Rhys Murphy

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title: "Rhys Murphy" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1990-births", "living-people", "footballers-from-shoreham-by-sea", "english-men's-footballers", "england-men's-youth-international-footballers", "republic-of-ireland-men's-association-footballers", "republic-of-ireland-men's-youth-international-footballers", "republic-of-ireland-men's-under-21-international-footballers", "men's-association-football-forwards", "wimbledon-f.c.-players", "arsenal-f.c.-players", "brentford-f.c.-players", "preston-north-end-f.c.-players", "sc-telstar-players", "dagenham-&-redbridge-f.c.-players", "oldham-athletic-a.f.c.-players", "crawley-town-f.c.-players", "afc-wimbledon-players", "forest-green-rovers-f.c.-players", "york-city-f.c.-players", "torquay-united-f.c.-players", "gillingham-f.c.-players", "chelmsford-city-f.c.-players", "yeovil-town-f.c.-players", "southend-united-f.c.-players", "dorking-wanderers-f.c.-players", "horsham-f.c.-players", "english-football-league-players", "eerste-divisie-players", "national-league-(english-football)-players", "english-expatriate-men's-footballers", "republic-of-ireland-expatriate-men's-association-footballers", "expatriate-men's-footballers-in-the-netherlands", "english-expatriate-sportspeople-in-the-netherlands", "irish-expatriate-sportspeople-in-the-netherlands", "english-people-of-irish-descent", "21st-century-english-sportsmen", "21st-century-irish-sportsmen"] description: "English footballer (born 1990)" topic_path: "technology/web" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhys_Murphy" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary English footballer (born 1990) ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox football biography"]

Field	Value
name	Rhys Murphy
image	Rhys murphy yeovil 2023.jpg
image_size	200
caption	Murphy playing for Yeovil Town in 2023
fullname	Rhys Philip Elliot Murphy
birth_date
birth_place	Shoreham-by-Sea, England
height	1.82 m
position	Striker
currentclub	Horsham
youthclubs1	Wimbledon
youthyears2	–2008
youthclubs2	Arsenal
years1	2008–2012
clubs1	Arsenal
caps1	0
goals1	0
years2	2009–2010
clubs2	→ Brentford (loan)
caps2	5
goals2	0
years3	2012
clubs3	→ Preston North End (loan)
caps3	5
goals3	0
years4	2012–2013
clubs4	Telstar
caps4	28
goals4	7
years5	2013–2015
clubs5	Dagenham & Redbridge
caps5	41
goals5	14
years6	2015–2016
clubs6	Oldham Athletic
caps6	24
goals6	3
years7	2015
clubs7	→ Crawley Town (loan)
caps7	15
goals7	9
years8	2016
clubs8	→ AFC Wimbledon (loan)
caps8	7
goals8	1
years9	2016–2018
clubs9	Forest Green Rovers
caps9	17
goals9	7
years10	2016–2017
clubs10	→ York City (loan)
caps10	5
goals10	0
years11	2017
clubs11	→ Crawley Town (loan)
caps11	15
goals11	1
years12	2017
clubs12	→ Torquay United (loan)
caps12	8
goals12	1
years13	2018
clubs13	Gillingham
caps13	1
goals13	0
years14	2018–2019
clubs14	Chelmsford City
caps14	38
goals14	25
years15	2019–2021
clubs15	Yeovil Town
caps15	58
goals15	29
years16	2021–2023
clubs16	Southend United
caps16	32
goals16	9
years17	2023–2024
clubs17	Yeovil Town
caps17	25
goals17	10
years18	2024–2025
clubs18	Dorking Wanderers
caps18	18
goals18	5
years19	2025–
clubs19	Horsham
caps19	24
goals19	4
club-update	19:40, 18 January 2026 (UTC)
nationalyears1	2005
nationalteam1	Republic of Ireland U15
nationalcaps1	1
nationalgoals1	0
nationalyears2	2005–2006
nationalteam2	England U16
nationalcaps2	1
nationalgoals2	1
nationalyears3	2006–2007
nationalteam3	England U17
nationalcaps3	18
nationalgoals3	9
nationalyears4	2007–2009
nationalteam4	England U19
nationalcaps4	7
nationalgoals4	3
nationalyears5	2011–2012
nationalteam5	Republic of Ireland U21
nationalcaps5	3
nationalgoals5	1
::

| name = Rhys Murphy | image = Rhys murphy yeovil 2023.jpg | image_size = 200 | caption = Murphy playing for Yeovil Town in 2023 | fullname = Rhys Philip Elliot Murphy | birth_date = | birth_place = Shoreham-by-Sea, England | height = 1.82 m | position = Striker | currentclub = Horsham | clubnumber = | youthyears1 = | youthclubs1 = Wimbledon | youthyears2 = –2008 | youthclubs2 = Arsenal | years1 = 2008–2012 | clubs1 = Arsenal | caps1 = 0 | goals1 = 0 | years2 = 2009–2010 | clubs2 = → Brentford (loan) | caps2 = 5 | goals2 = 0 | years3 = 2012 | clubs3 = → Preston North End (loan) | caps3 = 5 | goals3 = 0 | years4 = 2012–2013 | clubs4 = Telstar | caps4 = 28 | goals4 = 7 | years5 = 2013–2015 | clubs5 = Dagenham & Redbridge | caps5 = 41 | goals5 = 14 | years6 = 2015–2016 | clubs6 = Oldham Athletic | caps6 = 24 | goals6 = 3 | years7 = 2015 | clubs7 = → Crawley Town (loan) | caps7 = 15 | goals7 = 9 | years8 = 2016 | clubs8 = → AFC Wimbledon (loan) | caps8 = 7 | goals8 = 1 | years9 = 2016–2018 | clubs9 = Forest Green Rovers | caps9 = 17 | goals9 = 7 | years10 = 2016–2017 | clubs10 = → York City (loan) | caps10 = 5 | goals10 = 0 | years11 = 2017 | clubs11 = → Crawley Town (loan) | caps11 = 15 | goals11 = 1 | years12 = 2017 | clubs12 = → Torquay United (loan) | caps12 = 8 | goals12 = 1 | years13 = 2018 | clubs13 = Gillingham | caps13 = 1 | goals13 = 0 | years14 = 2018–2019 | clubs14 = Chelmsford City | caps14 = 38 | goals14 = 25 | years15 = 2019–2021 | clubs15 = Yeovil Town | caps15 = 58 | goals15 = 29 | years16 = 2021–2023 | clubs16 = Southend United | caps16 = 32 | goals16 = 9 | years17 = 2023–2024 | clubs17 = Yeovil Town | caps17 = 25 | goals17 = 10 | years18 = 2024–2025 | clubs18 = Dorking Wanderers | caps18 = 18 | goals18 = 5 | years19 = 2025– | clubs19 = Horsham | caps19 = 24 | goals19 = 4 | club-update = 19:40, 18 January 2026 (UTC) | nationalyears1 = 2005 | nationalteam1 = Republic of Ireland U15 | nationalcaps1 = 1 | nationalgoals1 = 0 | nationalyears2 = 2005–2006 | nationalteam2 = England U16 | nationalcaps2 = 1 | nationalgoals2 = 1 | nationalyears3 = 2006–2007 | nationalteam3 = England U17 | nationalcaps3 = 18 | nationalgoals3 = 9 | nationalyears4 = 2007–2009 | nationalteam4 = England U19 | nationalcaps4 = 7 | nationalgoals4 = 3 | nationalyears5 = 2011–2012 | nationalteam5 = Republic of Ireland U21 | nationalcaps5 = 3 | nationalgoals5 = 1 | nationalteam-update = Rhys Philip Elliot Murphy (born 6 November 1990) is a professional footballer who plays as a striker for National League South club Horsham.

He has played in the English Football League for Brentford, Preston North End, Dagenham & Redbridge, Oldham Athletic, Crawley Town, AFC Wimbledon, Forest Green Rovers and Gillingham.

Murphy represented his native England at under-16, under-17 and under-19 international levels, but switched allegiance to the Republic of Ireland in 2011 and played for their under-21 team.

Club career

Murphy was born in Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex. He broke into the Arsenal reserve team as a schoolboy, while also scoring 17 goals in 21 matches for the Arsenal Academy. He was previously an academy player for Wimbledon before joining Arsenal Academy. He won the 2008–09 Premier Academy League with the Arsenal under-18 team, scoring the only goal in the play-off final versus Tottenham Hotspur, and the 2008–09 FA Youth Cup. He joined League One club Brentford on loan for three months on 24 November 2009. In August 2011, Murphy had a trial with Scottish Premier League champions Rangers and played for their reserve team. In January 2012, he had a trial with Hibernian, another SPL club. He signed for League One club Preston North End on loan until the end of the 2011–12 season. On 22 May 2012, Murphy was released by Arsenal.

Murphy joined Eerste Divisie club Telstar on 9 June 2012, signing a one-year contract with an option for a second. He made his debut on 10 August 2012 in a 2–1 home defeat to Helmond Sport. In the 67th minute, he was substituted for Leandro Resida who scored three minutes after.

He signed for League Two club Dagenham & Redbridge on 22 July 2013 on a two-year contract. He scored on his debut in the 3–1 defeat away to Fleetwood Town on 3 August 2013. He then scored his second goal for Dagenham in a 2–0 home win against York City the following week.

On 2 February 2015, Murphy signed for League One club Oldham Athletic on a two-and-a-half-year contract for an undisclosed fee believed to be in the region of £20,000, to accelerate a pre-contract agreement set to activate in the 2015 summer transfer window. Manager Lee Johnson said of the arrival, "I'm really pleased to bring Rhys to the club and he is an exciting prospect for us, I'm looking forward to working with him and he will fit into our style of play seamlessly".

On 7 July 2016, Murphy signed for National League club Forest Green Rovers for a nominal fee. His first goal for Forest Green came on 20 August 2016 in a 2–1 home win over York. He followed his first goal up by scoring twice in a 4–1 away victory over Maidstone United a week later on 27 August 2016. On 1 December 2016, Murphy joined Forest Green's divisional rivals York City on loan until 7 January 2017. On 31 January 2017, Murphy returned to League Two club Crawley Town on loan for the remainder of 2016–17. Five days later, Murphy made his Crawley return in a 2–1 home defeat against Stevenage, replacing Enzio Boldewijn with 12 minutes remaining. On 19 September 2017, Murphy joined National League side Torquay United on a three-month loan deal. He had his contract with Forest Green cancelled by mutual consent on 9 January 2018.

Murphy signed for League One club Gillingham on 31 January 2018 on a short-term contract.

Murphy signed for National League South club Chelmsford City on 11 July 2018. On 26 December 2018, Murphy scored his first hat-trick for the club in a 5–1 win against rivals Billericay Town. Murphy was released by Chelmsford at the end of the 2018–19 season, having been the club's top scorer with 28 goals in all competitions.

Murphy signed for newly relegated National League club Yeovil Town on 26 June 2019 on a two-year contract.

On 10 June 2021, after weeks of speculation, Murphy agreed a two-year deal to join recently relegated National League side Southend United, officially joining the club on 1 July 2021 upon the expiration of his Yeovil contract.

In June 2023, Yeovil Town announced that Murphy was rejoining the club following the expiry of his contract at Southend United on 1 July 2023.

In May 2024, Dorking Wanderers announced that Murphy would be joining the club following the expiry of his contract at Yeovil Town, after he rejected the offer of a new contract. On 14 May 2025, it was announced that Murphy would leave the club at the end of his contract in June.

On 5 July 2025, following his release from Dorking Wanderers, Murphy agreed to join newly-promoted National League South side, Horsham. On 10 January 2026, Murphy scored 2 goals in a 3-2 victory over Leatherhead, helping Horsham to advance to the 5th round of the FA Trophy for the first time in the club’s history.

International career

England

Murphy has played for the England under-16 and under-17 teams and was part of under-19 squad that reached the final of 2009 UEFA European Under-19 Championship.

Republic of Ireland

Before playing for England, Murphy represented the Republic of Ireland at under-15 level and after an approach from Irish under-21 Head Coach Noel King, he switched his allegiance back to the country of his grandfather. He was called up to the under-21 squad in August 2011, and made his debut on 1 September 2011 against Hungary at the Showgrounds, scoring the winner in a 2–1 victory.

Career statistics

::data[format=table title="Appearances and goals by club, season and competition"] | Club | Season | League | National Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Total | 0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0 | Total | 41||14||3||0||1||0||1||0||46||14 | Total | 24||3||colspan=2|—||0||0||1||0||25||3 | Total | 17||7||0||0||0||0||0||0||17||7 | Total | 58||29||4||2||colspan=2|—||3||3||65||34 | Total | 32||9||3||2||colspan=2|—||1||0||36||11 | Career total | 366||125||22||9||1||0||18||15||407||149 | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | Arsenal | 2009–10 | Premier League | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 2010–11 | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 2011–12 | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Brentford (loan) | 2009–10 | League One | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 6 | 0 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Preston North End (loan) | 2011–12 | League One | 5 | 0 | — | — | — | 5 | 0 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Telstar | 2012–13 | Eerste Divisie | 28 | 7 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 30 | 7 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Dagenham & Redbridge | 2013–14 | League Two | 32 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 35 | 13 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 2014–15 | League Two | 9 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 1 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Oldham Athletic | 2014–15 | League One | 11 | 0 | — | — | — | 11 | 0 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 2015–16 | League One | 13 | 3 | — | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 14 | 3 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Crawley Town (loan) | 2015–16 | League Two | 15 | 9 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 16 | 9 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | AFC Wimbledon (loan) | 2015–16 | League Two | 7 | 1 | — | — | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Forest Green Rovers | 2016–17 | National League | 17 | 7 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 17 | 7 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 2017–18 | League Two | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | York City (loan) | 2016–17 | National League | 5 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 2 | 6 | 2 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Crawley Town (loan) | 2016–17 | League Two | 15 | 1 | — | — | — | 15 | 1 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Torquay United (loan) | 2017–18 | National League | 8 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 9 | 1 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Gillingham | 2017–18 | League One | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Chelmsford City | 2018–19 | National League South | 38 | 25 | 1 | 0 | — | 4 | 3 | 43 | 28 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Yeovil Town | 2019–20 | National League | 30 | 17 | 1 | 0 | — | 3 | 3 | 34 | 20 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 2020–21 | National League | 28 | 12 | 3 | 2 | — | 0 | 0 | 31 | 14 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Southend United | 2021–22 | National League | 21 | 7 | 2 | 2 | — | 1 | 0 | 24 | 9 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 2022–23 | National League | 11 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 12 | 2 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Yeovil Town | 2023–24 | National League South | 25 | 10 | 5 | 5 | — | 0 | 0 | 30 | 15 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Dorking Wanderers | 2024–25 | National League South | 18 | 5 | 1 | 0 | — | 4 | 5 | 23 | 10 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Horsham | 2025–26 | National League South | 24 | 4 | 1 | 1 | — | 3 | 2 | 28 | 7 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | ::

Honours

Arsenal

• Premier Academy League: 2008–09
• FA Youth Cup: 2008–09

AFC Wimbledon

• Football League Two play-offs: 2016

Yeovil Town

• National League South: 2023–24

England U19

• UEFA European Under-19 Championship runner-up: 2009

Individual

• Chelmsford City Player of the Year: 2018–19
• Chelmsford City Players' Player of the Year: 2018–19
• Chelmsford City Away Player of the Year: 2018–19

References

References

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49. {{soccerbase season. 52925. 2013
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