Ice-cool Murphy has time to celebrate after sending Nuneaton into dreamland

GEZ MURPHY will be forgiven by his bosses should he stagger into work late today - because the 29-year-old has carved his name into FA Cup folklore.

The striker, a full-time employee with Coventry City Council, found himself outshining even a European Cup winner in Gaizka Mendieta as the minnows of Nuneaton gave the big fish of Middlesbrough a sharp nip on the tail on Saturday.

Murphy was the coolest man in Manor Park as his last minute spot kick earned the Conference North side a replay at the Riverside.

It was no fluke either. Nuneaton were the better side against a team 100 places up the football ladder - and the statistics, for once, said it all: Nuneaton had more possession, more corners and more shots on target.

Mendieta’s brilliant free-kick looked to have secured Middlesbrough an undeserved victory until Gareth Southgate’s handball in the area allowed Murphy the opportunity to become the hero of the third round.

Murphy said: “I really didn’t think about the penalty. It seemed to take an age for the referee to give me the ball - but then I just got on with it. I was fairly confident but I’m just glad I scored - I might have been lynched otherwise!

“I had 30 or 40 works colleagues in the ground cheering me on. I’ll be pleased to get in there and get the stick out of the way - I think they’ll let me off even if I roll in at lunchtime with a hangover.”

When Mendieta’s free-kick swerved past Darren Acton, Roger Ashby’s Nuneaton players would have been forgiven had they given up the fight - but that proved not to be the case.

“The free-kick was out of this world. You can appreciate stuff like that even in the middle of the game!.

“To be on the same pitch as a European Cup winner was unbelievable, and you had to appreciate what a great bit of skill it was,” said Murphy.

“They were probably thinking they had done the job then. They expected to come down here and give us a good doing. But we gave a good account of ourselves and got stuck in.”

By the final whistle, it was Middlesbrough who looked the non-league side - their players never coming to grips with a bumpy, muddy pitch and Nuneaton’s desire aided by impressive fitness.

Murphy said: “It didn’t sink in until Friday night what this meant to the whole town, and I hope until the replay the whole place will be absolutely bouncing. Back up there it will be a fantastic stadium, a fantastic pitch - and all the Riverside will be behind them. But we will just go out to enjoy the day.”

Afterwards, Middlesbrough’s shell-shocked manager Steve McClaren had the demeanour of a surfer who has just had his board chewed by a shark. “There are so many upsets in the FA Cup each year, and we were very nearly one of them,” he said.

“It was very, very disappointing - but it could have been even worse.”