Simon Murray tells story behind Dundee celebration against Hibs - and club needs bus mechanic
Striker was wanted by Easter Road side before switch back to Dens Park
In a time of false nines and lone strikers, Simon Murray is an old school forward who can play anywhere across the front line and refuses to give defenders a minute’s peace.
He is the last player one would expect to conform to the modern practice of keeping emotions in check when scoring against a former team, and so it proved on Saturday after he snaffled a late equaliser for Dundee against Hibs.
Not only did he once play for the Easter Road side, but so, too, did his father Gary. The family has a lot of history with Hibernian.
And yet he couldn’t stop his emotions running away with themselves after he struck to preserve Dundee’s unbeaten start to the season. Of course, an additional detail is relevant here. He is a Dundee fan. He grew up watching the team and though he also played for Dundee United, his heart has remained at Dens Park. There was only one choice earlier this summer between returning to Hibs or signing for Dundee, where he spent a few months on loan from Easter Road in 2018.
He scored three times for Dundee in that short spell having struck 14 times for Hibs already that season.
The evergreen striker has now scored six times in this campaign, with Saturday’s goal perhaps the sweetest. As well as being his first in the league, the neat finish secured a precious point at the end of the ground where the Dundee fans were massed. No wonder he celebrated as he did, although he later stressed that he meant no disrespect to Hibs.
“When I was here I loved it," he explained. "It's an amazing club and I gave my all for them. But I'm now at a club that's given me a lot and that's the team that I'll give 100 per cent for.
"I respect Hibs obviously but this is my job now, doing the best for Dundee so I'll celebrate any goal against any team.
“I always speak to my Dad about it. He was a footballer as well. No feeling replaces what you feel when you score any goal. But a last-minute one is a bit special. That's as good as it gets. Luckily in my career, I've scored some cracking late goals, in big games as well. It's emotional when you see your fans. People only see you on a Saturday but they don't know how much you put in. Sometimes you get the rewards and I enjoy it when it comes.”
“There was interest from clubs but my heart was always set on coming to Dundee, that's where I'm from," he added. "I've got a young family and it was important for me to be close to them. It’s also an exciting time to be at Dundee with everything that's going on.”
These might well be positive times for the club. However, in the last week of the transfer window, when in-comers as well as the departure of Luke McCowan are expected, Dundee are advised to break the bank for one major new signing - a bus mechanic.
Their team bus was spotted being hitched onto a breakdown truck on Saturday evening outside Easter Road. It also broke down twice last season. A squad of uber cars were required to take the players home. Hopefully Murray makes it back in time for this weekend's game against St Mirren, when he is seeking to score his first goal for his boyhood heroes at Dens Park.
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