Raith Rovers manager Ian Murray tells of debt of gratitude he owes to Coldstream

Raith Rovers gaffer Ian Murray has ltold of the debt of gratitude he owes to Coldstream for helping launch his managerial career (Pic: Fife Photo Agency)

Murray, 28 at the time, got his first taste of management by helping out as a part-time coach at the Streamers’ Home Park ground 14 years ago while still playing for Hibernian as a defender.

The former Scottish international was drafted in by the Berwickshire club as his pal Mark Lamb, previously at Peebles Rovers and later to take charge of Vale of Leithen, was their manager at the time.

Recalling that first foray into management in 2010 – ahead of stints at Dumbarton, St Mirren and Airdrieonians – Murray, now 43, told us: “My friend Mark Lamb was the manager at Coldstream at the time.

“I went down a few times, just to get a wee look-in and just try and help a little bit.

“I was pretty much on the periphery. I wasn’t involved in tactics or anything like that.

“It was more maybe me putting on a drill or two, which was really good for me because it got me used to speaking in front of a group of guys.

“It's always exciting when you go out and play in front of 10,000 or 20,000 people and you can be in a changing room during a training session or having a laugh, but when you're actually trying to deliver something to a group of guys and earn their respect, regardless of what level you're at, it is difficult, especially if you’re not used to it.

“I think when I got my coaching badges, the experience I had at Coldstream certainly helped me in terms of being able to have the confidence to stand up and give somebody praise.

“Also, sometimes you have to tell somebody, when it’s not right, to not be too embarrassed to do that and not feel embarrassed to be questioned.

“All these things come into it. It’s not just about being on the pitch and going out on a Saturday – there are a lot of different aspects.”

Coldstream are currently 11th in the East of Scotland Football league's second division, with 31 points from 25 fixtures. That’s six tiers below Murray’s current Kirkcaldy club, sitting second in the Scottish Championship, on 66 points from 35 games, and due to face either Airdrie or Partick Thistle in a two-legged promotion play-off semi-final on Tuesday, May 14, and Friday, May 17, both 7.45pm kick-offs.