Source: Team_Talk
Murray ready to battle for place
Murray, who turns 28 on Friday, is finally approaching full match fitness after an injury-plagued start to 2009.[LNB]He played for an hour at left-back in Tuesday's reserve win over Kilmarnock and was pleased to come through unscathed.[LNB]"I'm pleased to say there were no ill effects.[LNB]"I was only on for the hour but it was good to get a game after missing the reserve match last week against Rangers."[LNB]Murray is worried Hibs' two recent victories over Hamilton and Hearts will mean a long wait for first-team football but he has vowed not to complain about his lot.[LNB]He said: "My target is obviously to get back into the first team and that will be hard because right now the team is playing well - that's just the sort of thing that can happen when you are out injured.[LNB]"Someone else grasps the chance and so far the guys have done pretty well, so there are no moans from me if I don't get straight back in."[LNB]Hibs had won only once in 10 games before beating Hamilton two weeks ago, with that result and Saturday's Edinburgh derby victory doing wonders for the team's confidence ahead of this weekend's clash with Aberdeen.[LNB]Murray told his club's official website, www.hibs.co.uk: "The win over Hearts means that things are naturally upbeat now.[LNB]"Not too many people outside of our own dressing room thought that we could win on Saturday, but I think the league this season has been such that nobody would really be surprised if Aberdeen came to Easter Road and grabbed three points.[LNB]"We are now well-placed to ensure a top-six finish but then Motherwell will be thinking exactly the same thing, while Dundee United and Aberdeen will be looking over their shoulder just a little bit more now.[LNB]"There is now also a wee gap to eighth place but I think we have every right to look upwards.[LNB]"Aberdeen have to come to us at the weekend, while Dundee United have Celtic up at Tannadice. Even Hearts will be looking over their shoulders just that little bit - nothing is settled yet."[LNB]Meanwhile, Murray has backed team-mate Steven Fletcher - who scored the winners against Hamilton and Hearts after a three-month drought - to star for Scotland in their upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Holland and Iceland.[LNB]He said: "There are not a lot of Scottish strikers right now who are scoring goals so he can certainly stake a claim.[LNB]"I think he has a chance of starting in some of the forthcoming international games - he is a very technical player, we saw on Saturday how he can get himself into the box and how hard he works outside the box as well."[LNB]Meanwhile, Hibs have received confirmation defender Sol Bamba will serve a one-match ban against Aberdeen after his red card on Saturday.[LNB][LNB]
