Erris native Ronan Murray on the move east
Erris native Ronan Murray has signed for Drogheda United for the upcoming League of Ireland season, which commences next month.
Murray (29) is the 24th player and seventh new addition to be announced from Tim Clancy’s 2021 Premier Division squad.
A star for Iorras Aontaithe in his younger days before joining Ipswich Town as a 15-year-old, Murray's time at the Suffolk club was marked by loan spells at Torquay United, Plymouth Argyle and Swindon Town, with whom he won a League Two title under manager Paulo di Canio.
He then made a permanent move to Notts County in 2013 before returning to Ireland with Galway United in 2016. The Erris man was named in the PFAI Premier Division Team of the Year in 2017 after a memorable season with the Tribesmen.
He moved from there to Dundalk, near neighbours of Drogheda, before spending the past few years with Sligo Rovers.
Explaining the circumstances of his signing with Drogheda, Murray told the club website (droghedaunited.ie): “Tim (Clancy) saw, as did Dane Massey, who I would know from Dundalk, that I was playing for Pat's (in pre-season). Tim got on the phone to see if I would be interested and I said I would. It was as simple as that really. I was delighted to get the call.
Massey, another new signing, joins Murray, Gary Deegan and Dinny Corcoran as some of the more experienced players in the Drogheda dressing room.
Murray added: “Winning is a good habit and they have obviously got that habit from last year. Signing a good mix with the Premier Division experience of Dane, the massive experience from (Gary) Deegan who has played in England at a high level, and Dinny as well.
“It’s great to get that experience and pass on knowledge. Then you have Tim at the top. Hopefully we can survive first of all and then see where we go from there.”
On a personal level, Murray said his aims were to get back on the field playing, to fight for his place in the starting team, and get wins on the pitch.
The recent announcement of a collaborative player development programme between the club and the PFA Ireland is an important move too, Murray feels. He said: “It’s massive. I left Ireland, I left school, when I was 15 to go to England, so with me not having a Leaving Cert under my belt, I know how important it is as I get older, and your career is getting on.
“You start to think about the eventuality after the career in football, which is inevitable for everybody. To look forward and to have a plan in place. To get the ball rolling for your career after football is so important because you don’t want to be left out in the cold.
“One day, you’re not asked back to training, you’re left out in the cold and you don’t want to be wondering then what you are going to do. You need to be proactive on these things. This is massive, especially in the League of Ireland because there is no life-changing money in it, so you are going to need to work after football, that’s inevitable.”
With Drogheda being proactive in this space, it helps younger lads coming through to have a plan in place for life after football. “There is research in it, that if you have an education on the side that you actually perform better. It’s all positive and I think Drogheda are being really proactive on it.”
The personal development programme, which was announced by the club and the PFA Ireland last week, is for all senior players at the club, professional and amateur. The aim is for personal development plans to be developed for each player focusing on education, football development and career management, with additional opportunities for mentorship from the footballing and business communities provided.
Drogheda United's SSE Airtricity Premier Division campaign commences on Friday, March 19, at home to Waterford FC.