John Murphy -Part 1

John Murphy signed for Blackpool after spending four years at Chester City which was his first professional club. At City he made 65 league starts scoring 20 league goals in what was then league three (league two nower days). In his last season at the Deva he grabbed 12 goals which grabbed the attention of then Pool boss Nigel Worthington.

Murphy signed in the summer of 1999 and on his fourth game grabbed his first goal for the club and what turned out to be one of the most controversial of his career. Murphy bagged a goal in the 75th minute of the home game against Gillingham, the ball had just been putout of play due to a injury to a Gills player, who amazingly sprung to life just as the ball was going out of play. Pool played on from the throw, cracking cross to Murphy, bang in goes number one for the club and the tale started from there.

Murphy went on to score ten league goals that season for Blackpool, managing to hold on to his place in the team with the transition of Steve McMahon as manager following the departure of Worthless and mad Mick Hennigan.

Murphy returned to League Three with the Pool after relegation and showed why we was able to play at a higher level bagging 23 goals in the season, four behind his striking partner Brett Ormerod who managed 27. The 50 goal partnership was one of the main reason that Pool were promoted back to League one at the first time of asking.

In that season two games stood out for the big man, bagging a brace in the three-all draw in the League Cup away to Norwich City. He grabbed the first equaliser on 28 and then the late equaliser to make it 3-3 on 87 minutes.

Click here to see the highlights from that match

That season Murphy grabbed his first hattrick for the Club against Kidderminster in one of the stand out wins of the promotion season.

In March of that season Pool started to hit top form and steamrollered over Kidderminster for a second time. Murphy`s first goal that day came on 7 minutes when he headed in from his good mate Danny Coid`s cross, a typical Murphy goal that the Seasiders faithful came to see over and over again from the big man.

His second showed the great partnership that Murphy and Ormerod had come to develop in the that season, a Ormerod step-over allowed Murphy to turn and shoot in what was the pick of the goals that day.

Murphy claimed his hatrick in the second half, Richie Wellens was brought down in the box and Murphy dispatched the pen into the top left corner to claim his first hattrick for the club. The hatrick man wasn`t finished there and set up Ormerod for his only goal that day 5 minutes from time.

Click here to see the highlights from that match

Pool gained promotion that season beating Leyton Orient 4-2 in the play-offs. Murphy didn`t score in the play-off games but would return next season to score at Cardiff in the Football League trophy.

Part two to come

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