Transfer window hopes

QUEEN of the South boss Peter Murphy was tight-lipped about what he has at his disposal to do transfer business this month. Murphy – who was named League One manager of the month for December – had a sit-down talk with the Palmerston board of directors last Thursday. And when asked how the meeting played out, Murphy was blunt with his response. He said: “I had a discussion with the board on Thursday. I would be looking to get more people in but whether I can or not is a different story.” The follow-up question was naturally how does Murphy feel about that considering the Dumfries outfit are at a very important stage of the season and are well in the mix for the League One title. However, Murphy remained silent. The boss was then asked about how many players he feels he needs and in what positions. He responded: “Ideally I would like a couple of those more forward options. “Maybe a centre forward, or even a centre forward who can play as a winger. One maybe two but we’ll see how that goes.” Murphy revealed that it was young forward Freddie O’Donoghue’s own decision to not extend his loan deal with the club. He added: “He felt he needed more game time. Carlisle were really good, they wanted him and recommended him to stay here. “It’s early in the window and things can change but Freddie felt he needs more minutes somewhere else. I thought it was a bit of a strange decision with the month that we’ve had with the full squad and done really well. “He went back last Saturday. He probably would’ve came on and played against Stenhousemuir, he would’ve played against Raith and would’ve been involved today too. But that’s the way football works. “I didn’t contact Freddie after that because I want players who want to be here.” Meanwhile, Murphy hailed his staff after he was named manager of the month for December – where Queens went undefeated. He also praised skipper Matty Douglas, who scooped the player of the month gong. Murphy added: “Matty rightfully so got the player of the month award. I’ve said it a lot that he’s a player I can trust. He’s the first player I brought in because I know what I get with him. “He wants to train, play and get better. His character is unbelievable and he’s a leader in the changing room.”