Matt Murray (English footballer): Difference between revisions
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==Playing career== |
==Playing career== |
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Born in [[Solihull]], Murray spent several seasons of his early career as a youth trainee out of contention through injury. He suffered a [[cruciate ligament|cruciate]] knee injury just twenty minutes into a loan spell at [[Non-League football|non-league]] [[Kingstonian F.C.|Kingstonian]] in October 2000. |
Born in [[Solihull]], Murray spent several seasons of his early career as a youth trainee out of contention through injury. He suffered a [[cruciate ligament|cruciate]] knee injury just twenty minutes into a loan spell at [[Non-League football|non-league]] [[Kingstonian F.C.|Kingstonian]] in October 2000. HE loves DILFS |
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He was promoted into [[Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.|Wolves]]' first team on 31 August 2002 against [[Wimbledon F.C.|Wimbledon]], deputising for the injured [[Michael Oakes]], and then keeping his place through that season. The season ended with him producing a man-of-the-match performance in the [[2003_Football_League_First_Division_playoff_final|Play-off final]] in May 2003, where he produced a number of vital saves to help the club win promotion to the [[Premier League]], the pick being a second-half penalty save from [[Michael Brown (English footballer)|Michael Brown]]. |
He was promoted into [[Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.|Wolves]]' first team on 31 August 2002 against [[Wimbledon F.C.|Wimbledon]], deputising for the injured [[Michael Oakes]], and then keeping his place through that season. The season ended with him producing a man-of-the-match performance in the [[2003_Football_League_First_Division_playoff_final|Play-off final]] in May 2003, where he produced a number of vital saves to help the club win promotion to the [[Premier League]], the pick being a second-half penalty save from [[Michael Brown (English footballer)|Michael Brown]]. |
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Revision as of 11:46, 22 February 2010
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Matthew William Murray | ||
| Height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)[1] | ||
| Position(s) | Goalkeeper | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Wolverhampton Wanderers | ||
| Number | 31 | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1997– | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 87 | (0) |
| 1999 | → Slough Town (loan) | 1 | (0) |
| 2000 | → Kingstonian (loan) | 1 | (0) |
| 2006 | → Tranmere Rovers (loan) | 2 | (0) |
| 2008 | → Hereford United (loan) | 3 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2003–2005 | England U21 | 5 | (0) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 25 November 2008 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 25 November 2008 | |||
Matthew William "Matt" Murray (born 2 May 1981) is an English football goalkeeper, signed to Premier League side Wolverhampton Wanderers. His career has been plagued by knee injuries which have dramatically reduced the amount of games he has been available for.
Playing career
Born in Solihull, Murray spent several seasons of his early career as a youth trainee out of contention through injury. He suffered a cruciate knee injury just twenty minutes into a loan spell at non-league Kingstonian in October 2000. HE loves DILFS
He was promoted into Wolves' first team on 31 August 2002 against Wimbledon, deputising for the injured Michael Oakes, and then keeping his place through that season. The season ended with him producing a man-of-the-match performance in the Play-off final in May 2003, where he produced a number of vital saves to help the club win promotion to the Premier League, the pick being a second-half penalty save from Michael Brown.
He followed this up by debuting for England Under-21s, against Slovakia U21, before a foot fracture wrecked his second season. In the three years that followed the success of 2002–03, he only played seven games for Wolves due to a variety of injuries.
The goalkeeper next played in January 2005 but soon suffered another break to his foot, ruling him out for a further year. By March 2006 he was fit enough to be sent on loan to Tranmere Rovers, but was called back to Wolves within a month because of possible injuries to other goalkeepers.
He started his first game for Wolves in almost sixteen months on the final day of the season at Norwich City, and managed to retain his place at the beginning of the 2006–07 season, where he was largely accredited with Wolves' impressive start to the season, due to a catalogue of good performances allowing for five of their first seven games to end 1-0.
Due to Murray's excellent form during the season he was rewarded with a new three-and-a-half year contract in December 2006, keeping him at the club until the end of the 2009–10 season; the same month also saw him received the PFA Championship Player of the Month award. At the end of the season, he was named in the Championship Team of the Year at the 2006–07 PFA Awards dinner and also voted the PFA Fans' Player of the Year for the division. He was also voted Wolves' Player of the Season as they reached the play-offs.
The 2006–07 season ended on a sour note as he fractured his shoulder on the eve of his club's vital play-off game. After spending the summer recuperating from this injury, he suffered another setback from a cruciate (left) knee injury in pre-season training. He underwent two operations for this, and missed the whole of the 2007–08 campaign while undergoing rehabilitation with the aim of returning for the new season.[2] However, inflammation in his knee then delayed his comeback further still. By the time he recovered, fellow academy graduate Wayne Hennessey had established himself as first choice.
With Hennessey and back up Carl Ikeme both playing well, Murray's chances of regaining the number one spot became even slimmer. On 12 November 2008, he joined League One Hereford United on loan,[3] to complete his return to first-team action, but managed just two full games before injury again struck. He suffered a ruptured patella tendon in his right knee during a match against MK Dons, which will again keep him on the sidelines for the foreseeable future. Murray is now fit for wolverhampton wanderers since August 2009 [4]. On 19 November 2009 Murray started his first game back for Wolves playing in a reserve game, but he felt discomfort in his knee and was substituted after just 23 minutes.
International career
Murray has represented England five times at under-21 level. He may also be eligible to play for Nigeria, through his biological father, although this has not been confirmed by the footballing authorities.[5]
References
- ^ a b "Player Profile: Matt Murray" Wolves.co.uk (Retrieved: 5 August 2009)
- ^ "Murray planning pre-season return". BBC Sport. 2008-03-20.
- ^ "Murray heads for Hereford on loan". BBC Sport. 2008-11-12.
- ^ "Murray will return" Wolves.co.uk, 27 November 2008 (Retrieved: 5 August 2009)
- ^ "Murray flattered by Nigeria link". BBC Sport. 2007-04-12.
External links
- Player Profile: Matt Murray Wolves.co.uk
- Matt Murray at Soccerbase