Jordan Murphy plays his part in the FA Cup

Just three months after he was ready to give up, for the moment, on his dream of professional football.

Now the former Stourbridge FC youth-teamer and current Walsall striker will be part of the Worcester City side aiming to give Coventry City a bloody nose in the first round.

It's been quite a journey, with no better person to explain it than Murphy himself.

"After finishing last season with Stourbridge I went to Bournemouth for two weeks on trial but I didn't get in," he says.

"The scout who took me there felt I didn't get a fair try-out as they played me in right midfield instead of as a striker.

"I then went on trial at Birmingham and that didn't work out either, so to be honest I was just going to leave it and go to university.

"I'd got a place at Hartpury College in Gloucester to study sports science and I was all set to go. Then I got a call to say Walsall were interested and would I come in for the day?

"I did and they kept asking me to come back. I was here for four weeks and we played Wolves in a reserve game, after that I was offered the deal.

"It was a massive change from maybe going to university to doing this every day."

A month after signing with the Saddlers, Murphy was moved out on a month's youth loan to Worcester.

He has performed well in the Conference North, scoring on his full debut and again last week in the 2-2 draw at Leamington.

He's hoping it that will be enough to see him included in City's starting line-up tomorrow at the Ricoh Arena.

"We are all buzzing for it," he says. "We are training on Saturday morning up at the Birmingham City training ground in Wast Hills and then going to a hotel, staying there and going to the game on Sunday.

"We are doing it properly. It's (the Ricoh) a massive ground. I don't know if I will be in the side yet but I started last week and scored, so that can't hurt."

Young he may be but Birmingham-born Murphy already knows a few things about cup shocks, having been part of Dave King's Stourbridge youth team which memorably bundled Bradford City out of the FA Youth Cup two years ago.

Yet the spell at Worcester has given him a first real taste for "men's football" having only featured fleetingly for Stour's first team in the Evo-Stik League.

"It's a lot more physical - you know it you take it past someone and they don't like it, you're going to get a boot across your legs," he smiles.

"I had only played about half-an-hour in the Evo-Stik League, so I had only a bit of experience.

"Coming here and playing in the Conference North it is a lot better, the standard is a lot better than where Stourbridge are playing at the moment.

"It's been brilliant. All the lads have looked after me. In my first game I was only going to get 20 minutes but then one of the lads got injured and I ended up playing 70-odd.

"I had to get used to it straight away. It's been tough adapting physically but you get used to it. You are being looked after on and off the pitch and it's a massive confidence booster."

Ultimately, Murphy's ambitions extend beyond tomorrow and he is keen to one day break into the Saddlers first team.

But he knows a good performance against the League One Sky Blues will do him no harm whatsoever.

"You just have to perform well and if you get your chance, take it," he says.

"Tomorrow is massive for me, if I can put in a good performance on Sunday you never know what might happen because that is the level I have got to be at.

"At Walsall you know if you are good enough you'll get a chance no matter your age.

"When you see the likes of Liam Kinsella, Reece Flanagan and Kieron Morris getting chances it does encourage you.

"Tomorrow is a winnable game, especially because there is no pressure on us. If we rattle them, don't let them get time on the ball I can see them losing their heads. Then we can kick on.

"All the lads know we have a chance of winning it. We have been looking at them and they are not a team we can't beat."