DORCHESTER Town defender Jamie Laird believes goalkeeper Shane Murphy deserves “massive credit” after the Magpies defeated Wimborne Town 1-0 on Saturday.

Murphy has come under fire for a series of blunders leading to goals this season, mixed in with an array of breathtaking saves.

After proving resolute against Wimborne, making crucial saves from Stefan Penny and Sam Poole, Murphy was awarded the Dorchester man-of-the-match gong.

And Laird insisted Murphy’s good work has not gone unnoticed this season, despite having his critics.

He told Echosport: “Massive credit to Shane, he gets a bit of a hard time with the fans and certain people at the club.

“For me, since I’ve been in, he’s been absolutely brilliant. It’s a shout-out to Shane for how much he keeps us in games and how much he’s kept (scores) down.

“He’s a credit to the club. He works his socks off, on and off the pitch.”

And Laird voiced his belief that the Magpies can stave off relegation – despite being 11 points from absolute safety.

“We’re all here for a reason – to do our best for the club,” he said. “We don’t go out thinking ‘we’ll just turn up and that’ll be it’.

“We showed (against Wimborne) that we’re still in the fight and we’re not going to lay down and accept it. We’re going to go all way until it’s mathematically impossible.

“We’ll still keep going. A club like this shouldn’t be in the league below, it should be higher.”

Dorchester host Gosport on Saturday (3pm).