Sean Murdoch on standby to face Partick Thistle

Sean Murdoch is on standby to face Partick Thistle at Firhill this afternoon in the event that Ben Williams’ wife Gemma goes into labour.

On Wednesday, Terry Butcher took the precaution of taking not Murdoch, but third-choice goalkeeper Paul Grant to Inverness in case Williams got the call to head back to Edinburgh which was the reason behind the confusion when the team was announced on twitter.

Two team sheets were prepared but the wrong one was given to Inverness officials by mistake.

Williams’ wife Gemma was due last weekend and Easter Road boss Terry Butcher took the precaution of taking not only under-study Murdoch, but third-choice goalkeeper Paul Grant to Inverness on Wednesday in case his No. 1 got the call to head back to Edinburgh.

Speaking at the weekly press conference at the Hibs training centre, Butcher joked: “It’s all quiet on the baby front, for the moment. So he will be in goals for us until the first contractions…he’s in contraction negotiations, you could say.”

The Hibs boss confirmed that Hibs realistically need a win against Thistle today to keep their faint hopes of a top-six finish alive, adding: “It’s coming down to the wire now, do or die time, and we know everybody has to give it everything. There is no room for error, and effort and attitude need to be spot on. They need to be brave and pass the ball like they can do. These players have won games as a team, home and away, and it will take more of those performances in the next four games – and probably a bit more.”

Murdoch has played only one first-team match in his two seasons at Easter Road, a 3-1 win over Kilmarnock at Rugby Park last May.

Photo by John Preece

http://www.photoboxgallery.com/jlp-photography