BOXING prospect and dyed-in-the-wool Wanderer Alex Murphy hopes some of his good fortune can rub off on his club this weekend in the Papa Johns Trophy final.

Fresh from extending his unbeaten professional start to seven fights with a win against Liam Fox at the Bolton Whites Hotel last week, the Salford-based lightweight would love to see Ian Evatt’s side land a knockout punch against Plymouth at Wembley.

Murphy has been watching Wanderers from the age of four and travels home and away in between his training watching the Whites in action.

He was only 10 the last time he went to Wembley to see Bolton play against Stoke City in 2011 – but has a much better feeling about the outcome this time around.

“I don’t want to talk about that one,” he laughed. “Me and my dad drove down there and made a weekend of it. That was my first Wembley trip and it didn’t go to plan, did it?

“Going off that last result this one has to be better. The squad is in good form and everything seems to be a bit better this time around, I reckon we’ll go and do Plymouth, I really do.”

Wanderers are banking on their possession football being successful on a wide pitch on Sunday but building up from the back has not always met with unanimous approval on the terraces.

Murphy admits he has heard a few choice words following Bolton up and down the land.

“I like the playing style,” he said. “You do get mixed opinions among fans and we try and play out from the back, a lot are old school, route one, get it up the field. But modern day, the way football is being played is changing and I like watching us. It is risky and when we lose the ball it is frustrating but, generally, I think we play it well.

“Evatt has a philosophy and we have just got to trust it and back it.

“When it goes well, it goes well. You see us playing the ball around at the back and people will be shouting ‘get it up the field!’ but then we’ll do a nice bit of play and everyone is clapping it and happy.

“I prefer it to just hoofing it up front. It wouldn’t work with Dion Charles up front, anyway!”

Having stretched his record to lucky seven with a convincing victory in the ring last weekend, he hopes now that some of the good fortune can rub off on the Whites.

“Everything went to plan,” he said of the unanimous points decision. “Everything seems to be going right, training is going well and the fights are getting better. I’ve got a great team around me, sponsors and supporters, everything is perfect.

“I had a good week – so hopefully now the Whites can go and do it on Sunday.”

Driving down to London with his dad, mum and partner, Grace, on Sunday, Murphy is looking forward to meeting up with a few Wanderers outside Wembley and enjoying the day out.

And he has no doubt who is shouldering the blame if things don’t go right against Plymouth.

“I just started taking Grace to games, we’d gone to Wycombe and Sheffield Wednesday,” he explained. “We’d lost the first one 1-0, so when I took her to Hillsborough and we went 1-0 down, I thought ‘she’s a bad omen’ and I wasn’t going to bring her back again.

“If we lose, put it all on her. But she can have the credit if we win as well!”