Johnny McMurray has played on some of the Irish League’s biggest stages, but those nerves don’t quite compare to the feeling of preparing to host a live show at the Waterfront Hall.

After suffering a serious injury last year, McMurray, alongside Alan Kirk of ARK Media, created ‘On The Spot Football Podcast’ which has grown in popularity as the former Crusaders striker interviews famous faces from across the Irish League.

On Saturday evening, McMurray will be joined on stage at the Belfast venue by David Jeffrey, Lee Tavinder and Liam Beckett with all proceeds donated to Survivors of Suicide, helping fund essential mental health support, crisis intervention and community outreach.

McMurray famously scored a dramatic last-gasp Irish Cup final winner for the Crues in 2022 against former club Ballymena United in front of almost 8,000 fans, but Saturday’s event brings a different range of emotions.

placeholder image — Johnny McMurray celebrates his winning goal in the Irish Cup final against Ballymena United. (Photo by Johnny Caldwell/Inpho)

"Weirdly, I'm more nervous doing this live show than playing football,” he said. “Football distracts you, you're so focused on the game that you don't really take in the surroundings, but now you're sitting there and can see everybody watching you!

"Usually I'm comfortable in the studio, that doesn't faze me anymore, but the idea of sitting in front of people will probably be different. Maybe because it's yours and you want the show to be as good as it can be...I'm looking forward to it.”

It was legendary Irish League manager Jeffrey who brought McMurray to Ballymena in 2016.

The pair won a League Cup crown together a matter of months later and also secured the Sky Blues’ second-placed Premiership finish during the 2018/19 campaign, ending seven points adrift of champions Linfield.

When organising this weekend’s event, Jeffrey was always one man McMurray was keen to call upon.

"David is like a second father to me, it was never a question of if we would get David on the podcast, it was just when,” he added. “The time I asked him, David kindly rejected me and told me he couldn't do it because of work, and then he was on Da's (Tim McGarry’s ‘Give My Head Podcast’) and Shane Todd's, so I felt David opted for more publicity!

"I let him know that he let me down and he should have been on mine first!

"He was always someone I had in mind for the live show. David carries the whole room, his stature, his personality, the way he talks, the stories that will come out on the night will be fantastic.

"We've prepped some but there's others I'm going to hit him with on the night to see his reaction.

"He has requested only one thing and that's his own mic so he can get up and move about...the rest of us will be stuck to our seats and David will be marching around the stage! I'm sure it will be a lot of fun."

McMurray has conducted a number of fascinating interviews with insight into a host of important topics, including ex-Irish League referee Tavinder opening up on his battle with mental health.

The 31-year-old has revealed listeners have reached out to the podcast with their own experiences after certain episodes and it has acted as a catalyst for receiving help.

"It's strange that you spend so much time with people but don't really know them,” he said. “You only see what people want you to see and that's the hardest part of it, you grow up with so many people and hear these stories.

"You spend nights out and days playing with people and you never realise the trauma some people have gone through.

"It put things into perspective for me that you genuinely don't know anyone and people aren't going to share the hard things they've been through.

"It's amazing these people have been comfortable enough to come on and have these conversations. The things I've said previously has maybe gave others a platform to come on to the show and open up.

"It makes me really proud and it makes me cry, I get upset because I wish people had just told me.

"It helps a lot of people...the amount of people who have messaged me directly or the podcast and Alan's able to pick it up.

"We're able to send them in the right direction to talk to people, there's probably been 15 or 20 people who have got help since the podcast started which is incredible. They resonate with some of the stories and they look for that help."