Simon Murray ended Dundee derby hoodoo and now he's DESPERATE to bury 115 year Scottish Cup wait

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Simon Murray helped to bury a 69-year hoodoo and would love to go and burst another 115-year one by firing Dundee to Scottish Cup glory.

The Dark Blues are on a high after the striker’s first minute derby goal was enough to knock Dundee United out of the Cup and book their place in the fifth round against Airdrie. Previously, it was back in 1956 the last time Dundee had beaten their rivals in the Scottish Cup. Murray helped put that to bed and now he would love a glory run that would make even more history and see Dundee lift the trophy for the first time since 1910.

The life-long Dee fan admitted: “The manager told us about how long it has been since we’d beaten United in the Scottish Cup in the build-up to the game. He mentioned it, told us it was a record we can put right because it was a long, long time.

“It’s good to get that done and you saw what it meant to the fans at the end. There was a sense of relief, not just for finally ending that run, but also because United threw the kitchen sink at us towards the end.

“We want to get Dundee stability in the league, pushing top six every season - but winning a cup is the dream. I have dreamed about it all my life.

“It’s tough to win the league in this country so the cups are the main thing we can aim at. It has been a long time, nobody has seen Dundee win the Scottish Cup so it would be an unbelievable achievement. That would be amazing.”

The 32-year-old is now back in his second spell with Dundee. He admitted netting his glory winner is right up there in his Dens Park highlights. Murray is putting some collection together as he also has a Hibs’ derby winner against Hearts back in 2017.

Murray said: “Was this my best night in a Dundee shirt? Yeah, it’s up there with anything in my career to be honest. Scoring the winner in the derby, it’s right up there with my best experiences in football.

“It’s amazing, family and friends are here so it’s an amazing feeling. I had the same in the Edinburgh derby as well, so it’s good - you have to enjoy these nights when they come.

“I scored in the last derby but we ended up losing the game so that took the shine right off it. This time I tried to stay calm after scoring because it bit me on the arse the last time. So I just wanted to keep going and I thought the boys were excellent.”

Murray is very much one of the leaders of Tony Docherty’s gang. The Dundonian knows their recent success is built on togetherness. He explained: “We showed a real togetherness, especially when our backs were against the wall.

“I was absolutely knackered after it and everyone else was the same because we put so much into it. You see the talent we have, we have Seun (Adewumi), Lyall Cameron and loads of others.

“There is a real belief we can compete against any team at the moment so why not have a little cup run and give the fans something We have got consistency in performance and togetherness. You can see it when we make last-ditch tackles, the boys are celebrating.

“You can see people throwing themselves in front of everything. We look a totally different team from the start of the season but we also know what happens in football if you take your foot off the gas for a second.”

Dundee’s reward for seeing off United is a home tie against Championship strugglers Airdrie. Murray knows there is plenty of football still to be played before then but there will be no complacency from their camp when that game comes along.

He warned: “Airdrie will be a tough tie, no fixture is easy. But any draw at home is positive because we have shown in recent times that we’re able to compete with anyone.”

Before then there is a weekend clash with Celtic. Dundee almost got a famous win against the Hoops earlier this month and it took a 93rd minute penalty from Arne Engels to rescue a point for the champions at Dens Park. They will head to Celtic Park full of confidence after draws with Rangers and Celtic and this derby win.

He added: “Overall we felt we were pretty solid in those games but obviously we conceded three against Celtic. But it’s not often you come off after playing Celtic, getting a draw and feeling gutted.

“It was just unlucky in that one, Mo was just trying to block the shot. Before the game, we’d have thought a draw was a good result but afterwards we were really disappointed. Celtic, Rangers and United have all been here recently and we’ve played well against all three.

“So it’s back to the league stuff now but we’ve got that to look forward to when it comes around. We go to Celtic Park this weekend, they’re the best team in the country so it’s always really tough. I’ll have a few days off now to rest the old legs and be ready to go again for the weekend.”

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