Brighton & Hove Albion striker Glenn Murray will be looking to add to his five goals away from home in 2019, when the Seagulls face Chelsea at Stamford Bridge tonight.
Braces against Fulham and West Bromwich Albion in the Premier League and Emirates FA Cup respectively were followed by the opening goal in the 2-1 win over Crystal Palace at the start of last month, and Murray reflected on the fact that all of his strikes this calendar year have come away from the Amex Stadium.
He said, “I’m not sure why they’ve all been away from home, it’s just the way the chances have presented themselves – but as long as they keep coming, I don’t mind whether they’re home or away.
“Maybe teams are showing us a bit more respect at the Amex and they’re sitting in, meaning it may be tougher to break them down.
“When you go away from home, the opposition have to come out and play which can leave more space in behind with more attacking opportunities.”
Murray was part of the AFC Bournemouth side which prevailed as 1-0 winners over tonight’s opponents during the 2015/16 campaign.
The forward netted eight minutes from time to score a vital goal for Eddie Howe’s side, and stressed he was keen to create more similar memories this evening.
“It’s somewhere with happy memories for me, I scored for Bournemouth there a few seasons ago in a game which we won, it was their first season in the league, so it was a big result.
“At the time it was a massive result because it made the club believe that they belonged at the top level. It was a hard-fought victory where we soaked up a lot of pressure - we’ll be going there on Wednesday night and hopefully I can create some more memories like those again.
“A win at a top-six side would be massive for us, especially with where we are at the moment, because points are needed and we’re out to get them, and there’s no better place to start than Chelsea.
“I’ve never been relegated in my career and I’ve played for three newly-promoted Premier League clubs – it’s something that I’m very proud of and something I want to keep intact.”
The Seagulls head into tonight’s game sitting five points ahead of 18th-placed Cardiff City, and Murray spoke about the side’s aims and objectives for the campaign, as they look to guard against complacency.
“At the start of the season our main aim was to remain a Premier League team, so we certainly don’t think we’re above relegation or anything like that. It’s part of the position we’re in at the moment as a newly-promoted club.
“We know the scenario we’re in and we work on a points total – a scenario of having as many points as games played and we’re on track at the moment, that leaves you with 38 points, which history suggests will be enough – but the table is tight and, in a week, or two it can all change.
“There will still be many twists and turns between now and the end of the season and we’re together as a group to make sure we deal with those and come out the other side - from the first minute of the season the battle started for us – that’s not ceased, got any worse or got any better throughout the campaign.
“The Premier League can be a very punishing division, as we found out earlier this year – but we’re on target for what we’ve always aimed for since we first kicked a ball.”
Fans can watch the striker’s look ahead to tonight’s game above on Seagulls TV – supporters can sign up to the service by clicking here.