Chris Humphrey was delighted to help PNE to their first league win of the season, and get a goal against his hometown team, in a 3-0 victory over Walsall.
The winger finished off a slaloming second half run with a deflected strike which flew into the net to put the Lilywhites 2-0 up, and he admits it was a special moment to score against his boyhood club, especially in front of a large portion of his friends and family.
“It was unbelievable, I’ve got friends here as well so it was nice to get another one and that was my target for the beginning of the season, to score more goals,” he told PNE.Com in an exclusive interview following the game.
“I think it’s important that I chip in with goals this season so I’m happy at the moment and I hope I can carry it on.”
North End dominated the game with an assured showing in all three thirds of the pitch, and Humphrey thinks their performance bared no comparison to the disappointing one against Coventry last weekend.
“I thought we were a lot better than last week and we took it on from Burnley,” he said.
“I thought we played really well at Burnley and we just followed it from there so the lads are buzzing and we’re buzzing to get three points on the board.
“I thought we looked very solid, Walsall are a very good team again, same as Coventry, they like to play and they’re good on the counter so the back five were very good today.
“In midfield, Keith Keane and Joel especially were on it and very good so when we’ve got all our players playing well, I think we’ll be very hard to beat.”
Simon Grayson set out his side in a 3-5-2 formation, deploying the lightning quick Humphrey as a right wing back, and the 25-year-old Jamaican revealed it’s a position he is not only familiar with, but enjoys playing in.
“I enjoy playing there, I’ve played there a few times during my career, and I find it a good position for me,” he said.
“Listen, if the gaffer wants to play me right back, or wherever he wants to play me, that’s what we’ve got to do and there were times in there I’d have to fill in at right back or centre midfield, but it’s all about doing it for the team.”
The 3-0 win means the Lilywhites move up to eighth place in the table and takes their clean sheet tally to three in League One – something Chris thinks North End can take heart from.
“We can only take confidence from it, another clean sheet, which the defenders are buzzing with, the gaffer is buzzing with,” he added.
“As long as we keep clean sheets and work on it from there, we’ll be fine, and finally we’re scoring goals so I think all round it’s looking good.”