Falkirk midfielder comes to Highbury
Fleetwood Town’s summer transfer spree continues with the arrival of Scottish midfielder Stewart Murdoch, who will join Town on a two year deal once his contract at Falkirk finishes at end of this month.
Manager Graham Alexander believes that Murdoch is a great acquisition for the club and discusses why he opted to sign him. “Stewart comes down from Falkirk and he’s a lad we’ve been alerted to. We kept an eye on him, watched him a few times and spoke to many people up in Scotland and the responses were positive. I went to watch him myself towards the end of the season and everything I saw was great to see.”
Stewart Murdoch, 23, was being pursued by other football clubs but decided to join the Cod Army as Alexander elaborates, “We had to fight off some competition to land him. He’s a good young player come through a very good club at Falkirk, who have a history of good youngsters in their squad. We’re really pleased to have him on board.”
Murdoch has had loans spells at Berwick Rangers and East Fife before returning to Falkirk where he cemented a first team place. And Graham Alexander believes his loans spells has benefited him. “They bring their youngsters through at Falkirk because it’s part of their policy. I think he needed that first team experience before they recalled him and put him in the first team. They (Falkirk) have a team full of youngsters and he was one of the older players there despite only being 20. So, he had a lot of responsibility on his shoulders to look after them and I heard he handled it extremely well. I could see it myself when I went to see him. He’s a young man but he’s got a mature brain on him.”
Alexander was full of praise for his new signing. “I think he is a fantastic addition and it’s a great opportunity for him to come to England. He can get up and down the pitch like a good old modern midfielder. We’ve seen the power he has and the way he can pass a ball. He ticks all the boxes. When I’ve spoken to him, you can see how dedicated he is to his job. He wants to do well because he is really ambitious and I think that’s what he saw in us. He identified the journey the club want to go on and I think he really wants to be a part of it.”