Town boss Mick McCarthy has challenged 21-goal Championship top scorer Daryl Murphy to hit and surpass the 30-goal mark during the remaining 15 games of the season. Murphy netted goals 20 and 21 during the first half of Saturday’s 2-1 win at Fulham.
"Let’s not be lauding over him for getting 21, let’s see if he can get 30 and get past that,” McCarthy said.
"To be fair to him, he’s not sitting on his laurels, he’s still working hard at it. It’s a great tally for him but we want more from him.”
The 31-year-old is the first Town player to score 20 league goals or more in a season since David Johnson netted 22 in the 1999/00 promotion campaign.
Murphy is the 11th Blues player to have scored 20 league goals in a season since Town joined the Football League, following Bill Jennings (1948/49 - 23), Sam McCrory (1950/51 - 21), Tom Garneys (1954/55 - 20), Tommy Parker (1955/56 - 30), Ted Phillips (1956/57 - 41, 1959/60 - 24, 1960/61 - 30, 1961/62 - 28), Ray Crawford (1958/59 - 24, 1960/61 - 40, 1961/62 - 33, 1962/63 - 25, 1966/67 - 21), Alan Brazil (1981/82 - 22), John Wark (1982/83 - 20), Kevin Wilson (1986/87 - 20) and David Johnson (1997/98 - 20, 1999/00 - 22).
Only Phillips, Crawford, Garneys and Parker have reached the 20-goal milestone faster than Murphy, the win at Fulham having been the Blues’ 31st league match of the season and the Irishman having featured in 29.
In the 1954/55 campaign Garneys hit his 20th league goal in only his 24th game of the season, Town’s 32nd.
Parker scored his 20th goal in the 28th league fixture of the 1955/56 season, having played in 26. Phillips reached 20 after 23 games of the 1956/57 campaign having appeared only 18 times, while Crawford’s 20th of 1958/59 came in Town’s 32nd league match but only his 22nd.
Crawford reached 20 after 21 matches of the 1960/61 Second Division championship season with Phillips netting his 20th goal in the 29th game.
In the 1961/62 First Division championship campaign, Phillips hit 20 with Town’s season only 19 games old with Crawford following him seven games later. Both legendary strikers had played every game of those two famous seasons up to the point where they hit the 20-goal mark.
Murphy’s 21 goals currently make up 42% of Town’s overall total of 50, equal to Crawford’s record percentage for a whole season achieved in 1962/63 when he scored 25 out of 59.
McCarthy added: "His all-round play has always been good. Every year he’s done that. What he’s done is added goals to it.
"Everyone thought ‘Murphy’s alright — he does this, he does that, he’ll get 10 goals a season’. Well he’s doubled that tally now.”