1:00pm Saturday 13th March 2010
By Andy Naylor
Albion marksman Glenn Murray has called for better protection from referees in his lone striker role.
Murray was battered and buffeted by Colchester’s twin towers, Magnus Okuonghae and Matt Heath, in Monday’s 0-0 draw.
The 12-goal centre forward will relish the battle with Swindon’s 6ft 2in centre-half pairing of Gordon Greer and Scott Cuthbert at Withdean today but wants more protection from referee Grant Hegley than he received from Tony Bates at Colchester.
Murray said: “I don’t think the referee really protected me too much. I think just because they were that big he felt as though I was going over easily.
“When I came off at half-time somebody said I’d been fouled seven times and then I got fouled a few more in the second half so how they can foul me nigh on ten times and not get booked I cannot understand. I am not trying to say any of them were bad tackles, they were just persistent.”
Murray ironically collected his eighth caution of the campaign, for kicking the ball away. Two more in the next seven games and he will serve a two-match ban.
He said: “I’ve been warned. I don’t want to go out of the team so I’ll keep my head down and stop doing silly things.
“It was my own fault but it’s frustrating when I do something like that and he (Bates) jumped on my back but didn’t book them for persistent fouling and pushing and just basically stopping not only my flow but our team’s progression up the field.”
Murray will willingly carry the burden again against Swindon of a system which has helped Albion to a four-match unbeaten run against Leeds, Charlton, Exeter and Colchester, and a six-point cushion from the relegation zone.
He said: “It is thoroughly enjoyable, especially now we have started to pick up points. We are matching and sometimes beating higher teams in the division, which is nice. Your confidence does grow along with that.
“As long as we keep picking up points that’s what matters. If we were to let everything go now then no doubt we would get dragged back into it so we’ve got to take what we’ve done and build on that.
“By no means does anyone think the job’s done. We want to finish at least in the top half of the division now.”
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