Brian Murphy may be out of action for anything up to a month following a freak injury picked up prior to Ipswich Town’s game away to Leicester City at The Walker Stadium on Sunday.
Manager Roy Keane selected Brian for the first time in his squad for the tough assignment against the Foxes but during the pre-match warm-up the Waterford-born netminder went over on his ankle on a frozen part of the pitch.
Speaking on Monday morning, Keane admitted that he’d suffered ankle ligament trouble on a number of occasions himself during his playing days and added that it can take up to a month to recover from such an injury.
Brian was due to undergo scans at the club that afternoon to determine the extent of the damage. “We have had no luck with goalkeepers this season,” said Keane on the club’s website. “Shane Supple retired and then we had to release Asmir Bevoich back to Portsmouth from his loan spell here when David James got injured.”
Regular No1 Richard Wright has been ruled out for four months also after his leg injury in late October. Brian spent the majority of December with Ipswich before he officially signed his 18-month contract at Portman Road and it is ironic that he should pick up such an injury considering he was ever-present during his three seasons at Dalymount Park with Bohemians.
Hard times
Meanwhile, Daryl Murphy (pictured) may be set for a switch to Mick McCarthy’s Wolves despite a recent recall to Sunderland’s starting XI.
“This last few months have been a learning curve for me and hopefully I’ll be a stronger person for it.” Taking flak from the fans has “not been a nice experience,” the 26-year-old former Blues striker admits, “because at the end of the day everyone goes on the pitch wanting to do their best and giving everything. You are going to have hard times in your career and it’s about how you cope with them.”
After five seasons at the Stadium of Light (where he was one of McCarthy’s first signings) the Hennessy’s Road man is ready for a move that suits. “If something comes up then I’d have to consider it… I need to be playing games.”
