WHEN it comes to what he has to offer Hibs, Chris Humphrey is quick to make a joke at his own expense. "I used to be very, very quick," said the former Motherwell and Preston winger. "Now I might just be very quick."
It turns out the 29-year-old Jamaican, who has signed a deal until the end of the season and could feature in tonight's meeting with Dundee United, is also hoping to rekindle at least one productive former partnership. During the 2008-09 season, he and Grant Holt combined for no fewer than 30 goals as Shrewsbury Town made it all the way to the League Two play-offs, enough for Holt to win his big move to Norwich City. Now the two of them are re-united at Easter Road.
"Yes 30 goals between us that season," laughs Humphrey. "He got 28 and I got two! To be fair I think I got seven or eight assists so I got him that move I think. He always says to me that he got it himself but I’m not having that.
"Listen, I had a great time with him at Shrewsbury," he added. "I know his game and what he’s all about. It’s been easy to feel my way in with him here. I definitely feel we can get our partnership up and running again. I’m fit and ready to play – it depends on what the gaffer wants.
"When Hibs came in to say they were interested and you have a manager like Neil Lennon here, you just think ‘it would be fantastic to play under him’. I have settled in really well and if we can get back to the Premiership, then why not stay?"
Having won a promotion with Preston, where he made more than 130 appearances after leaving Motherwell in 2003, Humphrey is targeting another one at Easter Road, and would certainly be keen to stay on at the club for the Ladbrokes Premiership if that is the case. One of his other claims to fame, albeit a dubious one, was coming on as a substitute when Motherwell trailed Hibs 6-3 in a ludicrous match at Fir Park which finished 6-6.
"It was like ‘don’t bring me on please, I don’t want to come on in this’," he recalled "But we brought it back to 6-6 – Juke [Lukas Jutkiewicz] scored with that left foot. And we missed a penalty too. But those are the games you want to be involved in."
A repeat of that at Easter Road tonight seems like a tall order, considering the match boasts two particularly stern defences, but a 20,000 capacity crowd is likely to be thrilled by a match, which will also be screened on BBC Alba. In amongst the crowd will be Humphrey's four-year-old son Cody. "He’s only four so he can’t understand why I won’t be playing at Preston again. But I’ve already got him a Hibs top so he’s happy. When he comes up and goes to the game and sees the crowd I’m sure he’ll love it."
If a trademark late free-kick winner from Kris Commons against Falkirk is anything to go by, the on-loan Celtic player is getting closer to peak sharpness. Scotland international midfielder John McGinn trained yesterday after an ankle operation and could play, even though Lennon said he will be guided by the club's medical staff on that one. But one man who certainly won't be making an appearance is Georgios Samaras, despite erroneous tales during the week that the Greek striker had been spotted at Edinburgh airport.
"There was definite ring-rustiness there with Kris, you could see that," said Lennon. "You can now see him getting sharper and sharper in training. But I don’t know where that [Samaras] has come from. We’d need to remortgage the stadium for that one."
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