Losing to your bitter rivals is one of the lowest moments in any footballer’s career.
That’s the view of one player who has played on both sides of a Dundee derby and scored the winner in an Edinburgh derby.
Simon Murray is Dundee’s last goalscorer against Dundee United, finding the net from the spot on January 2.
The Dark Blues went on to lose that night and Murray is yet to taste the joy of victory in a Dundee derby.
Monday night will be his sixth City of Discovery clash and the Dark Blues top scorer wants nothing more than seeing Dundee’s name in the hat for the next round of the cup.
“We suffered a recent defeat and it’s not easy,” he said.
“It’s a hard one, it’s probably one of the lowest feelings in your career when you’re beaten by your nearest rivals and you’ve put everything into the game.
“Both sets of fans and players want it so much.
“When you come out on the losing side it gives you that extra hunger so that you want it even more.
“I’m not saying we want it more than them, but what I’m saying is you want to be on the other side of that.
“I think that’s the overriding feeling here.
“You want to progress and a cup run is something that Dundee, us as players, really want.
“When we saw the draw you couldn’t write it, could you? But you’ve got to embrace it.”
‘Real buzz’
Eighteen days is a short length of time.
However, plenty has changed for Dundee since they lost at home to Dundee United on January 2.
Returning players are fitter after injury and there have been three new faces in the door, too.
Aaron Donnelly, Cesar Garza and Imari Samuels have since strengthened the squad and the Dark Blues go into the cup contest feeling good.
That’s after two impressive performances against Rangers and most recently against Celtic.
“It was gutting to only come away with a point against Celtic but the flip side of that is the performance has given us a real buzz,” Murray said.
“We showed what we’re capable of against the two top teams in the league.
“When you look at the bigger picture – how well the boys performed, how many games we’ve played – and we’ve just matched the best teams in the country.
“We’ve got a really young squad. Seun Adewumi is 19 and Cesar Garza is 19. His first two games in Scottish football were against the Old Firm and he’s not looked like that’s even affected him one bit.
“Experience is sometimes where we’ve maybe been let down in terms of decisions in games, but the only way to learn is by making these mistakes and learning from them.
“I think there’s a real togetherness in the team and we’re starting to gel.
“It’s great having all these young players – they keep me going, keep me fit, but I’ll still give them a run for their money!”
Being fed to the wolves
There has been no running around town in the lead up to the derby, however.
Murray was born and brought up in the city and knows just how important a fixture this is.
And how important it is to make sure you stay in the right mindset to perform.
“I stay in the house. I don’t go out. If I have to, I’ll go to Asda at 10 o’clock at night. If I’m going out there, it’s like being fed to the wolves!” Murray joked.
“Dundee’s not big, I’m from here and I have friends and family on both sides.
“There’s no getting away from it but you need to take yourself away from the scenario sometimes.
“Keep a low head because it can sometimes get a bit too much. It’s a lot of pressure.
“Both teams want it. Both sets of fans want it just as much as each other.
“You need to pick what coffee shop to go to wisely.”
The draw for the fifth round will take place after Monday’s Dundee derby, live on Premier Sports TV and Twitter channels.
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