Championship high-flyers Forest are lacking cover at centre-forward while Daryl Murphy scores for fun at Bolton Wanderers in League One.
Even by Nottingham Forest’s standards, the summer of 2019 was a busy one. It began with Martin O’Neill being replaced by Sabri Lamouchi and ended with a massive overhaul of the City Ground playing staff.
13 arrived, including Brice Samba, Sammy Ameobi and Tiago Silva, and even more bid farewell. But while few Forest fans would have questioned the decision to let 36-year-old striker Daryl Murphy join Bolton Wanderers on a free transfer, the veteran Irishman is proving that there is life in the old dog yet.
For the first time in a professional career which has lasted almost two decades, Murphy has scored in four successive league games.
Not that he’d have enjoyed this personal milestone too much, however, with his latest effort coming in a 7-1 thrashing by Lancashire neighbours Accrington Stanley – arguably the worst result in Bolton’s proud history.
Murphy’s three other strikes sealed vital wins over MK Dons, Fleetwood Town and Bristol Rovers, however, with the cash-strapped Trotters finally moving onto a positive tally of points after beginning the campaign with a hefty deduction.
And when you consider that Forest are still lacking any real cover for star man Lewis Grabban, who continues to be wrapped in a few layers of cotton wool between matchdays, maybe the Championship high-flyers could have done with a player of Murphy’s evergreen experience in their ranks.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
