'It's shocking you have to put up with that': Simon Murray reacts to being hit with vape during Dundee derby

Dundee striker Simon Murray has spoken about being struck by a vape thrown from the crown during the derby against United, and said it was “shocking” that players had to suffer from dangerous behaviour.

Murray was hit by a metal vape that was thrown from the Eddie Thompson stand in the first half of the match at Tannadice, as Dundee were on their way to a 4-2 win and a first win at the stadium in 21 years.

Referee Nick Walsh retrieved the missile from the pitch and passed it on to police for investigation, and Murray played on.

The Dundee forward went on to score the last-minute penalty that wrapped up the famous victory but he later reflected on the incident.

Murray didn’t want the flashpoint to take headlines away from his side’s impressive performance but said that it was unacceptable behaviour.

“Look, I don’t want that to be anything,” he said. “I want to focus on what we’ve done.

“You know that part, I know it’s not great, I don’t even remember it to be fair, but I remember the goal, so that was payback for that.”

The 33-year-old, who grew up a Dundee fan but played for United earlier in his career, said that the supporters were crucial to the game but is hopeful that action is taken over the individual responsible.

“Look, the fans on both sides are what makes this derby so special,” he said. “That’s not tolerated from anyone, it shouldn’t be, but I don’t know, hopefully that gets dealt with. I don’t know what to say on that.

“Obviously, it’s shocking that you have to put up with that, but I want to focus on my team’s win and how good that felt.”

Murray said that the missile struck him high on the side of the face and, though unscathed, admitted the outcome could have been much worse.

“It’s very dangerous,” he said. “I know there’s United fans there that won’t accept that off of people in their support as well.

“So as much as, you know, you can’t tar everyone with the same sort of brush, but hopefully Dundee United deal with that in the way that they should, and I’m sure they will.”