DAVID MURPHY, the former Hibs defender who won the League Cup with the club, yesterday announced his retirement through injury at the age of just 30.

The full-back was an Easter Road regular for three-and-a-half seasons and played nearly 150 matches, but could not recover fully from a recent knee cartilage issue. "My rehabilitation went as well as it could have done and I managed to return," he said. "However, I wasn't able to sustain my previous form and I have no option but to retire."