Former Rangers midfielder Andy Murdoch’s return to Ibrox tonight will be emotional for him.
He’s the only former Rangers player currently in the Ayr United squad, and should be remembered fondly. This is because Murdoch was with Rangers for nearly the full duration of “The Journey”.
The Ayr United midfielder made one appearance in League One, before making a further 21 in the Championship. It was a turbulent time for the club as Ally McCoist struggled to bring Rangers back to the big-time. But for Murdoch, it’s likely to be the best time of his career.
Unfortunately for the former Gers youngster, the arrival of Mark Warburton saw him frozen out. Murdoch would be the first to admit that he was never really good enough for where Rangers wanted to go, but he could never be accused of lacking heart.
He gave everything in a Rangers jersey, and even had the honour of scoring for the club. That goal came against Raith Rovers at Starks Park back in February 2015.
Since Warburton shipped him out, Murdoch had ill-fated spells at Cowdenbeath and Queen of the South in the Championship. He then moved to Cappielow to play under Jim Duffy at Morton in a productive two-year spell.
His journey to Ayr
42 appearances and three goals later, and Murdoch now finds himself with Ayr United. He’s been strutting his stuff this season in the Championship, and has his side sitting top of the table.
The former Rangers youth academy graduate has been central to that good form. He’s already appeared in all 12 of Ayr’s first-team matches this season, and led them to nine wins out of those 12. United have only lost once this season, in a dreadful 5-0 defeat at Queen of the South.
It’s pleasing to see how well Murdoch has done since leaving Rangers. The departure will have been a low-point for him, and his return to Ibrox will be another positive aspect to what’s been a productive last few years for him.
Hopefully, that’s the only part of tonight that’s pleasing for him, with a much-changed Rangers side set to go out to try and make their mark.
