Andy Murdoch

Andrew Gerard Murdoch (born 20 July 1968) is a Scottish former footballer, who played as a goalkeeper for Celtic, Partick Thistle and Hamilton Academical.

Career Celtic and loans Born in Greenock and educated at St Columba's High School, Gourock, Murdoch began his career as a teenager in the Junior grade with Johnstone Burgh while training as a draughtsman with the Royal Ordnance. He returned to Celtic seemingly set to play with Bonner injured, but his chances were jeopardised when he himself suffered a torn knee ligament in the 1990 pre-season tour.

He would spend three full seasons contracted to Partick Thistle, battling with injuries as well as vying with Craig Nelson for the starting place. Murdoch was in the side which lost 7–0 at home to Aberdeen in November 1992, in a rearranged fixture after the original match was abandoned due to heavy snowfall.

He did get to play at Celtic Park in September 1992, when Partick achieved a rare victory (2–1) in what was Murdoch's first appearance in the top flight having missed the opening weeks of the season with a broken finger, and was also Albert Craig's Thistle debut. He lined up there again just prior to the stadium's closure for redevelopment in a 1–1 draw in May 1994.

He was part of the Thistle squad which won the 1993 Tennent's Sixes indoor tournament.

1993 'ghost goal' Murdoch was involved in one of Scottish football's more bizarre moments when Paddy Connolly scored past him in a February 1993 match against Dundee United at Firhill, but referee Les Mottram failed to notice the ball had entered the goal and come back from the supporting stanchion after the close-range shot. Despite Partick defender Martin Clark catching the ball and handing it to Murdoch to restart, Mottram missed both the goal and handball to wave play on. Dundee United still won 4–0, and Mottram went on to officiate in the 1994 World Cup the following year. The incident resulted in the stanchions from which the ball had rebounded, previously widely used, being removed in a re-design of football goalposts.

In 2018, at the same end of the stadium, a similar incident occurred, with Partick Thistle this time being denied a legitimate goal.

Later years At the beginning of the 1994–95 season, Murdoch moved out of the senior game aged 26 to join Strathclyde Police (as did former Celtic reserve contemporaries David Elliot and Lex Baillie); he spent time with local club Greenock Juniors before returning to Partick for a final short spell in 2000 at John Lambie's request due to a goalkeeping injury crisis. He found greater long-term success in his career in law enforcement than in professional football, rising to the rank of superintendent in the Police Scotland force.