THERE aren't that many happy memories from Sunderland's last season in the top-flight, but mention the word "Tottenham" and Daryl Murphy still finds himself transported to a positive time.

The Black Cats' most recent meeting with Spurs came in February 2006, with Murphy scoring his first, and so far only, Premier League goal to salvage a creditable 1-1 draw.

Incredibly, that goal means that the Republic of Ireland international is the only member of the current Sunderland squad to have scored a goal that has earned the club a Premier League point.

The rest of the campaign, of course, was nowhere near as positive, and while Murphy will be using the memory of his Spurs strike to motivate him this afternoon, he will also be recalling what went wrong to act as a spur throughout the rest of the season.

"I've still got great memories of that goal against Tottenham," said the striker, who is expected to partner Michael Chopra in Sunderland's starting line-up this afternoon. "It was my first and only Premier League goal, so it's still fresh in my mind.

"We drew the game 1-1 in the end and I scored in the 89th minute, so it was a special occasion for me.

"Scoring against any team is nice, but scoring in the Premier League was obviously brilliant.

"To be honest, though, it's overshadowed by what happened in the rest of the season, and I don't think the memory of that will ever go.

"It was a tough season for everyone who was here, and you're always going to remember it if you get relegated with the lowest points.

"We just have to make sure it never happens again."

Murphy is one of only five survivors from the squad that tumbled out of the top-flight 15 months ago.

Dean Whitehead, Nyron Nosworthy, Danny Collins and Grant Leadbitter were also involved under Mick McCarthy, but with a change of chairman having accompanied a massive re-structuring process on the pitch, it is all but impossible to draw comparisons between the current Sunderland set-up and the one that imploded so spectacularly two seasons ago.

"There's a very different atmosphere this time," claimed Murphy.

"I just feel that it's a totally new beginning for all of us. We're under new management and new ownership, everything has changed.

"I think we've brought a lot of the right players in. The gaffer is always saying that he's looking for character, and I think he's found that.

"He's said there's going to be another one or two signings, so our squad will be massive compared with what we had last time around.

"That in itself is beneficial to us because there's great competition for places now."