Born: East Belfast, c.1954
Height:
Weight:
Position: Winger
Representative Honours: Northern Ireland: 1 Under-21 Cap; Irish League: 1 Cap.
Club Honours: (with Portadown) Texaco Cup Winner 1974/75; (with Linfield) Irish League Champion; Irish Cup Winner 1977/78, 1981/82, Runner-Up 1982/83, 1984/85 ... ; (with Ballyclare Comrades) Irish Intermediate Cup Winner 1989/90 ...
Club Career:
Teams
|
Seasons
|
Signed
|
Fee
|
League
|
FA Cup
|
Europe
|
Other
|
Portadown
|
73/4-76/7
|
-
|
Youth
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
Linfield
|
77/8-87/8
|
Nov-77
|
£7k
|
/57
|
/4
|
10(3)/0
|
/71
|
Ballyclare
Com.
|
88/9-90/1
|
Aug-88
|
-
|
#1(0)/ 0
|
-
|
-
|
#2(1)/ 0
|
Cookstown
Utd
|
-
|
Mar-91
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
TOTALS
|
-
|
£7k
|
-
|
-
|
10(3)/0
|
-
|
|
Biography:
A Linfield fan as a boy, Billy Murray (inevitably nicknamed "Ruby" or "Minto" by various wags) made his mark on the Irish League scene in the late-1970s.
He began his senior career with Portadown after being spotted by Gibby McKenzie playing schoolboy football. He enjoyed rapid elevation to the first eleven and was a prolific goalscorer from the left-wing.
In 1977 Roy Coyle identified Murray as a potential key component in re-establishing Linfield at the top of the Irish League. It took a local-record-fee to take him to Windsor Park, and in the next year he had claimed the first of many honours, the Irish League and Cup, an Under-21 cap and had represented the Irish League against their Scottish counterparts.
Murray's mesmerising skills were to dazzle the Linfield fans for over a decade and brought admiring glances from further afield. Billy Bingham included him in the provisional squad for the 1982 World Cup finals. In 1987 he enjoyed a testimonial against Shamrock Rovers, and when he left Linfield the following year at the age of 34, Rovers actually attempted to sign him. He decided to remain closer to home and joined B Division Ballyclare Comrades and played for them in their first season as a senior club in 1990/91.
Later Murray settled in Lanzarote and his legendary status with Linfield was recognised in 2017 when he became the tenth recipient of the Torrans Trophy and was also presented honourary life membership of the club.
Northern Ireland Under-21 Cap Details:
08-03-1978 Rep. Ireland A D 1-1 FR sub
Summary: 0(1)/0. Won 0, Drew 1, Lost 1.
Irish League Representative Match Details:
01-11-1978 Scotland A D 1-1
Summary: 1/0. Won 0, Drew 1, Lost 1.
Domestic Seasonal Goals Record:
Season
|
Tot
|
IL
|
IC
|
CC
|
GC
|
UC
|
CAS
|
AIC
|
CAC
|
Portadown
|
|||||||||
-
|
?
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
75/76
|
15
|
4
|
-
|
4
|
-
|
7
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
76/77
|
24
|
10
|
5
|
-
|
2
|
7
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
77/78
|
0
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
Linfield
|
|||||||||
77/78
|
13
|
9
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
1
|
3
|
|
78/79
|
23
|
6
|
1
|
-
|
2
|
14
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
79/80
|
7
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
2
|
5
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
80/81
|
14
|
8
|
-
|
-
|
3
|
3
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
81/82
|
19
|
13
|
1
|
-
|
2
|
3
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
82/83
|
20
|
6
|
1
|
-
|
2
|
8
|
3
|
-
|
-
|
83/84
|
16
|
5
|
1
|
-
|
5
|
4
|
1
|
-
|
-
|
84/85
|
4
|
2
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
2
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
85/86
|
3
|
2
|
-
|
-
|
1
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
86/87
|
1
|
1
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
87/88
|
8
|
5
|
-
|
-
|
2
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
1
|
Ballyclare Comrades
|
|||||||||
90/91
|
0
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
167
|
71
|
9
|
4
|
21
|
53
|
5
|
3
|
1
|
|
𝟲𝟬 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗪𝗵𝗼 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗵𝗲𝗱 🏟
— Portadown FC (@Portadownfc) July 4, 2023
𝗡𝘂𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 2️⃣2️⃣ - 𝗕𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗠𝘂𝗿𝗿𝗮𝘆
PFC Player | 1973/74 to 1976/77
🏆 Texaco Cup 1974/75 pic.twitter.com/m9jvVkdFw8
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