Former Hibs forward Jamie Murphy reveals why he was happy to leave Easter Road

Former Hibs forward Jamie Murphy has explained his reasoning for leaving Easter Road to join Mansfield Town on loan.

The 32-year-old says working with manager Nigel Clough once again was a big factor.

He played under Clough both at Sheffield United and on loan at Burton Albion earlier in his career, with Mansfield bringing the two back together again on transfer deadline day last week.

Now Murphy, whose Hibs contract expires at the end of the season, is ready once again to repay Clough’s faith in him.

Jamie Murphy's Hibs contract expires at the end of the season

He said: “A lot attracted me to the club. It’s very forward-thinking club that wants to progress and obviously having worked with the manager before I know what he wants and it was a good opportunity to come down and have a new challenge.

“Nigel Clough is good to work under. He’s very fair and if you work hard for him he’ll work hard for you on and off the pitch so you want to repay him and all the staff.”

Murphy can play across the front line and believes his versatility will be an asset to Mansfield as the season reaches its climax, particularly once he has adjusted to a new level of football.

He said: “It’s something I’ve done throughout my career, playing up front, wide left or in the number ten position so I’m sure the manager will know where to put me.

Jamie Murphy has two Scotland caps to his name.

“I’m not sure what to expect from League Two. Obviously I’ve never played in this division before, having played in every other league, but I’m not looking at other teams, I’m looking at ours and what we can do and hopefully we can go and win some games.

“I’ve got my own individual targets but everyone knows the club’s target and we’ll be working towards that.”

Murphy, who has two Scotland caps, has over 500 career games to his name, with long spells at Motherwell, Sheffield United and Brighton & Hove Albion in particular.

He joined Hibs from Rangers in August 2020, initially on loan, although injury problems limited his game time at Easter Road.

But he hopes to use his experience to Mansfield’s benefit overall.

He said: “I’ve had a bit of a stop-start season with a few injuries but I’ve still got a lot in the tank and am ready to go from now until the end of the season.

“Hopefully I can pass on some experience to the younger players. I’m not the loudest person in the changing room but you can set examples by what you do on the training pitch and if you go out every day and train properly it might rub off on some people.

“The club wanted me which is always nice and I had a good look at them and they’ve obviously been doing well and on a good run and hopefully we can keep it going.

“If you’re coming into a team that’s not won in ten games it’s always going to be difficult but the boys have been doing great and there’s confidence there in the changing room and hopefully that stays.”

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