Darren Murphy
Born: Cork, Ireland (28/07/1985)
Previous Clubs: Cork City
Joined: January 2008
Debut: Lewes (H) won 3-0
Darren Murphy joined Stevenage in January 2009 from Irish Premier side Cork City. Murphy is a box to box type midfielder who can also play comfortably in central defence. Injuries have limited Murphy’s appearances for Cork in recent seasons, but when he has played he has shown enough promise to be thought of highly in his homeland. He replaced John Martin in the Boro midfield after he was allowed to leave the Hertfordshire club.
It was thought that we may see the best of Darren Murphy in the 2009/2010 season now that he had adapted to life in England and the Blue Square Premier. However, it was to prove not to be the case. Murphy started the season well and was an important member in the team, especially as Michael Bostwick was forced to play at the back for a lot of the opening games. Murphy showed a lot of character and broke things up well in the midfield as well as keeping his discipline.
His season gradually declined though. Injury hit the young midfielder and the competition in the squad meant it was difficult for Murphy to return to the level that he was playing at earlier in the season. A sending off at Tamworth also didn’t help things and after he had recovered from the injury he suffered as a result plus the suspension, he was used mostly as a substitute as he watched his team mates clinch promotion. He has the potential to be a quality player, but he needs to improve his discipline and distribution. That will come with experience.
Contract Details: 2/1/2009-30/6/2011
Squad Number: 7
Links
BoroGuide Profile
Soccerbase Profile
Wikipedia Profile
