Matt Murray is one of the favourites to be named player of the year for play-off chasing Wolverhampton Wanderers this weekend.

But the Wolves goalkeeper has already picked up an award that will mean just as much, after being named in the Championship's team of the year at the Professional Footballers Association awards dinner in London.

Murray's outstanding form for Wolves, throughout a season in which he has missed just two games through injury, has rightly earned him the ultimate accolade for any footballer - the recognition of his fellow professionals.

But, despite regularly producing match-saving performances for Wolves over the last eight months, the modest Murray preferred to see it as an honour for the entire team.

"It's nice to be recognised by your fellow pros," he said. "But I think the award's a reflection on how well the team have done this year."

Murray went down to the Grosvenor House Hotel with a carload of his Wolves team-mates but it was a shock when they had to sit through painful highlights of their team's 3-2 last-minute defeat to Birmingham City, topped by Michael McIndoe's last-minute penalty miss, on the giant video screen.

"It was great that the lads came along to give me some support," said Murray. "But we didn't realise they were going to show highlights from the game. That was a bit of a killer.

"A few of the Derby County lads were there too and they were not thanking us."

Murray insists that the result, psychologically sapping though the circumstances were, was immaterial and that a play-off place is still in Wolves' own hands if they win their last two games.

"Losing didn't change anything," said Murray. "We're still in the play-offs and we still need to get a result against Queens Park Rangers and then Leicester.

Everyone will be back in training tomorrow and focused on that.

"All the boys were gutted with the result but no one is blaming Macca for missing the penalty. It was a pressured situation and he had the guts to step up and take it and a lot of credit has to go to [Blues goalkeeper] Colin Doyle."

While Murray was disappointed with Sunday's result on his return after missing two games with a bruised hip, it was the last on the bench for on-loan goalkeeper Jan Budtz, who has been recalled by Doncaster Rovers.