- Saturday’s underdogs last played in England’s second division in 1999
- Josh Murphy’s brace capped a dominant afternoon against favorites Bolton
- CHRIS SUTTON: Fans are fed up with VAR… but it’s here to stay – Listen to the It all starts podcast
Oxford United will play in the Championship for the first time this century after Josh Murphy scored twice to upset the odds in yesterday’s League One play-off final at Wembley.
Favorites Bolton, who had beaten Oxford 5-0 in the regular season and were 10 points clear of their rivals in the table, failed to appear and Murphy – twin brother of Newcastle United winger Jacob – took full advantage.
His shot was deflected through Wanderers skipper Ricardo Santos to give The U’s the lead after half an hour and he effectively sealed the deal before the break when he rounded goalkeeper Nathan Baxter to head home.
Retaining the signed winger will now be the top priority for Oxford, who were last in the second tier in 1999.
“My brother keeps telling me it’s my time to shine and I think I did that today,” the two-goal hero said afterwards.
Oxford United are back in the Championship after a lengthy absence of 25 years after a 2-0 win
Elliott Moore lifted the trophy at Wembley after a dazzling final performance
During the season Bolton had the measure of their opponents but failed to show up that day
Bolton boss Ian Evatt looked tense in the tunnel before kick-off, as if he had a premonition of what was to come.
His danger man Paris Maghoma got a goal in the opening minute and was a passenger afterwards. Overall, Wanderers failed to register a shot on target.
Oxford, on the other hand, was smart and inventive. Local hero Buckingham, a former youth player at the club, took the job in November having previously worked in India and New Zealand. In the home of football, his players were proud of him.
Tyler Goodrham’s runs from midfield gave the yellow half of the stadium something to shout about and no one could argue with that as they took the lead after 31 minutes.
Ruben Rodrigues fed Murphy on the left outside the penalty area. He squeezed inside Josh Dacres-Cogley in the penalty area and let fly with a shot that skimmed off Santos’ head as he jumped to try to get away.
Murphy, 29, was born in Wembley and played in the top flight with his first club Norwich, after moving to Norfolk at the age of 11.
That Premier League heritage was evident in his second goal after 42 minutes.
A defensive pass from Rodrigues freed Murphy, whose first touch around ‘keeper Nathan Baxter was so perfect he didn’t have to break before entering.
It effectively sealed the match and the only disappointment for Murphy was failing to score the first hat-trick in the play-off final since Jermaine Beckford for Preston in 2015.
Josh Murphy (centre) scored the first of his two goals just after the half hour mark at Wembley
The 29-year-old was a constant threat up front for The U’s and won Player of the Match
Murphy came close to scoring a hat-trick at the home of English football, but just missed the ball
Bolton looked unlikely when faced with The U’s dominant and complex performance
During the nine minutes of added time, Bolton threw the kitchen sink at Oxford but couldn’t break them down
It was a day out in dreamland for the traveling Oxford United fans, who are finally back in the second division
He also had his chances, twice failing to convert when passed one-on-one and missing a header.
However, Bolton was not good enough to capitalize. Evatt made a three-way substitution midway through the second half, pinning his hopes on strikers Victor Adeboyejo and veteran Camerone Jerome. But a dramatic comeback never seemed likely.