Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club

Wolves keeper Matt Murray has signed for League One strugglers Hereford United on a month's loan.

Former England Under-21 international Murray has been out of the game for 18 months with a cruciate ligament injury.

But Murray, 27, is looking to get back to match fitness following the latest long, frustrating chapter in his injury-ravaged career.

And he is expected to go straight into the United squad for Saturday's home basement battle with Cheltenham Town.

"He just needs some football," Wolves boss Mick McCarthy told BBC Sport. "It will be good for him to get a month's football. Then we'll see how he is."

Murray, who won promotion with Wolves in 2003 but only played one Premier League game due to injury, is still keen to challenge current number one Carl Ikeme and Wayne Hennessey for his old first-team place at Molineux.

But he will have to compete for a place this weekend with Hereford youngster Craig Samson, who stood in and kept a clean sheet against Dagenham and Redbridge when on-loan Darren Randolph refused to play.

Randolph dropped out of the Bulls' side for the home FA Cup first round tie two hours before kick-off after hearing reports that United were planning to bring in Murray.

Under the terms of his loan deal from Charlton Athletic, Randolph will remain at Edgar Street until January. But United boss Graham Turner says he is unlikely to play again in the first team.