MURPHY IS OWLS’ BRUCIE BONUS Goal hero says his Toon chief 2 0 backs him to be a hit on loan

options but, weighing all the things up, this was the best place for me. I spoke to the Wednesday manager, to captain Tom Lees and to my agent. I decided that this was the best platform.” The 24-year-old scored his first goal for the Owls just 100 seconds after kick-off – and with his first touch of the ball. His dream opener kick-started the Owls to their second win in two games, leaving them top of the Championship. Wednesday added another goal through Steven Fletcher and this convincing victory against local rivals Barnsley could land caretaker boss Lee Bullen a permanent position.

Bullen praised his two wing wonder signings, Murphy and Kadeem Harris. The former Cardiff player, who came on a free, scored last week and had a blinder against the Tykes.

Was it surprising that Steve Bruce recommended Murphy? “I’m always surprised when good players are allowed to leave,” said Bullen. “Whether it’s Cardiff letting go of Kadeem, or QPR with Massimo Luongo. I’m delighted that Jacob was allowed to come. I like wingers. Now isn’t that old fashioned? Two out-and-out wingers playing at the same time.” Bullen revealed that after watching Barnsley’s opener against Fulham, he adopted their game plan by pressing hard and high-tempo.

It worked well, with Murphy scoring so early and, on his debut, just as he did when he first played for Norwich. He scored 10 in 40 games for the Canaries, which ultimately earned him a £10million move to Newcastle.

Murphy also revealed that his parents split their duties between watching him and his twin brother, Josh, at Cardiff, saying: “This time my dad came to watch me and my mum went to Cardiff. Your parents are always your biggest critics – it’s good to hear their feedback.”

Barnsley’s average age is 23, and goalkeeper Sammy Radlinger said: “We can learn from this. We need to keep our heads high and look forward to the next game.”