Murray's on the march with his exiled Tartan Army

"THERE'S only one Andy Murray, one Andy Murray,

"He's got nae chat but he's alright with a bat,

"Walking in a Murray wonderland."

LOOKING GOOD: Andy Murray will now face Croatia's Marin Cilic in the semi-finals of the Australian Open (Getty Images)

Andy Murray's exiled Tartan Army were in full and well-oiled voice in Melbourne tonight, as their hero moved one match nearer to a second Grand Slam final and two victories closer to something much more historic (and worthy of a better song).

A famous teetotaler, the irony of them toasting his spirited victory over Rafael Nadal with numerous spirits in the salon bar of Elephant and Wheelbarrow on Bourke Street, should not be lost.

It's exactly 222 years since the Union Jack was hoisted at Sydney Cove but as the Australian Day fireworks exploded over Melbourne's Yarra, a river so dirty you could walk across it, according to former champion Jim Courier, Murray and his Saltire are also edging ever closer to uncharted territory.

The British number one and world number five will now face Marin Cilic, who has battled his way through three grueling five-setters to reach the last four of a Grand Slam for the first time.

On paper the Scot should progress.

But memories of last year's US Open, where Murray surprisingly lost in straight sets to the Croatian, will still be raw and the mistakes of that game - allowing Cilic to set the early pace with his aggressive tactics - must be learned.

His critics - and there inexplicably remain many - will point to Nadal's worryingly battered knees as the key reason behind Murray's straight forward and straight sets progress and they'll talk about other opportunities he has failed to take in recent years.

But they forget this is only his 17th Grand Slam tournament - exactly the same number of appearances that Roger Federer made before his winning breakthrough at Wimbledon seven years ago.

On the evidence of the last eight days, there is no reason to suspect Murray will stutter in his semi-final - he has yet to drop a set.  Indeed he has only lost 42 games in five quickly concluded matches.

However, Federer - who beat him so convincingly in his first and only major final, at the 2008 US Open - looks equally ominous across the other side of the draw.

Too often his name is prefaced with flawless but that's exactly what is display was against Lleyton Hewitt 24 hours ago.

Even the man himself struggled to find much wrong with a performance that underlined in bold capitals his favourite's status.

Federer is also the people's favourite, although Murray is rapidly developing an Australian fan club - perhaps because nobody has asked him yet who he will support in the Ashes.

Aussie sports fans are hard to win over - and are taught from birth to reserve a healthy disdain for those who arrive from half a world away.

However, after his Nadal victory Murray's had them tittering in the aisles of the Rod Laver Arena as he bantered with Jim Courier, whose irreverent on-court interviews have become required viewing.

But the day's ahead are serious business - it's time to deliver and Murray knows it.

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