Don Murray (footballer)

Don Murray

Personal information
Full name	Donald James Murray
Date of birth	18 January 1946
Place of birth	Elgin, Scotland
Playing position	Defender
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps^†	(Gls)^†
1962–1975	Cardiff City	406	(6)
1974–1975	→ Swansea City (loan)	5	(0)
1975–1976	Heart of Midlothian	38	(0)
1976–1977	Newport County	18	(0)
National team
1965	Scotland U23	1	(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (goals)

Donald James "Don" Murray (born 18 January 1946 in Elgin, Moray) is a Scottish former professional footballer. A Scotland under-23 international, Murray spent the majority of his career playing for Cardiff City where he made over 400 appearances in all competitions during a thirteen-year spell. He also played for Swansea City, Heart of Midlothian and Newport County.^[1] He still resides in South Wales in the lovely village of Dinas Powys and can quite often be seen in the Cross Keys, where he is a firm favourite with the locals.

Club career

Murray began his career at Cardiff City, making his debut at the age of 17 years and 113 days old, against Middlesbrough in May 1963. Fully establishing himself in the 1964–65 season he went on to hold a first team spot with the Bluebirds for a decade, including being an ever present for three of the seasons, and currently holds the club record for consecutive league appearances with 146 games between May 1968 to November 1971.^[2] Murray was also a member of the Cardiff squad that reached the European Cup Winners Cup semi-final in the 1967–68 season.^[3]

Cardiff often received offers from higher clubs for Murray but he decided to remain with Cardiff for the majority of his career. He had a short loan spell at Swansea City in his last year with the club before returning to Scotland for a year with Heart of Midlothian for a fee of £15,000.^[4] He joined Newport County the following year, linking up with former Cardiff manager Jimmy Scoular.

International career

During his career, Murray gained one Scotland under-23 cap.^[2][5]

Honours

Cardiff City

• Welsh Cup Winner: 9

1964, 1965, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1973, 1974

• Welsh Cup Runner-up: 1

1972

References

1. "Don Murray". Post War English & Scottish Football League A - Z Player's Database. Retrieved 2010-05-03.
2. Hayes, Dean (2006). The Who's Who of Cardiff City. Breedon Books. ISBN 1-85983-462-0.
3. Struthers, Greg (2008-05-18). "Cardiff City reach Cup Winners' Cup semi-final, 1968". London: The Sunday Times. Retrieved 2010-05-03.
4. "Past players". Swansea City A.F.C. Retrieved 2010-05-03.
5. "Don Murray". www.fitbastats.com. Retrieved 13 October 2012.