Thursday 16 March 2017 13:23, UK
Brighton striker Glenn Murray hopes the club can finally win promotion to the Premier League this season after several years of "knocking on the door".
The Seagulls - who play Leeds live on Sky Sports on Saturday evening - are a popular choice among neutrals to go up this season, and Murray believes that's largely down to the way the club has been run by chairman Tony Bloom.
"I think a lot of that [popularity] is down to the chairman getting the training ground and stadium while trying to do it sensibly, rather than spending money willy-nilly and blowing budgets," Murray told EFL pundit David Prutton in an interview with Sky Bet.
"He's done that and we've been knocking on the door [to get promoted] for five years on and off, so hopefully this year can be our year."
Brighton's manager Chris Hughton is also a well-liked figure among fans due to his level-headed nature, and Murray reckons that calm demeanour will be a key factor in getting them over the line.
"The gaffer's consistency, never getting too high or too low, is exactly what we need in the last nine games," said Murray. "There'll be a lot made of it if we lose a game, the press and other teams, especially if they're catching us, will be on us.
"If we go on an eight or nine-game winning run he'd still be the same guy, and that's a good thing, especially for the younger players."
Murray also hopes to get a third chance in the Premier League after spells at Crystal Palace and Bournemouth, but insists he would be happy to be scoring goals in the Sky Bet Championship next year.
He did jokingly admit, however, that he doesn't know whether boss Hughton would look to break the bank for a new striker if they did get promoted.
"You'd have to ask him that question and how much money he has! I've signed a new two-and-a-half year deal, our aim is to get into the Premier League and I'd like to be a part of that next year if we did," said Murray.
"But I still strive to score goals, whether that's in the Premier League or not. Hopefully it will be next year and I'll get another crack at it, but if it's in the Championship then I still want to score as many as I can.
"I want to play in the game as long as possible. The reason I got into football in the first place was when I was running around in the park with my mates scoring goals. That's what I enjoy doing, and luckily enough I'm still doing that at 33."
