Six years ago, Jamie Murphy was rubbing shoulders with Kevin de Bruyne and co in England's top flight as part of a career which has seen the quietly spoken winger gain the reputation of a hugely respected professional.
Stints at Sheffield United, Rangers, Brighton and Hibs have all contributed to Murphy's run at the top of the game both north and south of the border.
In August 2017, Murphy was part of the newly promoted Brighton side which went up against glittering names like De Bruyne, Aguero, Stones, Fernandinho, Bernardo Silva and Gabriel Jesus. Now, on the verge of his 34th birthday later this summer, he answers the call to become a much needed voice of experience within Lee Bullen's dressing room.
Murphy, who spent last season in the Premier League with St Johnstone, steps down to the Championship boasting a CV which has taken in some significant stops along the way. And he is relishing the task of being a leader by example as Ayr look to continue the giant strides of last term's second placed finish.
For Murphy, the move on a two-year deal represents a major new chapter at a stage in his career when he remains hungrier than ever for success in the game.
He told the Ayrshire Post: "A lot of players when they get older maybe want something easy but I want to play as long as I can and hopefully that is at a high level. I’m pretty sure the eventual aim is for Ayr to be in the Premier League - sometimes these things take time - but the club is clearly going about things the right way.
"They are building in the right manner and making sure there is a sustainable way of doing things for the future. That's something I want to be involved with.
"Ayr United are the kind of project I was looking for. They are a forward thinking club and you can see that just by the work that is being done around the place. When I spoke to Graeme (Mathie) and the manager, my mind was very easily made up that this was where I wanted to come for the next stage of my career."
Murphy is well known to United's managing director, Mathie, from their time together at Easter Road, and the eagerness to get a professional of his calibre into the Ayr changing room is clear. A twice capped Scotland international, Murphy was also on the books of Rangers prior to his Hibs move and scored his first goal for the Ibrox side in their 6-1 Scottish Cup win at Somerset in February 2018 - a game in which Alan Forrest had given United an early lead.
Now he is pledging to use his vast levels of experience to help guide Ayr's young guard through the coming campaign.
He added: "I’m not 21 anymore but in my head I still feel that way. I’m excited about the challenge and about the prospect of coming here. I like to set an example in the dressing room by the way I train and conduct myself around the place and hope that I’m someone the younger boys can look up to.
"I’ve been around the block and feel like I’ve been through a lot in my career - I learned a lot off other players at bigger clubs throughout my career, so if I can do something similar for the lads here then great."
