IPL graduate set for Olympic Cup clash
For most APIA Leichhardt players facing Wollongong Olympic this evening, it will be just another FFA Cup match against Association level opposition. However, for Jordan Murray, it will be a homecoming of sorts with the forward coming up against one the clubs he competed against when he was cutting his teeth in men’s football.
Murray was handed his First Grade debut with local giants Bulli in 2012 when he was just 16-years-old. He would spend two seasons with the club where he made a name for himself linking up with the likes of Ben McDonald and Jared Fish with such success the side finished second in both seasons. Murray believes the opportunity Bulli gave him set him up for the career he has managed to date, “Bulli gave me everything, playing with men twice my age was the best thing for me.”
Murray signed for the South Coast Wolves in 2014 and he would spend two seasons with the club, scoring 13 goals in 38 matches. In 2016, he made the move to APIA Leichhardt — the side his father Peter Murray played for in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The Tigers won the league title in 2017 with Murray being a vital figure up top alongside Tasuku Sekiya and Sean Symons.
In 2018, the 23-year-old is enjoying his best ever start to a season with six goals in seven matches for the club currently leading New South Wales top flight. He also scored three goals in APIA’s fourth round FFA Cup win over Fraser Park and he points out the side has lofty ambitions in the nationwide knockout, “We go into every game looking to win and win by a big margin. We aim to win the FFA Cup like every club should.”
Murray believes sides from Sydney are still yet to fully acknowledge the strength of the talent in the Illawarra Premier League. He sees tonight’s match as a potential eye-opener for his APIA teammates, “It is a good opportunity for both teams to experience playing against a different type of football as well as different opponents.”
Murray saw Olympic in action against Bulli in mid-April, they lost on that occasion but he thinks they will be a worthy opponent in this evening’s clash, “They were extremely unlucky not to get something out of the Bulli game. They seem very strong going forward and they have a number of targets on set pieces.” He also singled out two of his former teammates who now star for Olympic, “Brenden Fordham is an absolute workhorse in the middle and Vaughan Patterson is a composed and smart player. I know it will be a tough battle against them.”
In the past, Murray has received some attention from A-League clubs including a trial with Sydney FC in 2014 and he hopes to one day break through into the top tier of Australian football. When asked about potentially making a return to the Illawarra Premier League, he winked and said, “I want to play at the highest level possible, so, for now, I can only look forward at higher levels. Maybe one day though.”
The match between Wollongong Olympic and APIA Leichhardt kicks off at Macedonia Park at 7.30 pm.
