On February 27, 2000, Irish goalkeeper Joe Murphy lined up for Tranmere Rovers at the old Wembley against Leicester.
The two teams competed in the last domestic cup final to be held at the old version of England’s top stadium.
Martin O’Neill and Murphy’s fellow Irishman John Aldridge led out the two teams onto the pitch that day.
It ended with O’Neill’s Leicester lifting the then Worthington Cup.
Defender Matt Elliott scored twice for the Foxes on the day.
His first was a bullet header that cannoned in off the bar, just out of the reach of Murphy.
The second was a carbon copy of the first but with a deft touch from the Scot putting the ball into the bottom left corner, giving Rovers’ number 13 no chance.
Fast forward 22 years and Murphy is still wearing the number 13 and still playing in goal for Tranmere Rovers.
The mission may have changed with the side now vying for their first automatic promotion since 1989, but it’s still the same Joe Murphy in goal for Micky Mellon’s side.
Old friends, current workmates
Murphy and Mellon were actually part of the same Tranmere squad in the late 90s.
Joe signed a professional contract with the team as a 17-year-old in 1998.
At the time, Mellon was already a decade into his career, with spells at Bristol City, West Brom and Blackpool under his belt.
The two have formed a deep bond over the course of their respective careers, with Mellon even wanting to take the Irish goalkeeper with him to Scotland when he signed as Dundee boss in 2020.
Murphy came into the Tranmere Rovers dressing room as a teenager.
He went through some of the typical rituals that youth players would go through, particularly back in the 90s.
Cleaning boots was one of those that he had to do in the younger years of his tenure with the team.
“When the gaffer first joined I used to clean his boots,” Murphy told Merseysportlive.
“He hasn’t asked me to do that the last few years. I’ve always had a relationship with him.
“He got in touch with me when he went to Dundee. I’m thankful that it’s come full circle and the gaffer is back here.”
Murphy actually lined up alongside current Rovers assistant coach Andy Parkinson at Wembley in that famous League Cup final.
He’s now trying to learn as much as he possibly can before a prospective coaching career of his own.
He turns 41 in August, so thinking about next steps is inevitable for Murphy.
“You get to that age and you start bumping into people you used to play with and now all of a sudden they are managers and coaches,” he said.
“It’s good though because the gaffer is very approachable when it comes to asking questions and anything when it comes to coaching.
“I’m looking to get into that and learn from people like that gaffer. It’s something I want to get into and having them around is good.”
What could come next?
Following in the footsteps of his peers who have gone into coaching is a very strong possibility for Murphy.
As with many footballers, the game really does consume everything that you do on a professional level.
After living and breathing football for over two decades, it’s obvious to Murphy that he should at least try coaching.
“It’s all I know,” he said.
“It’s all I’ve ever done. I came over here at 15 and I’ve been doing this for 25 years.
“I would love to stay in the game, I still feel like I’ve got a lot to give.
“A lot of people would walk away from the game. I like to assist the young lads and I’d like to think that the information I give on the pitch is good.
“I don’t know for how long, I’d just love to do it. It’s something I couldn’t walk away from. I have to dip my toe in it.”
Murphy has already started to get active with coaching young footballers on the Wirral.
He will give young players every chance possible to learn from his career and experiences.
“I’m doing a lot of local goalkeeping at the minute,” he said.
“I’m doing sessions and camps, which I really enjoy.
“I always felt that the goalkeeper at the Sunday league team just got one of the dads to kick the ball at him and that was his training for the week and then he’d play the game, I’m just trying to a bit with the younger kids around the Wirral.
“It’s going ok at the minute but it’s something that I want to delve into deeper over the coming months.”
Playing football over four decades
Murphy finds himself with a unique perspective on football.
He’s played football in four different decades and had a first-hand look at the evolution of football in the 21st Century.
He’s been able to see and develop his game based on many different eras of English football.
Murphy’s career shows that the one thing that is truly consistent in football is that it is always changing.
“There’s been so many [changes],” he said.
“I think the physicality and all of the things about fitness have changed.
“Back in the day, everyone did the same warm up. Now everything is tailored for each player. For me, personally, nothing has really changed.
“In regards to goalkeeping, it’s all about playing with your feet.
“I’ve been lucky enough that I used to play outfield. I just wish I was 20 years younger coming into the game now.
“With football, there’s so much, even at a lower level, that’s changed. It’s so much more professional.
“You’ve got to go with it and change your mentality as you get older and just go with it.”
Nearly time to call time
In the grand scheme of his career, it may not seem like that big a deal to many in the footballing world that Joe Murphy is battling away for promotion from League Two.
Murphy starred in the League Cup final in 2000. He saved a Michael Owen penalty with his first touch of a Premier League football.
Most recently he earned a promotion with Bury with a 1-1 draw at Prenton Park sealing the deal.
The one big change that makes success in his later career a bonus, is Joe’s family.
“We got promoted with Bury three years ago and that was sweet because of the situation financially with the club,” Murphy said.
“It was great to have that elation knowing I wasn’t going to have that many more times.
“Then the reality of not being paid slowly kicked in and it was difficult to celebrate.
“On that day my kids were there and moments like that in the past, I didn’t have children.
“Even stuff like that was excellent to share with them.”
Come the end of the season, there’s going to be a huge decision for Murphy to make.
He’ll turn 41 in August and his playing contract will be at an end.
The goal for now is to focus on the promotion battle.
There is always the consideration that is could the be the last achievement of his incredible career.
“It would be massive,” Murphy said.
“I was going to say it’d be a great way to bow out but I feel like I’ve got plenty in the tank.
“The older you get, they get a little bit sweeter so we’ll definitely be looking to push on and hopefully we can get there.”
(Featured image via Tranmere Rovers)
