Ross Matthews reckons the tough love of ‘old school’ Grant Murray helped to craft him as a player.
The Raith Rovers star will always be indebted to Murray, who handed the combative midfielder his senior debut back in December 2013.
However, even when he was part of the first-team group, that did not spare him from the gruelling odd-jobs around Stark’s Park.
Now 228 appearances later, and the work ethic demanded by former Rovers boss Murray and his erstwhile first-team coach Laurie Ellis has stuck with Matthews.
So, there is a certain irony that Murray — now Queen of the South assistant manager — will be in the opposite dugout when Raith face the Dumfries outfit in the SPFL Trust Trophy final.
“It’s a bit of coincidence, definitely,” smiled Matthews. “Grant was my first manager here. He was great for me.
“He was the one who picked me up from the youth academy. Him and Laurie Ellis used to take the reserve games and I owe a lot to him.
“I learned so much in my first year under him and Laurie. He let me train with the first-team — although he was quite strict about the jobs away from football.
“I hated it at the time, but that’s probably another thing you don’t realise that will stand you in really good stead. When we were ground staff, we used to come back [to Stark’s Park] every day and clean stuff even if it hadn’t been used!
“I used to clean the main stand on a Monday after the games and then again on a Saturday. That was all thanks to Grant and Laurie!”
‘You can’t take anything for granted’
As well as imbuing youngsters with some valuable life lessons, Murray also brought silverware to Kirkcaldy, leading Rovers to a famous Ramsden’s Cup final victory over Rangers in 2014.
⏪ Semi-Final Flashback@RaithRovers came from behind, away to Kilmarnock, to win 2-1 and book their place in Sunday's cup final!
Are you backing the Rovers to win the @SPFLTrust Trophy this weekend? 🏆 pic.twitter.com/Fsr33s4oE7
— SPFL (@spfl) April 1, 2022
And he would love current boss John McGlynn — who signed Murray for Rovers and shaped the experienced defender into his successor — to enjoy the same glory day.
“It would be big for everyone but I think it would be really special for the gaffer to win a trophy here,” continued Matthews. “He’s been here for ages, the fans love him and all the players appreciate him.
“He’s been massive for me, personally. I’ve improved massively under him.”
Matthews helped Rovers win the 2019/20 League 1 title, albeit the campaign was curtailed and Raith were presented with the trophy months later.
The Fifers are also co-holders of the Challenge Cup, with their scheduled final against Inverness in 2020 cancelled due to the pandemic.
As such, Matthews is desperate to finally get his hands on silverware in a more traditional manner.
“You can’t take anything for granted,” added Matthews. “This isn’t something that happens every season. We need to take advantage.”
