Murray Davidson (born 7 March 1988) is a Scottish former footballer who played as a midfielder. He is most associated with a 14-year spell at St Johnstone, having started his career at Livingston. Davidson also played on loan for Cowdenbeath. He once played for Scotland in 2012.
Early career
Born in Edinburgh, Davidson grew up in the small Borders town of Innerleithen where he played for the local sports club Leithen Vale, in the same team as Ross Campbell, who would go on to represent Hibernian and Dunfermline Athletic, and Steven Notman, who was to play for Hibernian and Berwick Rangers. The team was the most successful in the sports club's history, winning countless trophies both at home and abroad, and a number of the boys, including Davidson, went on to play at a higher level.
Club career
Livingston
After appearing for Leithen Vale, Davidson started his senior career with Livingston. In the 2006–07 season, he made his debut against his future club, St Johnstone, coming on as a substitute for Graham Dorrans in the 85th minute, in a 2–1 win and would make one more appearance that season. Shortly after making his Livingston debut, in January 2007, Davidson moved on loan to Scottish Third Division club Cowdenbeath. He later spoke about how the move had helped him in his career.
In the following season, Davidson made six appearances and scored his first career goal – once more playing against St Johnstone– in the final game of the season, in a 5–2 loss. However, during the season, Davidson was sent off twice; first was in a game against Dundee for receiving a second yellow card on 11 March 2008;the second came in his next match against Greenock Morton for serious foul play in the last minute. At the end of the 2007–08 season, Davidson signed a two-year deal with the club.
The 2008–09 season proved to be a breakout season for Davidson, as he scored six goals this season, including a brace against Dunfermline Athletic, in a 4–2 win on 10 March 2009. However at the end of the season, the club faced further financial problems and were on the verge of being liquidated before a deal was struck to save the club, but they were subsequently demoted to the Scottish Third Division. Shortly after the end of the season, Davidson was the subject of transfer speculation, alongside Dave Mackay, the two being linked with Dundee and Motherwell. Following the club's demotion to the Scottish Third Division, Davidson said he believed the SFL were wrong to punish Livingston, believing Angelo Massone was the one to blame. Davidson also stated that he had a strained relationship with Massone, who at one point arranged for him to go on trial with Parma, but Davidson turned down the chance.
St Johnstone
2009–10 season
At the end of the 2008–09 season, Davidson transferred to St Johnstone and signed a three-year contract with the club. He made his debut in the football club in a 5–0 win over Stenhousemuir in the Scottish League Cup. Davidson scored his first goal on his league debut with a 2–2 draw against Motherwell. He scored again two weeks later in a 2–2 draw against Hearts. Davidson quickly became a regular first team player and made a significant impact. On 30 March 2010, Davidson scored against Rangers in a 4–1 win. In his first season, Davidson made 39 appearances in all competitions and scored five times.
On 13 May 2010, Davidson signed a one-year contract extension, keeping him at the club until 2013.
2010–11 season
In the 2010–11 season, Davidson retained his first team status. He scored his first goal of the season in the second round of the Scottish League Cup, in a 2–1 win over Morton. However, in a match against Rangers, on 28 August 2010, Davidson got injured and was stretchered off in the first half after clashing with team-mate Marcus Haber, although he managed to recover from the injury ahead of the next match. Davidson scored in the quarter-final of the Scottish League Cup, in a 3–2 loss against Celtic.
Davidson made forty-three appearances and scored three times in all competitions, failing to fulfill a promise to score more goals than the last season.
2011–12 season
Early in the 2011–12 season, Rangers had a bid for Davidson turned down by St Johnstone. The offer was believed to be in the region of £250,000. Davidson also attracted interest from Wolves, Bolton and Everton.