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Cardiff City 1 Blackpool 1 Att: 11,019
Murphy trumps Cardiff joker! by Jonathan Lee
While Cardiff fans spent much of the afternoon waving their "send 'im off' and "book 'im" cards Murphy ended it by producing Pool's own 'chance' card with the words "get in there!" written all over it.
Murphy, robbed along with the rest of his team-mates at Ninian Park last November by Kevin Nugent's controversial but similarly late leveller, rightly revelled in the sweetest revenge.
Ironically both Nugent and Murphy were again on target as the sides repeated last season's scoreline, Murphy even heading into the same net as last time around. But there the similarities ended.
Last year Blackpool were the better side and hard done by to have to settle for the draw. This time the boot was on the other foot with Cardiff in the ascendancy and the Seasiders fortunate to come away with a share of the spoils.
With more than 11,000 gathering to give a big Cardiff welcome to new owner Hammam, Pool's players seemed to be overawed by the occasion and never got into their stride.
It was understandable. The home side were fired up by Hammam's grand flag-waving entrance - he'd do well as a warm-up man although Shirley Bassey at last year's Rugby World Cup looked better draped in the Welsh flag!
Then there was Hammam's passionate pre-match message wherein it seems the reward for his £3m investment is to re-write the history of the 92-year-old club.
He wants to change the club's name (to something like Welsh Cardiff Celtic), the nickname and logo (from bluebirds to dragons) and even the club colours (from blue to a more symbolic red, white and green).
Faced with nationalism on this scale the Seasiders needed St George not just Steve McMahon on their side!
And as the fire-breathing home side, spearheaded by irrepressible front man Paul Brayson, roared on by their fanatical support threatened to consume everything in their wake, the omens weren't good for the visitors.
Blackpool had been here before. First at Fulham it was Al Fayed. Here it was Hammam. When it comes to big-money owners saluting their home fans, Pool always look as if they wish they'd never been invited to the party.
The Seasiders seemed about as lost as the sheep which paraded around the pitch before kick off - another of Mr Hammam's winning ideas!
In truth the Tangerines were lucky not to be on the end of one of the new owner's old Crazy Gang tricks - the red and yellow cards distributed to fans.
Tommy Jaszczun, who was slightly off the pace after missing the opening day with a hamstring strain, could easily have seen red before half time.
Lucky not to be booked for an ill-timed tackle on Willie Boland outside the box, Jaszczun was also fortunate referee Lee Cable and his nearside linesman were the only two people inside Ninian Park who failed to see a blatant handball near halfway when he tried desperately to halt another Cardiff break. Three yellows was the total of Pool's punishment.
Jaszczun wasn't the only one struggling to stem the Welsh tide. His fellow defenders were also being pulled all over the park.
Neither Welshman Ian Hughes or the inexperienced Steve Hawe were able to keep tabs on the darting runs of the impressive Brayson.
And when it came to corners and free-kicks around the box neither could they nullify the aerial threat of big target man Nugent.
Right back Neil Murphy, another new to first team football, also had his work cut-out to stop left-sided star Andy Legg amply supported down the flank by Matthew Brazier.
Pool's central midfield wasn't functioning. In defence they were bypassed by Cardiff's quick breaks. In attack they were failing to support the front men - Paul Simpson and Danny Coid both looking up to see only Brett Ormerod in the box.
And as an attacking force Pool looked predictable. Ormerod was doing his best to work some magic but Mike Newell was getting no return from a resolute Cardiff defence.
There was an inevitability about Cardiff's 35th minute opener. The Seasiders had been slip-sliding towards conceding a goal right from the start and when Hawe ended up on his backside trying to cut out a through ball Brayson was in.
As Hughes dived in with a last-ditch tackle, Brayson was able to ship the ball on to Nugent completely in the clear eight yards out. Caig had no chance. 1-0.
Welshman Eifion Jones made a difference in the second half, linking up with countryman Hughes after replacing Hawe at the break.
Jones brought some confidence and composure to the Blackpool back-line and steadily the visitors were able to cancel out the Cardiff threat.
This in turn laid the belated platform for Pool to at last harbour some attacking aspirations of their own now that they were no longer constantly on the back-foot.
Even so they couldn't have left it later. Only 30 seconds of the three minutes of injury time remained when Steve Bushell's vital challenge on the edge of the Cardiff area helped the ball out to Coid on the left.
He whipped in a low cross and for the second time in eight days substitute Murphy resurrected the Seasiders stooping to send a brave diving header creeping into the bottom left-hand corner via keeper's Mark Walton's outstretched hand.
At the other end Pool keeper Caig, at the centre of Cardiff's controversial equaliser last time, celebrated such poetic justice.
Half-way through the second half I was just thinking if the tables would turn after what happened last year. And luckily enough they did," said a delighted Caig.
"It was great to get a point because we battled away. But we have got to start believing in ourselves. Because there were times on Saturday where we were coming under pressure and panicking a little bit.
"We shouldn't be doing that. We should be comfortably going to places like Cardiff, trying to control the game and giving as good as we get.
"The lads equipped themselves in very difficult circumstances. It was a big crowd. And with Sam Hammam taking over, and Bobby Gould coming in as manager, expectations for the home side were massive.
"They were expecting to win it. Going into the 90th minute they thought they had won it. But we kept going and going and eventually got something out of it."
Caig also reflected on one stunning save to keep out a Brayson header ten minutes after the break when a second goal for the home side would probably have killed Pool off.
"A long Andy Legg throw was flicked on. I've turned, the boy has headed it and I've just reacted and got a touch and got it over the bar. It's all instinctive. And keeping it at 1-0 meant we were still in with a shout.
"Winning at home to Hull and drawing at a place like Cardiff who are expected to be up there is just the start to the season we were after," said Caig.
"We go to Stockport tomorrow with confidence. Hopefully we can get something there.
"Then obviously the league games are the most important so we've got to be confident going into Saturday's home game with Orient.
We've nothing to fear in this league. We have got enough in the squad to be up there. We have to believe that." Murphy's late trump card should certainly do wonders for that self-belief.
And after a couple of false starts, in which they've gained four points without playing well, Pool now need to put in the sort of monopolising performance which will at last see them get past Go.
Macca's view
WE did get out of jail because it was the last minute. But I thought over the whole 90 minutes it was a fairly even game.
That's not me trying to build us up a little bit. We had a lot of possession, gave the ball away at times, sloppy passing, but we had a lot of the play.
They were dangerous from set-pieces, from throw-ins and corner-kicks and they were very direct. You expect that under Bobby Gould at this level.
But maybe the tide is turning for us. Last season how many times did we just concede a goal in the last minute like we scored this time? It's swings and roundabouts.
We worked hard. We were rash. And we looked anxious at times again. But we will settle down at this level. I still believe in the passing game. But we've got to defend better. I was disappointed in the goal we conceded.
John Murphy is the new David Fairclough. We'll just get him a ginger wig from the tangerine shop and we're cruising! Good for him.
That's what the squad system is all about. He has shown a great attitude. If he keeps sticking it away he's going to get his chance.
I was disappointed Lee Collins cried off late on Friday. We did a couple of sprints and he pulled up. He's got a tweak on his hamstring. Leaving him out was a precaution.
We've had three or four like that now so we've got to look at what we're doing. And the players probably need a rest because we've already had a long pre-season as it is so maybe they need to rest up a little bit.
I still need two or three bodies in to strengthen us up. We're weak when we get two or three injuries. Steve Hawe has come off at half time thinking he's tight in his hamstring so we weren't going to take a chance on him in the second half.
In the first half, Tommy Jaszczun was diving in and getting in wrong positions. He wasn't composed enough. But we were always in the ball game. And while it's 1-0 you've always got a shout.
Cardiff never really created opportunities from open play. They nearly all came from set-pieces. Our quality wasn't there from set-pieces but that can only get better as well. We are trying to do the right things and we'll get there.
I still know we can play a lot, lot better than this. It's disappointing the way we've performed in patches. If we can get it right and do it for 70 or 80 minutes then we'll be a good team.
Cardiff are a team who should be up there at the end of the season and they haven't taken maximum points off us at their place, so I am pleased about that.