Murphy showing his mettle in the city of steel

Graeme Macpherson

Football Writer

Friday 11 January 2013

IT was not only Sheffield United who were impressed by Jamie Murphy last month.

Jamie Murphy impressed in his debut against Oxford United

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Graeme Macpherson

The forward's fine form for Motherwell during December, when he scored five times and created a number of assists, not only earned him a transfer to the League One club but the Clydesdale Bank Premier League player of the month award. It was the first time he had picked up the prize, a fitting way to end this phase of his career.

"I won the young player award once before but it's nice to win this one in my last month," he said. "It was a big month for the club and I'm glad to have made a contribution. I wanted to leave on a high and although we lost at Celtic Park in my last game, we'd some good results and displays prior to that."Now there is a new challenge awaiting him. Murphy had been with Motherwell since before he was a teenager, spending 11 years at the club and graduating through their youth ranks to become a first-team regular and the club's all-time record European goalscorer. So ingrained was he at Fir Park it would not have seemed unnatural had he decided to see out his career there. Previous attempts to sign him, most notably Blackpool's bid on the final day of the window last January, were rebuffed, while reports of Rangers' interest were written off as "speculation". It took Sheffield United's approach for him to agree to finally sever ties. The third tier of English football may not seem the most glamorous setting for a player of Murphy's talents but he believes he is in the right place to continued his career trajectory."Once I saw the stadium and the training ground my mind was made up," he explained. "The thing that struck me was there's real ambition here and I regard myself as an ambitious person, so it should be a good fit. I knew it was a big club but I didn't really realise how big until I came down. They get 20,000 crowds every week – we've my first home game this weekend [against Yeovil] so that'll be another milestone for me. Even at Oxford in the FA Cup last weekend we'd filled half the stand and our fans made plenty of noise. We won 3-0 down there and I was involved in a couple of goals, which is always a good way to start."I've been made really welcome; we've a few Scots, such as Neil Collins, Ryan Flynn and Kevin McDonald, and on my first day I met Nick Blackman and Chris Porter, who were both team-mates at Fir Park. Seeing familiar faces make it easier to settle in a new place."Murphy had not expected to start against Oxford having only completed transfer formalities 48 hours earlier but it turned out to the first of many new experiences. "I hoped I'd be in the squad but I was delighted to start the game. It was a thrill for me because I'd obviously never played in the FA Cup and I'd never played at Oxford before, so I'm seeing new places and having new experiences already. "We play Reading away in the next round so that'll be a good tie as well. They're Premiership and will obviously be favourites but we're going well and I'm sure we'll go there with a lot of confidence and a big support."There are still logistical matters to be resolved but Murphy hopes it won't be long before he can devote all his attention to his new club's promotion bid. "It looks a nice city. I'm in a hotel at present but I'm aiming to get fixed up in a flat as soon as I can so I can concentrate on playing for Sheffield United. The club have done great to get where they are in the table and I'm hoping I can add to that. They were unlucky not to go up last season apparently so I'm hopeful I can make a contribution in the months to come."

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Murphy showing his mettle in the city of steel

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