Brian Murphy (footballer, Born 1983)
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Brian Edward Murphy (born 7 May 1983) is an Irish former professional
footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...
who played as a
goalkeeper In many team sports that involve scoring goal (sport), goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie, or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or i ...
. Murphy began his career at English side
Manchester City Manchester City Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Manchester, England, that competes in the Premier League, the English football league system, top flight of Football in England, English footbal ...
. He spent spells out on loan at
Oldham Athletic Oldham Athletic Association Football Club is a professional association football club in Oldham, Greater Manchester, England. As of the 2025–26 EFL League Two, 2025–26 season, the team competes in EFL League Two, the fourth level of the Eng ...
and Peterborough United but did not make a senior appearance at Manchester City before leaving to join Swansea City in 2003. He spent three seasons at Swansea before returning to his native Ireland to join Bohemians where he spent another three years. In November 2009 he returned to England to join Ipswich Town, where he spent two seasons before joining
Queens Park Rangers Queens Park Rangers Football Club, commonly abbreviated to QPR, is a professional association football club based in Shepherd's Bush, West London, England. The team currently compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English f ...
in 2011. Murphy spent four seasons at Queens Park Rangers before leaving to join
Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...
in 2015, where he spent one season, before joining Cardiff City in 2016. He spent a further four seasons with Cardiff before once again returning to Ireland in 2020 to join
Waterford Waterford ( ) is a City status in Ireland, city in County Waterford in the South-East Region, Ireland, south-east of Ireland. It is located within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster. The city is situated at the head of Waterford H ...
, where he spent the remainder of his career, finally retiring in 2022.


Club career

Murphy played football and hurling with one of his primary schools, Dunhill Ns Killea BNS in Dunmore East. As a teenager, Murphy did not harbour ambitions to be a professional football player. He was involved in many sports as a child including
gaelic football Gaelic football (; short name '')'', commonly known as simply Gaelic, GAA, or football, is an Irish team sport. A form of football, it is played between two teams of 15 players on a rectangular grass pitch. The objective of the sport is to score ...
,
hurling Hurling (, ') is an outdoor Team sport, team game of ancient Gaelic culture, Gaelic Irish origin, played by men and women. One of Ireland's native Gaelic games, it shares a number of features with Gaelic football, such as the field and goa ...
and
rugby union Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...
. It was rugby that Murphy wished to pursue as a career, playing as an outside half for his school and club. He was also the kicker for his teams, and once confessed to being able to "boom a ball a long way from about 14 years old". This is now something that he has developed a reputation for as a professional goalkeeper. At 15 years of age, Murphy had rugby trials with Ireland but ultimately decided not to pursue when
Manchester City Manchester City Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Manchester, England, that competes in the Premier League, the English football league system, top flight of Football in England, English footbal ...
offered him a place in their youth set-up.


Manchester City

Murphy spent four seasons with
Manchester City Manchester City Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Manchester, England, that competes in the Premier League, the English football league system, top flight of Football in England, English footbal ...
where the competition for the number one jersey included
David Seaman David Andrew Seaman (born 19 September 1963) is an English former footballer who played as a goalkeeper. In a career lasting from 1981 to 2004, he is best known for his time playing for Arsenal. He won 75 caps for England, and is the country ...
, Nicky Weaver and Carlo Nash, but made the 1st team bench on a number of occasions in the old 1st Division (second tier) and the
Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...
. Loaned out to
Oldham Athletic Oldham Athletic Association Football Club is a professional association football club in Oldham, Greater Manchester, England. As of the 2025–26 EFL League Two, 2025–26 season, the team competes in EFL League Two, the fourth level of the Eng ...
in 2002–03, he made his senior début during a loan period with Peterborough United that same season away to
Brentford Brentford is a suburban town in West (London sub region), West London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It lies at the confluence of the River Brent and the River Thames, Thames, west of Charing Cross. Its economy has dive ...
in League One in May 2003.


Swansea City

Brian Flynn signed him for Swansea City on a free transfer two months later, and he made 26 appearances for the club during the 2003–04 season. He was kept out of the first team in the following two seasons by the form of Frenchman Willy Gueret.


Bohemian

Murphy was one of the first players signed by Bohemians manager Sean Connor. He made an instant impression in pre-season friendlies, giving him the edge over on-loan
Aston Villa Aston Villa Football Club (commonly referred to as simply Villa) is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club, founded in 1874, compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The team have p ...
goalkeeper Lee Boyle. Murphy kept 19 clean sheets in his 29 league games during the 2007 season to help "Bohs" to the best defensive record in the league. Murphy ended rumors linking him to Bristol City by signing an improved contract at Bohemians in November 2007. On 11 January 2008, he was voted "Goalkeeper of the Year" for the 2007 season by the Soccer Writers Association of Ireland. Murphy was voted (by the supporters) Eircom League of Ireland Premier Division Player of the Season for 2008 receiving 54% of the votes on eircomloi.ie, the league's official website after keeping 20 clean sheets in 33 league games. He added a FAI Cup winners medal to his League winning one when saving two penalties in a penalty shoot-out win over Derry City on 23 November. And the honours kept coming for Murphy as he was announced as the SWAI Player of the Month for November. On 4 December 2008, he regained the "Goalkeeper of the Year" award as voted by the Soccer Writers Association of Ireland and his performances were further recognised on 8 February 2009 when he became the first goalkeeper to be awarded League of Ireland Player of the Year for the 2008 season. Murphy continued his outstanding form through the start of the 2009 season and excelled in Bohemians
UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (UCL) is an annual club association football competition organised by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) that is contested by List of top-division football clubs in UEFA countries, top-divisio ...
qualifying tie against Red Bull Salzburg, saving a penalty from Austrian international
Marc Janko Marc Janko (born 25 June 1983) is an Austrian former professional association football, footballer who played as a Forward (association football)#Striker, striker. Janko was a successful goal-scorer, particularly during his time at Austrian Footb ...
at the Red Bull Arena. However Murphy and "Bohs" would depart that competition, losing 2–1 on aggregate. Back in domestic action on 17 August 2009, Murphy scored and saved twice in a penalty shoot-out against
Dundalk Dundalk ( ; ) is the county town of County Louth, Ireland. The town is situated on the Castletown River, which flows into Dundalk Bay on the north-east coast of Ireland, and is halfway between Dublin and Belfast, close to and south of the bor ...
in the fourth round of the FAI Cup to help Bohemians through to the next round. He then added to his collection of medals in September as "Bohs" beat Waterford United in the final of the
League of Ireland Cup The League of Ireland Cup, also referred to in Ireland as the 'League Cup', was an annual knockout competition in men's football in Ireland. It was contested by League of Ireland clubs and invited clubs from the lower levels of the Irish footb ...
. And he wasn't done yet as a great run of form towards the end of the season helped Murphy and Bohs to their second
League of Ireland The League of Ireland is a national association football Sports league, league consisting of professional clubs in the Republic of Ireland and Derry, Derry City in Northern Ireland. It is governed by the Football Association of Ireland. It was ...
Premier Division title in a row, winning by 4 points from closest rivals Shamrock Rovers. The game against Bray Wanderers on 6 November 2009 would be Murphy's 97th and last league appearance for Bohemians before his move to Ipswich Town. In those 97 league games, Murphy kept an outstanding 63 clean sheets.


Ipswich Town

In late 2009 Murphy agreed to join Ipswich Town during the January 2010 transfer window. This was announced on the same day that Bohemians won their second successive League of Ireland title, and Murphy received his first call into the Irish senior squad. At the start of the January transfer window, Murphy formalized his transfer to Portman Road. His first appearance in the Town squad came on 10 January 2010 against Leicester City. Arran Lee-Barrett was to start in goal after showing impressive form late in 2009, with Murphy covering on the bench. However, Murphy was injured in the warm up at Leicester and was subsequently unable to fulfill his place on the bench for Town. The injury was to his knee ligaments and kept Murphy out until February, when he made a reserves appearance in a 1–0 win at
Norwich Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of the county of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. It lies by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. The population of the Norwich ...
. Lee-Barrett was, by this time, beginning to lose the form he had previously shown – something that was highlighted in a defeat away to table propping
Peterborough Peterborough ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in the City of Peterborough district in the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Cambridgeshire, England. The city is north of London, on the River Nene. A ...
. The following game Murphy was handed his debut against
Sheffield Wednesday Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English football league system. Formed in 1867 as an off ...
and kept a clean sheet on 20 February 2010. Murphy impressed in that game, especially when he denied the Owls with a close range, reflex save in the first half. He retained his place in goal for the next game with
Scunthorpe Scunthorpe () is an industrial town in Lincolnshire, England, and the county's third most populous settlement after Lincoln, England, Lincoln and Grimsby, with a population of 81,286 in 2021. It is the administrative centre and largest settleme ...
only conceding one goal. His home debut came against Bristol City on 27 January 2010, making one extremely memorable and spectacular save from David Clarkson. Indeed, it turned out to be a game for the goalkeepers, because for all Ipswich dominated, it was Murphy's opposite number, Dean Gerken who stole the headlines with a spectacular performance that included five world class saves. On 7 May 2011 it was confirmed that Murphy had rejected a new contract and would be leaving the club.


Queens Park Rangers

After impressing on trial Murphy signed a two-year deal with
Queens Park Rangers Queens Park Rangers Football Club, commonly abbreviated to QPR, is a professional association football club based in Shepherd's Bush, West London, England. The team currently compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English f ...
. He made his first start for the club in a 2–0 loss to Rochdale in the League Cup. Despite only playing once in his first two seasons, Murphy signed a new two-year deal following the club's relegation.


Portsmouth

On 8 August 2015, Murphy signed a deal until January with
Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...
, making his debut for the club in a 3–0 home win against Dagenham & Redbridge on the same day.


Cardiff City

On 2 September 2016, Murphy joined Football League Championship side Cardiff City. He was released at the end of the 2018–19 season. However, he was re-signed by the club in August 2019 as injury cover.


Waterford

On 12 February 2020, it was announced that Murphy had signed for his hometown club
Waterford Waterford ( ) is a City status in Ireland, city in County Waterford in the South-East Region, Ireland, south-east of Ireland. It is located within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster. The city is situated at the head of Waterford H ...
of the
League of Ireland Premier Division The League of Ireland Men's Premier Division (), also known as the SSE Airtricity Men's Premier Division for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in the Republic of Ireland and the highest level of the Republic of I ...
. After 3 seasons with the club, Murphy announced his retirement from football in January 2023.


International career

Murphy represented the Republic of Ireland Under-16 team at the 2000 UEFA European Under-16 Football Championship and the Under-19 team at the 2002 UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship. He was a regular in the Ireland under-19 squad under Brian Kerr and was preferred to
Aston Villa Aston Villa Football Club (commonly referred to as simply Villa) is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club, founded in 1874, compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The team have p ...
goalkeeper Wayne Henderson for the European under-19 Championships qualifiers and finals in 2002 until a shoulder injury allowed Henderson to reclaim his place. He has been capped since at under-20 and under-21 levels. On 6 November 2009, Murphy was called up to the Ireland squad for the World Cup play-offs against France following the withdrawal of Coventry City's Keiren Westwood. He was not called up again until 3 March 2014 for the friendly versus
Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...
following the withdrawal of Rob Elliot.


Career statistics


Honours

Swansea City *
Football League Trophy The English Football League Trophy, officially known as the Vertu Trophy for sponsorship reasons, is an annual English football knockout competition open to all clubs in EFL League One and EFL League Two and U-21 teams from the Premier Le ...
: 2005–06 Bohemian *
League of Ireland The League of Ireland is a national association football Sports league, league consisting of professional clubs in the Republic of Ireland and Derry, Derry City in Northern Ireland. It is governed by the Football Association of Ireland. It was ...
:
2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...
,
2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...
*
FAI Cup The Football Association of Ireland Senior Challenge Cup (FAI Cup), known as the Sports Direct FAI Cup for sponsorship reasons, is a knock-out association football competition contested annually by teams from the Republic of Ireland (as well as D ...
:
2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...
*
League of Ireland Cup The League of Ireland Cup, also referred to in Ireland as the 'League Cup', was an annual knockout competition in men's football in Ireland. It was contested by League of Ireland clubs and invited clubs from the lower levels of the Irish footb ...
:
2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...
Individual *SWAI Goalkeeper of the Year: 2007, 2008, 2009 * League of Ireland Player of the Year:
2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...
* Bohemians Player of the Year: 2007 * PFAI Team of the Year: 2007, 2008, 2009


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Murphy, Brian 1983 births Living people Association footballers from Waterford (city) Association footballers from County Waterford Men's association football goalkeepers Republic of Ireland men's association footballers Republic of Ireland men's youth international footballers Manchester City F.C. players Oldham Athletic A.F.C. players Peterborough United F.C. players Swansea City A.F.C. players Bohemian F.C. players Ipswich Town F.C. players Queens Park Rangers F.C. players Portsmouth F.C. players Cardiff City F.C. players Waterford F.C. players English Football League players League of Ireland players Irish expatriate sportspeople in England Republic of Ireland expatriate men's association footballers Expatriate men's footballers in England 21st-century Irish sportsmen