Yeovil Town striker Rhys Murphy has no doubts about his quality from the penalty spot despite missing from 12 yards in the 3-1 home defeat to Worthing at the weekend.
The frontman saw his 50th minute effort saved by visiting keeper Ollie Wright in front of a packed Huish Park, but said he would be confident in his own ability if the opportunity arose against Truro City on Thursday night.
The Glovers need just one point in the match played at Gloucester City to secure the National League South title and an instant return to the National League Premier.
Speaking on Monday, Murphy said: “My hand will be up. If we decide to go with someone else, no problem at all, but I will not shy away from it. I have missed penalties before. I banked on going left, I was going left anyway even though I have not all season, and I was banking on the keeper doing his due diligence. I spoke to him after the game and he said he had not been given any details of previous penalties!
“So, it was not to be, but I will be there for the next one if called upon. If it goes to somebody else, no problem at all because as long as we get the result that is the main thing. It is the team that comes first.
“There is no point quitting now, is there?! If you miss a penalty, you get on with it. If you lose a game, you get on with it and go again. Thankfully we have an opportunity to go again in a few days. I am not going to hide now. Like the manager has been saying all along, it is another game and we treat it as such, look at their strengths and weaknesses and focus on what we bring and go about winning the game. We will continue as we have been all season.”
Having pulled a goal back through strike partner Alex Fisher with seven minutes remaining, Murphy looked to have got the equaliser which had sealed the title seconds after news filtered through that Slough Town had levelled against second-placed Chelmsford City – only for the linesman’s flag to rule it out.
But, Murphy revealed that none of the players were aware of results elsewhere when the ball hit the back of the next. He said: “In the moment I remember it going in and thinking we needed another one because going in to the game we needed a win, so in that moment I was just think ‘let’s get the ball back and get going again.’ Normally you have an inkling that it is a tight one but I was not expecting the flag at all and watching it back it is tough to see. I might be biased, but to me it looks like I am onside by the centre half and the full back. It is disappointing but it is what it is and we will go again.”
Despite the disappointment, Murphy said that his team-mate’s sole focus is on getting the result they need to secure the title against a Truro City which face three games in one week due to their inability to play a home fixture this season.
He said: “You just have to keep going, nothing is given to you in life, you have to take it. Coming on was pleasing to make a positive impact and if that penalty had gone in it is a different moment and could have swung the momentum. But we still managed to get the two ‘goals’ over the line and, with other results, that would have been enough. Unfortunately the moment for the fans was taken from them which is gutting but thankfully we have an opportunity to win the league on Thursday.
We have proven all season that we are a strong side and we can come back from adversity and that is the plan on Thursday night.
“We are still in a fantastic position. Obviously it was gutting how things ended up at the weekend, but we have to dust ourselves down and to have that resilience is crucial, so we go again. We have proven all season that we are a strong side and we can come back from adversity and that is the plan on Thursday night.”
“If you ask me now, I don’t care who scores on Thursday. It could be a 0-0 and that would get the job done! Everyone’s sole aim is to get the result we need, no-one is thinking it must be them for personal glory, everyone wants to do their job and do it well. If you score that is great, but we will be celebrating as a team come the final whistle.” If we get the result, of course, Rhys!
Murphy returned to the club in the summer following his release by League Two Southend United, the club he joined following the end of his of his two-season spell at Huish Park in 2021. During that time he was part of the side which missed out in the National League Premier play-offs, losing in the eliminator to Barnet in front of an empty stadium during the COVID-curtailed 2019-2020 campaign.
He admits securing promotion this season would right that wrong, the striker said: “You will go down as part of the history of the club. Someone told me it is 19 years since we won the league, so that would be a great achievement and everyone is dying to do that. It has been a tricky few years and I like to think this could be the start of something, getting this club back to the Football League. In my first spell we came close and fell short and you almost felt something was happening then, so to come back and be part of something like this would be something I would be incredibly proud of.
“It has been a really good year so far. There’s been positive feelings ever since I walked back through the door and that comes from the top of the club. The fans have been brilliant, as have the fans and the management. It filters down and the energy and the positivity around the club has been really good. It’s been a good place to come to work and we are in a great position to go and win the league on Thursday night. I am gutted the fans were robbed of that on the weekend, but we still have a great opportunity.”
The length of his contract was not announced when the 33-year-old returned to Somerset in June, but he says he would love to still be at Huish Park next season.
He said: “I would love to be here next year if wanted. We will have to sit down and discuss it but I have loved my time here and I definitely want to be here again next season. But, let’s get the season done first and get those medals around our next and then we can all sit down and talk about personal matters. I am thoroughly enjoying my time here, it has been a really frustrating couple of months not being able to play, but the guys have done brilliantly every year. I am hearing there are a huge amount of fans travelling on Thursday again, so let’s hope we can put on a performance for them.“