Hibs: Ian Murray fitness boost

Under-pressure Hibs were handed a much-needed boost today as it was revealed Ian Murray, who has missed the last five matches as the Easter Road club slipped precariously close to the foot of the SPL table, has returned to training.

The experienced utility player has been out just when the struggling Edinburgh side needed him most, undergoing a series of injections to help cure the hip and groin problem which had been bothering him for the past six weeks.

Although Murray featured in both the Europa League clashes with Slovenian outfit NK Maribor, he was sidelined for the opening two games of the suspension and his SPL action has been limited to just a few minutes as a substitute as Hibs went down 1-0 to St Mirren in Paisley on August 29. But today Alistair Stevenson, who has been placed, along with fellow coaches Gareth Evans and Scott Thomson, in charge of the squad as Hibs seek a manager to replace John Hughes, disclosed the 29-year-old has made rapid progress over the past few days. Having also received intensive treatment in addition to jags, Murray rejoined his team-mates on the training field on Monday and yesterday and, along with the rest of the squad, underwent two rigorous sessions at East Mains.

Whether Saturday's crunch clash with Kilmarnock, 3-1 victors over Hibs in the Co-operative Insurance Cup only a few weeks ago, will come too soon for Murray's return remains questionable but, as Stevenson admitted, there's no doubt Hibs would welcome the return of a player boasting vast experience but also the ability to play in a number of positions as soon as is possible.

Stevenson said: "The fact Ian has missed a few games has to be borne in mind, but he's trained over the past couple of days and is enjoying a recovery day today.

"We'll get a better indication of how he is tomorrow in terms of the injury but whether the full match fitness is there to launch him into 90 minutes, we'll have to wait and see."

Meanwhile, Stevenson has backed Scotland Under-21 stars Paul Hanlon and David Wotherspoon to bounce back from the bitter disappointment of missing out on next summer's European Championship finals following a 4-2 aggregate defeat by Iceland.

Stevenson, who attended the second leg at Easter Road on Monday night along with Evans, Thomson and the club's Youth Academy manager, was full of pride as he saw the two youngsters, who he had helped nurture through recent years. He spoke to the pair yesterday and although he found them disappointed with the outcome, he insisted both remained totally upbeat.

He said: "I felt both had done really well and could have no regrets as they had given everything they had over the 90 minutes. It's not often a team has lost but is applauded off the park as the youngsters were the other night.

"You have to remember they were up against a quality side, one which had a lot of players with full international experience, and yet it was a game which could have gone either way. I thought Scotland were absolutely magnificent in the first half and both Paul and David can be really pleased with their efforts. They had a recovery session yesterday and they will be raring to go again on Saturday."