Dons reaction to tackle disappoints Murray

Published on Tuesday 3 November 2009 21:50

HIBERNIAN defender Ian Murray has defended his tackle on Fraser Fyvie following criticism from Aberdeen manager Mark McGhee.

Fyvie, 16, has been ruled out for up to six weeks with ankle ligament damage after being injured in Murray's sliding challenge during Hibernian's 2-0 Clydesdale Bank Premier League win on Saturday.

Murray clearly played the ball in a challenge that took place immediately in front of an assistant referee, who flagged for a throw-in. However, McGhee claimed Murray could have done more to avoid injuring the teenager.

Murray, 28, said: "I have to say I am a little disappointed by the reaction. I'm a bit confused by what Mark McGhee said – 'the tackle was legitimate but was over-robust'. What does that mean if you win the ball?

"I've gone in hard to get the ball and I think the fans, the gaffer and myself would have been disappointed if I hadn't gone in wholeheartedly."

Murray added: "I looked at it again on the computer from behind, probably the best angle, you can see I clearly took the ball. The linesman was standing right in front of it, he had a perfect view and there wasn't anything to suggest it was a bad tackle. There was no-one more surprised than me to see him lying there. To me it seemed as if he tried to jump over me and then landed awkwardly.

"If someone tackled me like that I would be absolutely fine about it, no problem."

Kurtis Byrne, meanwhile, says he has learned a valuable football lesson during his involvement in the win at Easter Road.

The Irishman, who helped Hibs' Under-19 side clinch a historic league and cup double last season, was thrown into the fray by John Hughes when midfielder Merouane Zemmama came off with a groin strain early in the first half. And while Byrne is more comfortable operating as a centre forward, he adapted well in a deeper role and swung in a perfect cross for Colin Nish to nod Hibs in front in the 88th minute.

The 19-year-old was instinctively drawn towards the box in the scramble to grab a goal, before Hughes ordered him to occupy a wider role, and Byrne admitted:

"I was running into the box too much, because, like the others, I was desperate for us to get a goal but we ended up crowding each other out.

"I was told to stay on the chalk and try to get the ball into the area. It worked brilliantly, Colin is a big presence in there and he got in a fantastic header. It was a great relief all round.

"Aberdeen made it very hard for us but we kept our heads."