Ian Murray focused on visit to Dunfermline as relegation fears heighten at Easter Road

By Stuart Bathgate
Published on Tuesday 3 January 2012 00:00

A LIFELONG Hibernian supporter, Ian Murray has always worn his heart on his sleeve when playing in the Edinburgh derby. He even went as far as wearing his colours on his head in a match once, spraying ‘1973’ in green on his hair to commemorate the 30th anniversary of Hibs’ 7-0 win over Hearts.

Yet even such a diehard as Murray knows that, given the predicament his club are now in, yesterday was not the biggest game of the season for them. Their next league match is, when they visit Dunfermline, who are still only a single point below them at the bottom of the table.

“We are past halfway and we are sitting second bottom,” Murray said after his team’s 3-1 defeat by their Edinburgh rivals. “It is going to be very difficult now. Teams are starting to get away from us. We need to get away from the bottom and to isolate Dunfermline. They will be thinking exactly the same.

“The game at Dunfermline in two weeks has turned into a very important game – it won’t be like a cup final, but there will be a big Hibs support going through for it. We need them to come out there and for the Cowdenbeath game to get us on a run.” The visit to Second Division side Cowdenbeath on Scottish Cup duty this Saturday is another potentially difficult tie for Hibs, who have had their share of embarrassments in knockout competitions over the past couple of years. But Murray has seen sufficient signs of improvement since Pat Fenlon took over as manager to believe that if and when a first win comes, be it at Central Park or elsewhere, Hibs will be able to come good and steer clear of their relegation worries.

“We have worked really hard and things have steadily improved game by game,” he said. “It bodes well for the future, but we have to take this one on the chin. Our objective now is to get out of where we are and it doesn’t matter who the points come against.

“There is work to be done. The players have shown they have the ability to take what [Fenlon] is saying and to work hard.

“To go into the last ten minutes level and lose 3-1 was a bit harsh. In some ways the result was fair, because they missed a penalty, but in other ways it wasn’t.

“Set plays let us down today – we lost two goals from a set play.

“The third goal we were chasing the game and we went three at the back. These things happen.”

Fenlon has made no secret of his desire to strengthen the squad, and has already made up his mind that some players have no place at the club. According to Murray, those about whom the manager may be undecided have an obvious chance to persuade him they should stay, by playing a part in a revival of fortunes. “There is no doubt there will be changes, because every manager wants to make changes,” he said. “There will be guys coming in and it is up to the boys to show they are worth keeping. We just have to get into the team.”

Taken from the Scotsman