Raith Rovers manager: Former Hibs captain Ian Murray gets jobs after missing out on promotion with Airdrie

Former Hibs captain Ian Murray has been appointed the new manager of Raith Rovers after narrowly missing out on promotion with Airdrie.

The 41-year-old has signed a two-year contract with the Kirkcaldy club just a week after his Airdrie side lost to Queen’s Park in the Championship play-off final.

The former Hibs and Rangers player replaces John McGlynn, who left Stark’s Park at the end of the season to take over the reins at Falkirk after guiding Rovers to a fifth-placed finish in the second tier last term.

Murray has been in charge of Airdrie since 2018 and has guided them to successive top half finishes in League One, including finishing runners-up to Cove Rangers last season after embarking on a 23-game unbeaten run.

Ian Murray will take charge of Raith Rovers after four years at Airdrie. (Photo by Ewan Bootman / SNS Group)

He previously managed Dumbarton and St Mirrren and had a spell as assistant boss at Norwegian side Asker.

Murray’s appointment comes after Kelty Hearts boss Kevin Thomson dropped out of the running, while Dundee United assistant coach Liam Fox was also interviewed.

Raith chairman Steven MacDonald said: “I am delighted to welcome Ian Murray to Raith Rovers as First Team Manager.

"Ian is a creative hardworking ambitious manager, with an ability and foresight to make changes at the appropriate time, coupled with his determination to win, I feel we have made a great appointment and look forward to Ian bringing success to Raith Rovers,” he said.

A Raith statement added: “We hope that the 41-year-old’s arrival at Stark’s Park is the turn of the first page in a new chapter in the club’s history after proving himself as the outstanding candidate in a an extremely strong pool of interviewees for the role.”

Meanwhile, Dunfermline are reportedly set to appoint former Dundee boss James McPake as their new manager following the departure of John Hughes, who stood down last week following the club’s relegation to League One.

McPake guided Dundee to promotion to the top flight via the play-offs in season 2020-21 but was sacked in February just a week after beating Hearts at Tynecastle with the Dens Park side sitting second bottom of the Premiership.

Dundee appointed Mark McGhee in a bid to beat the drop, but that proved unsuccessful as the club were relegated after the former Motherwell and Aberdeen boss managed to win just one of his 14 games in charge.