By John Greechan

Copyright scotsman

Hibs legend Joelle Murray “fully deserves” to join some of football’s biggest names in receiving a special honour to mark her devotion to the club, according to David Gray. And the men’s team boss is certain that his fellow former captain will go on to be a hugely successful coach. Murray, now a vital part of Grant Scott’s backroom staff and a key figure in last season’s spectacular SWPL title triumph, has been put alongside such legendary figures as Celtic great Billy McNeil, AC Milan superstar Paolo Maldini and Barca stalwart Carles Puyol as a recipient of Athletic Club’s One Club Award. The honour is bestowed upon players who devote their entire careers to a single team “embodying loyalty, leadership and commitment to their club.” Gray, who has put in over a decade of service as a player, coach and now gaffer himself, said: “It’s superb and fully deserved. I’m delighted for Joelle. “I think she’s a real ambassador for the football club. Especially now when you think about what she does, and how even for the men’s game she does a lot of stuff for us, she does a lot of commentary stuff. “She’s very much very hard working, very good at what she does. She’s moved into that coaching side and she’s going to be very successful in that. I can see that already. “And that’s before you even talk about her career as a player. She was a fantastic player, fully deserves all the accolades she gets and she’s a really positive example of good people at football clubs that do the right things and want to get better. I’m delighted for her.” Murray, who will be back in the dugout on Sunday as Hibs head west to take on Celtic on league business, graduated through the academy to play 507 times for the club after making her debut way back in 2004. The 48-time Scotland international won two league titles, seven Scottish Cups and five League Cups with Hibernian as a player, becoming the club’s most decorated player. She picked up her first Scottish Women’s Premier League winner’s medal as Hibernian went unbeaten across the 2005/06 season, before incredibly bettering that feat by winning every single league match to seal a second ‘invincible’ title in the 2006/07 campaign – while also winning the Scottish Cup, the second of three consecutive successes in the competition between 2006 and 2008. As club captain, she’d rack up seven consecutive domestic cup triumphs between 2016 and 2019. And, in 2020, Murray became the first female player to sign a professional contract for the club. An inductee of the Hibernian FC Hall of Fame, she’s now a crucial cog in the coaching team. Murray, who will travel to Bilbao to receive her award alongside fellow winner Jamie Carragher, of Liverpool fame, said: “I feel extremely honoured and privileged to be presented with this award, to be thought of in the same light as previous winners, not only female winners but male winners, it is certainly up there with the proudest and most special moments in my career. “When you hear names like Jamie Carragher, Billy McNeill, Ryan Giggs, people that I grew up watching and idolising, and you’ve got Matilde Martínez from the women’s side, it’s fantastic to be honoured and talked about in the same light as truly special names in world football. “I’m incredibly excited to go to Bilbao. The city itself is amazing; the San Mames is wonderful. I’ve been fortunate to be there before in attendance for a Women’s Champions League final and the atmosphere was second to none.”