Murray: Time to dig deep

Paul Murray: players must shake off disappointment over cup exit at Chesterfield.

BATTLE-scarred Athletic must find an inner determination to succeed ay Brentford this weeend, says Paul Murray, who wants players to follow the lead of determined captain Korey Smith.

“We know what to expect. They are a good side with good players and recruited well in the summer with players like Will Grigg,” said the first team coach. “But there is no reason why we can’t go down there and get a result.”

Brentford are top of the form table and it will be as difficult a test for Athletic as can be found anywhere in the division.

Whichever team is put on the field tomorrow, it will need to find the strength to emulate Smith’s drive to succeed.

“We found it hard to break them down. We lacked a bit of a spark, perhaps a little bit of individual brilliance — exactly what Korey did against Mansfield, by taking the bull by the horns and deciding he was going to go and do it all on his own.

“That was the first game of a big week for us. We have a chance to put it right at Brentford and then Tuesday is humongous for us.”

Sitting in for manager Lee Johnson at the weekly Boundary Park press conference, Murray spoke about the difficulty in identifying and then bringing in suitable free agents to bolster a squad hit by injuries.

The principal pair currently missing are James Dayton and Charlie MacDonald.

Dayton is missing for two to three weeks with ankle ligament damage and bruising and MacDonald for more than a month with a torn thigh.

“We remain positive. We have got two big games now, starting at Brentford. A couple of good results and everyone will be happy.”

It is impossible not to have one eye on Tuesday’s FA Cup replay at Mansfield, given the prize on offer of a trip to Anfield in round three.