Graeme Murty

Former York City winger Graeme Murty was elated at the postponement of tonight's planned trek by City to Reading.

City's inaugural visit to the mega-million Madejski Stadium was dramatically shelved when a third Reading player was called up to international duty.

And that left ex-Minsterman Murty 'chuffed to bits' as the injury-stricken winger now has a chance of tackling his former team-mates.

The 23-year-old Murty was involved in one of the sensational moves of the summer when he left City in a record-breaking £700,000 switch to Reading. But so far he has yet to kick a ball in competitive senior action for the Royals.

Just two days before the start of the new season Murty damaged a hamstring during a training session of 'pliometrics', a new exercise discipline of bounding.

But with one particular bound Murty was struck by an injury blow that has sidelined him all season. He would have sat out the visit of his former club to the £38 million spanking new Madejski Stadium tonight.

Declared Murty: "I am dead chuffed because now I should get the chance to play against the boys, though I am disappointed at not being able to meet them all tonight. The closer the game was coming the more depressed I was getting.

"It's been bad enough missing all our games so far, especially our first one at home to Luton. Our pitch is so wide I just can't wait to get on it."

Besides tonight's game, Reading's trip to Walsall on Saturday is also off because of the international calls on midfielders Ray Houghton (Eire), Grant Brebner (Scotland under-21s) and Grant Smith (Scotland under-21s).

And Murty was hoping his 'slowly-improving' injury may ease to increase his chances of being fit for the visit of Burnley to the Madejski Stadium a week tonight.

But his glances at the Second Division table have brought a wry smile. Confessed the winger: "I keep looking at the results - York's is the first one I look for after reading of course - and it's been a surprise to see them so high and us so low."

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