Simon Murray stays grounded to rescue Dundee United

Dundee Uniteds Simon Murray scores a late equaliser to make it 3-3 and salvage a point. Picture: SNS.

With his team on the brink of losing their third straight league game to fall even further behind Hibs, Murray was the one who stepped up to the plate to salvage an 89th-minute equaliser for Ray McKinnon’s men, who are now six points off the pace at the top of the Championship.

Murray knows better anyway. Before turning professional two years ago when then-manager Jackie McNamara plucked him from Arbroath, the Dundonian was sweating it out in his full-time job as a plumber which he combined with his burgeoning football career.

Now, two years on, the 24-year-old is fast becoming an integral part of the Tangerines’ side who are desperately chasing a return to Premiership status.

It might seem a rather hot environment for others in the United dressing room who have been responsible for letting their tilt at the title falter somewhat in recent weeks with defeats away to Dumbarton and Hibs, but Murray has it all in proper perspective.

“Going for the title doesn’t phase me. I love every minute of it,” smiled Murray after taking his goals tally to 11 for the season. Before joining Arbroath he played for junior sides Downfield, Tayport and Dundee Violet.

“I worked as a plumber before this so I know what it is like to have a real job. There is a pressure, but it is a good pressure. I enjoy it because there are more worrying things in life than playing football.

“I don’t take anything for granted and I don’t want to go back to what I was doing.

“I worked for my family business in Dundee and all my mates are still doing it.

“I worked on site, kitting out houses. I used to work on Saturday mornings and then drive over to Tayport in my van for a 1:30 kick-off. ”

Back from an illness which had kept him out of their 3-0 defeat at Easter Road the previous weekend, Murray gave his side an early lead before the roof threatened to cave in altogether, with goals by Queens’ trio Stephen Dobbie, Joseph Thomson and Dominic Thomas.

If it hadn’t been for Scott Fraser’s 78th-minute drilled finish to spark a comeback which Murray fittingly completed, this would have been psychologically a far more damaging blow had they also relinquished their unbeaten run at Tannadice this season.

Thomas Mikkelsen, on loan from Danish outfit Odense, gave glimpses of what he could offer as a target man in weeks to come, but their biggest concern must be how easily they were sliced open at the other end of the field.

Queens looked like a side capable of progressing under new manager Gary Naysmith, whose sense of frustration was curbed by the overall pride in seeing his side perform in such an enterprising manner. “I’m proud of them for their efforts,” said former Scotland international Naysmith.

“The only one criticism is that we didn’t see things out but I would far rather concentrate on the positives, and there were many.”