'I can do better': Brilliant Portsmouth player of the season frontrunner targets even greater heights
Josh Murphy toasted his 17th Pompey goal contribution and insisted: I can do better.
By his own admission, the left winger has yet to match the lofty standards set in the second half of last season at Oxford United, form he regards as the best of his career.
Nonetheless, it has been an impressive introduction to Fratton Park, with the 30-year-old establishing himself as a leading contender for Player of the Season honours.
Murphy was man of the match and the goal hero in Saturday’s huge 1-0 victory over Blackburn, signalling his seventh of the campaign.
He has also claimed 10 assists in his 35 appearances since joining Pompey on a free transfer in June 2024.
But the former Cardiff man is adamant he can soar to even greater heights.
Murphy told The News: ‘Overall, I’m happy with the way I have been playing. I probably want more goals, I probably want more assists. That’s just me, my own personal targets and personal standards, but I'm happy with my output at the moment.
‘The back end of last season my form at Oxford was definitely the best of my life - and I have tried to carry it on here.
‘It was slow for the first 10 games of my Pompey career, but after that I feel I’ve found my rhythm, playing with new players.
‘The season right now is my benchmark, I know I can hit better heights, which I’m striving for. As long as we’re winning games and I can contribute, then I’m happy with that.
‘The backend of last season was 11 goal involvements in 18 games. If I can do that over the space of the season, then that would be really good for. That’s what I am trying to replicate here.
‘I've currently got 17 goal involvements, I just want to keep doing that. If I’m scoring and assisting, hopefully that means we are winning games, which is what I’m in the team to do.
‘You have to set the bar. I said to the manager (Mousinho) and Rich (Hughes) when I came in that I wanted to get this team in and around the play-offs.
‘Obviously this season has looked a bit different to the ambitions set out at the start of the season, but my aim is to contribute with loads of goals.’
‘50 points not enough’
Totalling 45 points with seven matches remaining, they are now level with Swansea and QPR - and six points adrift of 13th-placed Millwall.
Mousinho had previously spoken of 50 points representing the target for Championship survival.
However, Murphy believes the Blues may actually require 52 or 53 points to avoid an instant return to League One.
He added: ‘Realistically, we need another 7-8 points. Everyone at this stage of the season looks for the minimum number and everyone is saying 50 points - but I don’t think that’s going to be enough.
‘You could see we were 10 points clear and then, in the space of seven days, it went to four points, so the league changes ever so quickly.
‘So seven points from the next seven games should be enough. We need to take care of business and the sooner we can do it, the better.’
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