Oxford PROMOTED to Championship after beating Bolton in League One playoff final just 14 years after playing non-league
JOSH MURPHY was born in Wembley.
And today he scored two goals made for this great stadium.
It was Murphy’s boyhood dream to one day star on the hallowed turf.
The 29-year-old’s first-half double fired Oxford into the Championship
It will be the first time the U’s have played in the second tier for 25 YEARS.
And it could be a perfect family double in West London this weekend if Jacob and Newcastle can seal either Europa League or Conference League football with a positive result down the road at Brentford tomorrow.
Bolton had been scintillating going forward this season – having netted an incredible 121 goals in all competitions, a club record.
It beat the 120 they netted in 1996-97 when they got promoted to the Premier League – but they barely laid a glove on Oxford.
During an even start, Bolton’s Paris Maghoma needed treatment after coming off worse from a crunching tackle from Sam Long.
The atmosphere was electric and Oxford – who lost the League One play-off final to Wycombe in 2020 – handed out thousands of yellow and blue balloons before kick-off.
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Both sides brought 35,000 fans under the arch.
Bolton almost moved in front thanks to a piece of speculative creativity from Josh Sheehan.
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After Nathaniel Ogbeta saw a cross blocked, the ball fell to the midfielder.
And, from 30 yards, he fired a daisy-cutter that just bent inches wide of the right post.
Oxford, though, gave Bolton something to think about when Ruben Rodrigues got a sighter 25 yards out but crashed his effort a few yards wide.
And the U’s – who had been outstanding in closing Bolton down throughout the first half – deservedly moved in front.
Murphy picked up the ball down the left channel and the Trotters allowed him far too much time and space to cut in and fired a ferocious deflected effort past Nathan Baxter.
Defender Ricardo Santos did get a nod on to the ball but it was going in anyway – so rightfully was awarded to the U’s ace.
And Murphy did it again four minutes before the break with a goal of sheer quality.
Rodrigues played a peach of a pass to play the Oxford winger in.
His first touch took the ball past the keeper but appeared to push him out too wide.
But incredibly he fired home from the tightest of angles.
It was simply brilliant.
After the break he almost scored a carbon-copy that would have been even better.
Getting through, his first touch took him out wide but, with a defender on him, he dragged a shot wide of the left post.
Bolton boss Ian Evatt had changed tactics. Rather than trying to play through Oxford, they were playing for territory.
Murphy again almost netted when from a Bolton corner, the U’s broke and within two passes he was through on goal.
But this time, as Murphy attempted a chipped finish again from an angle, keeper Baxter brilliantly saved.
Sub Kyle Dempsey was booked after taking out Oxford’s Marcus McGuane.
Bolton keeper Baxter got booked after an awful piece of defending from Josh Dacres-Cogley.
He allowed the ball to run through to the keeper but the only problem was Owen Dale was right behind him.
And as Baxter attempted to clear he took out the Oxford man.
From the resulting free-kick, the Bolton keeper kept out Billy Bodin’s shot.
Then the Oxford star headed wide.
But Bolton veteran Cameron Jerome should have brought Bolton back into the game seven minutes from time – instead nodding over the bar from six yards.
The 37-year-old was causing chaos in the Oxford boss but they survived another scare when Elliott Moore just nipped in to head clear with the striker ready to pounce.
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Bolton were given fresh hope when the fourth official displayed nine minutes of stoppage time on his board.
But it gave Murphy more time to chase his hat-trick.
And he had a wonderful chance at the death when the ball fell to him 12 yards out.
He had time to chest it and shoot but instead went for a Hollywood finish.
But as he attempted a scissor kick, he got it horribly wrong and landed on his backside.
Murphy saw the funny side.
Evatt certainly did not. That’s two play-off failures in a row. And back to the drawing board for Bolton this summer.