The amazing Scottish football dream - can 115 years of hurt finally be ended in 2025?

Striker wants to help Dundee finally get their hands on Scottish Cup

Let’s start with a quick quiz question: in what year did King Edward VII die, the Mexican Revolution begin and Charles Rolls became the first person to fly across the Channel without stopping?

The answer is 1910, although that particular year is also associated with Dundee Football Club. It’s now a bit of a millstone round the neck of the Dens Park outfit, the last time they won the Scottish Cup after defeating Clyde in the final.

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Dundee are the biggest club with the longest wait to get their hands on the historic silverware. As their striker Simon Murray points out, there is not one soul on this planet who has witnessed the dark blues hoist the trophy into the sky.

Simon Murray applauds the Dundee fans after being Dundee United in the Scottish Cup.Simon Murray applauds the Dundee fans after being Dundee United in the Scottish Cup.
Simon Murray applauds the Dundee fans after being Dundee United in the Scottish Cup. | SNS Group

Could 115 years of hurt end this season? Dundee have already put one bit of Scottish Cup history to bed, defeating their city rivals in the competition for the first time since 1956 thanks to Murray’s first-minute strike on Monday night in a 1-0 win over Dundee United.

“The manager [Tony Docherty] told us about how long it has been since we’d beaten United in the Scottish Cup,” revealed Murray afterwards. “He 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.

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“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.”

There is excitement building at Dundee about the team Docherty has assembled. The sale of talisman Luke McCowan to Celtic last summer had the potential to derail them but the team has been carefully stitched together.

“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?” said Murray, with the Dee paired with Championship strugglers Airdrieonians at home in the last 16. “We have got consistency in performance and togetherness. You can see it when we make last-ditch tackles, the boys are celebrating.

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“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.”

Simon Murray glances the ball home for the only goal of the match at Dens Park.Simon Murray glances the ball home for the only goal of the match at Dens Park.
Simon Murray glances the ball home for the only goal of the match at Dens Park. | SNS Group

Murray, 32, has to be one of the only players to score a winning goal in a 1-0 Dundee derby triumph and a 1-0 Edinburgh derby win, when he netted for Hibs against Hearts in 2017.

“Was this my best night in a Dundee shirt?” Murray mused. “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. 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.”

Murray will hope there are more in the pipeline.

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