Murray positive Staggies can give Rangers a shock
Simon Murray has already hit the mark against Rangers this season, scoring in Ross County’s 3-1 away defeat two months ago.
But the 32-year-old Dundee-born striker will happily swap his Ibrox goal for one today when Rangers provide the opposition at the Global Energy Stadium, if it helps secure the Staggies’ Premiership future. The Highlanders will have to become recordbreakers if they are to deliver what would be a huge blow to the opposition’s title hopes, for they have never beaten Rangers since the club’s formation in 1929. Murray is also likely to be shadowed throughout the 90 minutes after alerting Philippe Clement to the threat he poses with his Ibrox goal and two more in the more recent 2-1 home victory over Hearts that took his tally for the season to 17. Although it’s been seven years since Murray scored in a 3-2 victory for Hibs at Ibrox, he was keen to stress: “For all that I have suffered a few defeats against Rangers, I don’t remember any really heavy losses. “Actually, I have a lot of positive memories of games against them when I scored. I don’t think I’ve ever played badly against Rangers.” Consistency has been key to Murray’s season and he pointed out: “It’s about trying to maintain standards in training to give yourself the best chance of playing well in the next game.
“Of course it doesn’t always work out the way you would like. You can go through a season when you think you’re hitting good shots only for the ball to ricochet off a defender or the keeper makes a great save.
“Luck is a big factor and strikers feed off the confidence of scoring, so it helps when you get the breaks and the ball bounces in your favour and you manage to stick it away.
“You have to feel confident and positive.”
The second-bottom Staggies have six games to save their season and Murray claimed: “A result against Rangers would provide a huge confidence boost all round.
“It may just be another game at the end of the day, but if we go out and give our all and achieve a result it would definitely bring greater positivity to the team.
“But they’ve got quality players all over the pitch who are dangerous and capable of hurting you. Even the right-back scores a lot of goals.
“But we also have players capable of hurting the opposition so our aim will be to try to frustrate them for as long as possible, silence their fans, and maybe create a bit of pressure, in the hope they’ll make mistakes we can punish.”
See also Pages 10-11.