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A sunny May day in Wembley can feel a long time away once the reality of next season kicks in.
But for Josh Murphy, memories of his performance at Wembley still bring a smile to his face, even if it wasn’t quite perfect in his eyes.
“Maybe if I’d scored a hat-trick,” he tells Sky Sports with a laugh. The winger, then playing for Oxford, scored both goals as they defied the odds to beat Bolton and seal promotion to the Championship.
“Then it would have been the most perfect day. But the whole day in itself was surreal, and something that will just stick with me forever.”
But life moves fast, and soon Murphy, 29, was on his way to Portsmouth – who had sealed automatic promotion ahead of the play-off-winning U’s.
As someone who grew up watching football in the Barclaysman era, a move to Fratton Park was too good to turn down.
Murphy scored twice as Oxford won at Wembley in the League One play-off final in May
“I loved Oxford to bits and I wish them all the best,” he adds. “I really enjoyed my time there, but I wanted a new challenge and it was exciting coming here.
“We played there at the end of last season and the atmosphere was just unbelievable. It felt like a really good fit.
“I know the manager and what he wanted to do. They’re effectively a sleeping giant, they’ve got massive aspirations and I want to be a part of that journey.
“It’s a new challenge for me here and I’m just really excited to kick on.”
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After the full-time whistle, Portsmouth and Sheffield Utd players were involved in a scuffle
Admittedly, it has not been the perfect start for Murphy or Pompey.
He missed the first few games of the season with injury, and the club are yet to win in their first seven games.
The fixture list has not been kind, however. A brutal start has seen them meet all three relegated clubs as well as Leeds, Middlesbrough, Sunderland and West Brom.
Wednesday night’s trip to Stoke, live on Sky Sports+, represents an opportunity to really get the ball rolling after four draws and three defeats.
After that? The visit of his old club Oxford to Fratton Park.
“We’ve dropped about seven points after the 90th minute,” says Murphy. Pompey have conceded last-minute goals against Leeds, Boro and Burnley so far.
“That’s been frustrating because the league position probably doesn’t show how well we’ve done.
“But that’s just how ruthless the Championship is. We need to get a bit more streetwise to see games out.
“And hopefully then we can get the first win over the line.”
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