Murray steps up his cup final comeback
It is a race against time but St Johnstone’s Murray Davidson is edging closer to the finish line.
The experienced 32-year-old has been battling back from a calf injury picked up against Rangers at the start of the month.
His chance of recovering for the Betfred Cup final next Sunday was previously rated at 50-50 but his progress has taken another step forward.
Manager Callum Davidson revealed on Wednesday that his midfielder is back running on the grass.
Saints supporters around the world have their fingers crossed that a player who missed out on the Scottish Cup final of 2014 will be part of the Hampden clash.
“He’s progressing well, doing better than probably expected,” Perth boss Davidson said. “He’s been out running on Wednesday, which was great to see.
“It’s a difficult one - how hard do you push him? Any setback for him at the moment will be detrimental for him.
“He’s feeling really good and we’re trying to work on him as hard as we can to get him back into training before the final.
“It definitely is better than 50-50 at the moment. I’ve been injured many a time myself and it’s just one of those difficult ones where deciding how hard you push.
“We’ll just try to get it right with Murray. Murray’s obviously an experienced player and knows his own body. So we’ll see how he is over the next couple of days. We’ll load him a little bit more and see where we can get to.
“It is a bonus he could have a chance. I wouldn’t guarantee he’s going to be fit. But, obviously, on the flip side I also can’t say he’s not going to be fit. So I take it as a positive.
“The physios and medical team have done really well to get him to this stage and near enough ready.”
Davidson could even be involved in the squad for tomorrow’s trip to Motherwell.
“I think he’s been doing really well and I think he’s possibly got a chance for Saturday,” the Perth boss said.
“Obviously, if I get Murray back for this Saturday that would be brilliant. If I don’t, then we’ll see after that. But for me the most important thing is this Saturday.”
Davidson, who has full-back Scott Tanser available after a slight hamstring strain, revealed the club will continue to take “every single precaution” in relation to COVID-19 ahead of the cup final.
“We will take three buses to Fir Park, with five in each bus,” Davidson said.
“The lads who live around Motherwell and Hamilton will drive to the game.
“We are taking every single precaution we can with the cup final in mind and making sure players are put in the right seats.
“The biggest thing is to avoid several players having to isolate if anyone does get it. It is a nervous time.
“It has been hard on the younger players. We have had to send a few of them away just to limit the numbers around the club.
“A lot of kids go back to school next week and that is a bit of a worry too.
“I’m not sure if I should ban my daughter from going back because she’d probably be quite delighted!
“Like Livingston we can’t afford to have anyone missing because of COVID. So we will continue to take every precaution we can.
“Hopefully no one catches it between now and next Sunday.
“And it is the same with Livingston. We want to see both clubs having their full squads to pick from for a big game.”