April 2011

The popular Dubliner suffered more than most in last season’s Johnstone’s Paint Trophy final when he gave away a penalty against Southampton, which set the tone for his side’s 4-1 defeat.

But the scene on Sunday couldn’t have been more different, as he scored the winning goal, won the man-of-the-match award, and more importantly, became a father for the first time just two days before.

The club’s longest serving player said: “You couldn't have written the script better than that. It's been the most amazing few days and to score the winning goal at Wembley is the icing on the cake."

The birth caused Murphy to miss the team bus to London, who then had to travel down on the train alone to meet up with his manager and team mates.

“The manager told me to get down as soon as possible and get some rest because I’d be training the next day. That tells you you’ve got a very good chance of playing.

“On the one hand I wasn’t too happy because I was shattered, but I didn’t mind at all.”

The happy couple have yet to choose a name, although Murphy was quick to rule out 'Johnstone'.

"It's been the best two days of my life," Murphy added. "It's very nice to have Lisa and my baby here to watch as I didn't get much time with them on Friday. It's been a tiring few days for me, I managed to get a few hours of rest in the team hotel and this makes it all worthwhile."

Johnstone’s. Bringing colour to the beautiful game.