IT’S always good to see people from the Old Country doing well for themselves, so my hearty congratulations to Colin Murray who has just been given the job of presenting Match of the Day 2.

He’s come a long way in the last 15 years since his days working at a McDonald’s on the outskirts of Belfast with my big sister. To his credit.

It’s a big step up for the Ulsterman whose previous TV football work has been confined to the no-man’s land of the Europa League on Five. But he got his chance after Adrian Chiles decided to defect to ITV1.

I hope Murray is a success on Match of the Day 2 because, like any sane football fan, I much prefer the Sunday night version to its older brother on Saturday evenings. The newer version manages to be markedly better than the original by deploying the cunning trick of not featuring Gary Lineker.

I listen to some of Murray’s stuff on Radio 5 and I usually find him an engaging presenter – smart, opinionated and funny. He’s what Tim Lovejoy would be if he had brains and a vague sense of self-awareness.

As part of his new responsibilities, Murray will present a highlights show from this summer’s big tournament in South Africa.

It pains me to note that it will be the first time anyone from Northern Ireland has gone to the World Cup in 24 years.