Murty trains with Saints (From Basingstoke Gazette)

Murty trains with Saints

1:00pm Monday 6th July 2009 in Sport

FORMER Reading skipper Graeme Murty is currently training with the Saints first team.

Murty made more than 300 league appearances for the Royals, whom he joined for around £700,000 from York City in 1998.

The Old Basing resident, pictured below, captained them to promotion to the Premiership in 2005/06, winning the BBC South Sports Personality of the Year at the De Vere Hotel in Southampton in December 2006.

Murty spent a two-month loan spell at Charlton Athletic earlier this year, before being released by Reading in May.

The current Royals side take on the 2005/06 Championship title winning team at the Madejski in a testimonial for Murty on Monday July 20 (8pm).

Saints boss Mark Wotte said: “Graeme is training with us. He has done not much for about seven weeks so he can’t train with the team yet as he has to do some running before joining in with the first team.

“He wants to have preparations for the season while he’s out of contract and we’ll have a look at him when he’s fit to play,” explained Wotte.

Southampton opened their pre-season campaign on Saturday with a 1-1 draw at Eastleigh. Matt Patterson put the visitors ahead with Tony Taggart levelling late on for the Spitfires.