Peter Murphy - Radio Cumbria Interview

Last updated : 24 February 2008 By Thetashkentterror

Peter Murphy
United defender Peter Murphy spoke to BBC Radio Cumbria this evening, Dubliner Murphy first talking about his 300th appearance in a Carlisle shirt tomorrow, the 27-year old also later chatting about the challenge the Blues will face against Doncaster on Saturday afternoon :


" Only in the last couple of days when the press got hold of it was I aware of it, I only noticed it then, it's good to clock up the games. It feels great now that it has been said but I've still got to catch a few people then so I'll be looking forward to doing that. It looked as though I might move on in the summer but I was just waiting to see what my options were and I didn't have any options in the end!

" I didn't know Roddy (Collins) before I came here, I obviously knew of him and his brother but I just moved up here and I was given the option to play league football. I jumped at the chance to do that, I came in and the first game I was sat on the bench dying to get on and I eventually did get on and I haven't looked back since.

" At the start there were a lot of players coming in and going out, I saw a lot of players come in and not really do so well and go. Now the club is a lot more stabilised though there aren't that many players coming in and there is a settled squad. I think that has changed over the last few years, the squad has settled down and I think that is what has helped in the success that we have had. It seems to be either promotion or relegation with Carlisle, the fans, you can understand their feelings all the time, it's up or down but that's football isn't it.

" It seems like only a couple of weeks ago that it was the start of the season, so it just flies by, every season seems to fly by, so you have to try to do your best in every season that you can. I hope the experience has stood us in good stead and I hope that I can help because we have got quite a young side. The young lads coming through now, the likes of Danny Graham and Joe Garner, I hope the experience that I have had can help them as well in some way for this season.

" I think we have had a solid base of players for a while now and everybody that has come in has added to it, the team and the squad that we have together now is brilliant. Everybody gets on well, there are no big heads or big personalities that mess up the changing room so it has been good. You have got the likes of Scott Dobie who has come in and he's played in the Premier League, and he's just fit in so well as well. He's having a laugh with the lads, he's a local lad so he gets stick now like Glenn Murray used to get, and obviously he has moved on to better things as well.

" The play-off final goal was brilliant, I was surprised by Tom Cowan putting in a good cross for once, I just made my run, I think that the defender in front of me missed it. I was in the right place at the right time, and I remember heading it in and there was Brendan McGill that was behind me, I saw a picture of Brendan McGill who was one of my mates. He was going mad thinking that he was never going to hear the end of it, so that was a good bit of banter we had together, but it was great to get the goal and celebrate with everybody. "



" There are a lot of highlights, there are a couple like the play-off final, the Aldershot game being the most exciting where everybody was on a low then on a high like the wide range of emotions that you always get at Carlisle, there is no inbetween. So there are a few. Every manager has their own different qualities that I enjoy playing under, but I think that I've played under all of the managers that have been here. That's how I have racked up my 300 games, so I must have enjoyed playing under them all because I have played so many games.

" I'm not going to disrespect anybody by just mentioning one player, I've played with a few great players and experienced players that have helped the club. Just going back to the signings that Paul Simpson made at the time, (Andy) Preece, Kevin Gray, Hendo (Kevin Henderson), Tom Cowan, those players at that time helped this club to turn it around I think. So I wouldn't say that individually they were the best players but what they brought to the club was brilliant.

" If the chance came along again then obviously I would love to play for my country again, but I think that you are viewed a lot more if you play in the higher divisions. When I was down in the Conference I don't think you'd ever get the chance to play for your international side. So getting up to League One was a stepping stone, and if we can get up to the Championship then you would hope to get looked at again for the internationals and try to achieve a few more games.

" I think when we played them (Doncaster) down there it showed what type of a footballing side they are, a very good side. We battled very well right to the end so hopefully tomorrow we can get at them at our own patch with our fans and get right into them and see if we can turn them over on our own home patch and keep our run going.

" If you said to me now that we have got three games in hand and would you rather have nine points then I would say definitely. We are still sitting in a great position though where even if the worst was to happen and we lost all those three games we would still be in fourth place. So it's a good position but obviously we are wanting to win every game that we can. So I would say that out of those three games we are going to pick up hopefully six points you would say and that gets us closer to Doncaster.

" People are talking about the away form now because it has only been an issue over the last six games but there are teams that play very well away from home and don't play well at home. So if we can pick up points away from home and win our home games, because our home form has been very good, then that is promotion form. I don't think that anybody can argue with that, we got a point at Port Vale that stopped the little rot of losing all the games. So we are looking to our next away game which is Crewe and we are looking to go and get three points there, if we get one then we settle for that and we win our home games. "