John Brayford has told Burtonalbionfc.co.uk that Burton are ‘lucky’ to have ‘special’ Jamie Murphy on loan from Rangers after his latest in a string of contributions.
The 31-year-old has made a blistering start to life in EFL League One, notching four goals and an assist in his first six appearances since his January move.
The most recent of his strikes came at the weekend when he opened the scoring after six minutes away at Ipswich Town. Latching onto a through ball, he drove into the opposition box, cut back inside and steadied himself, before firing low past the ‘keeper.
Unfortunately for the Brewers, they weren’t able to maintain their lead, eventually succumbing to a 4-1 defeat. However, Brayford was still full of praise for his teammate.
“I think you can just see the quality and what he’s got when he’s on the ball,” he told Burtonalbionfc.co.uk. “We try and get the ball to Murph as much as we can, and I think we did in situations in the first half at Ipswich on Saturday.”
“He’s made one of them count with the quality he’s got, and he’s shown [all of] that in the short spell he’s been here.
“He’s a special player, Murph, and he’s doing an awful lot for the team at the moment. We’re lucky to have him here for the season.”
Verdict
Murphy is blossoming in the English third tier after what was doubtless a difficult period on the fringes of the Rangers sqaud following a long-term injury layoff.
There’s a sense that the winger has been given a new lease of life with the Brewers under Nigel Clough, a manager he had previously excelled under at Sheffield United.
Things aren’t all rosy at the Pirelli Stadium, though, with recent poor results seemingly ending their quest for promotion.
While Murphy has been banging them in and delivering strong individual performances, the defence has been leaky and after six games without a win, they are now ten points behind Portsmouth, who currently occupy the final playoff spot.
It’s now about making the most of the final months of the season, and if Murphy continues to produce so consistently, he could earn a final opportunity at Ibrox for the 2020/21 campaign.
