel as good or as fit as I had done previously. Then the gaffer came in and he just instilled belief and positivity right back into me. He told me to remember the good career I’d had and what I was capable of.
“I still think there’s more to come. He’s got me a lot fitter, the training has made me sharper. I’ve gone up the levels under Owen. He’s the kind of manager I’ve always liked. He’s a motivator who gets the best out his players.
“He tells you the truth and what you need to hear, no sugar-coating. It 100 per cent helps that he was a striker. We are exciting going forward, we have good attacking players and are always playing on the front foot trying to get forward.
“I’ve always been good running in behind and high intensity stuff but he’s also got me to improve the basics like my hold up play. It’s all about instilling that positive mindset coming off the back of a serious injury and hopefully trying to get back to my best.”
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