7 January 2006
Nuneaton Borough 1-1 Middlesbrough

Gez Murphy calmly slots home a last minute penalty to secure a lucrative replay for the non-league team.

7 January 2006
Southampton 4-3 MK Dons

Theo Walcott scored one and set up another in a thrilling Cup-tie that saw the South Coast side through to the Fourth Round.

Nuneaton Borough's striker Gez Murphy has booked his place at The FA Cup Final after being crowned ‘Player of the Round’ for the Third Round.

The award is a well-timed boost ahead of Nuneaton's replay with Middlesbrough tomorrow night, one of seven Third Round ties to be completed this week.

After a week of intense voting at TheFA.com, 65,000 votes were cast up until 9am this morning with Murphy emerging as victor by the narrowest of margins - less than 1%.

Southampton’s Theo Walcott, who has been a hot topic on the sports pages since the transfer window opened, was just beaten by the non-league star, although it will surely not be too long before the talents of this young striker grace the final of the world's greatest domestic cup competition. You can see him in action by clicking the video links above.

Fans were voting right up to the Monday deadline, with Leyton Orient’s Glyn Garner, Burton Albion’s Saul Deeney and Tamworth’s Scott Bevan trailing the strike duo.

Murphy’s nomination for the award came after his cool, calm and collected performance against Middlesbrough caused one of the upsets in last week's FA Cup Third Round.

Murphy’s nerves of steel in netting Nuneaton’s 88th minute penalty earned his side a replay on Tuesday night at the Riverside, and continued the Conference North side’s proud record of no home defeats since February 2005.

In addition to being crowned FA Cup Player of the Round, which guarantees attendance at The FA Cup final and a half-time introduction to the crowd, Gez wins £1000 worth of UMBRO football kit for a local school, club or organisation of his choice.

The Team of The FA Cup will comprise Player of the Round winners from the First Qualifying Round to the Semi Final. Gosport Borough’s Jamie Laidlaw, Northwich Victoria’s Paul Brayson (who has won the award twice this season), Leamington’s Alex Rodman, Eastbourne Borough’s Stuart Tuck and Doncaster Rovers' Dave Mulligan are already in this season’s Team of The FA Cup, having won previous Player of the Round awards.

In the last two years several Premiership players have featured in the team alongside non-league players, including Jose Antonio Reyes, Freddie Ljungberg, Shay Given and Ruud van Nistelrooy.