When it comes to improving his game, Bradford City centre-forward Stephen Humphrys places more store on training-ground time with those around him than the "boring" task of watching matches.

His goal in a losing cause at Leyton Orient on Saturday ought to have cemented Humphrys’ place at home to former club Wigan Athletic on Boxing Day, although his game is as much about his pressing and link-up with his inside-forwards as how often he scores.

"I start the press,” he explains. “The manager (Graham Alexander) said, if you're going to be the nine, you've got to be pressing.

"There's a lot of runs in behind, a lot of channel runs and creating space for others. I think that's why Bobby (Pointon) and Sars (Sarcevic) have scored a lot this season.

"Even in Joe Wright's goal a couple of weeks ago, I made the run across the front post, which vacated the space for him. It's about being unselfish and putting the team before myself.

"My understanding with Bobby and Sars comes from training ground hours and also from trust.

"I know Sars trusts me and I trust him and whoever's playing there, the same with Bobby.

"I know we're all going to work hard and I know when I press, they'll be up with me. I know you can rely on them in big moments for goals as well."

ALL-ROUND GAME: Bradford City striker Stephen Humphrys (Image: Jonathan Gawthorpe)

placeholder image — ALL-ROUND GAME: Bradford City striker Stephen Humphrys (Image: Jonathan Gawthorpe)

There are plenty of examples of the kind of modern centre-forward Humphreys wants to be and plenty of opportunities to watch them, but he prefers snippets to full games.

"I'm more of like a YouTube highlights guy," he says. "I'll have a look at say (Didier) Drogba or Thierry Henry back in the day, rather than specifically watch a football match just to watch a striker because a lot of it is very boring.

"You can watch (Erling) Haaland, absolute machine, but he barely touches the ball and it's not fun to watch for someone like me. I'd rather just watch clips of someone doing the best bit.

"As a striker nowadays, you are starved a lot of the ball. The most touches in a team will come from the centre-back, which when I was a kid that wasn't heard of – it was get the ball away from the centre-backs!”