Why 'happy go lucky' old school professional Stephen Humphrys is a marriage made in heaven for Barnsley FC

It suggests that he and his Barnsley public will get along like a house on fire and the evidence of late has certainly been pretty encouraging in that regard.

A working-class lad from just over the other side of the Pennines in Oldham, the forward derives a great deal of pleasure as a professional in doing his bit to light up match-days for those who cheer him on from the stands and seek a bit of colour and entertainment following the demands of the working week.

Whether that is through a goal, a piece of skill or a goal celebration to illuminate a modern football environment which he views as ‘boring.’

It is definitely not boring when Humphrys is around. And for his part, Barnsley is a place which is already seeping into his soul.

Humphrys, who has netted two beauties in the Reds’ last two league games against Cambridge United and Rotherham United and is now preparing for the arrival of old club Wigan Athletic, said: "I am kind of a happy go lucky person.. Especially when I can resonate with a place like Barnsley.

“I come from Oldham, which is a working-class town with normal people and that’s exactly what it is in Barnsley. It’s all easier to go that extra yard when you know that the people you are representing are like yourself and your family.

"I have resonated with that and I will always try my best and try to make the fans proud, number one and my family proud, number two.

"It’s just easier when you can relate to a place and the fans gravitate to you like they have here. It’s brilliant, I am enjoying it and long may it continue.

"When I was a kid growing up at Oldham, we had players called Lewis Alessandra and Chris Taylor. Those two players, from that era, are the sort I cannot really remember any more (now).

"They were players who would do their skills from free-kicks and try things that other players didn’t. They stick in my memory because of that.

"You’d go to school on Monday and it was: ‘Did you see that goal?’ and you’d try and copy it and do it in the play-ground and stuff. If I can be one of those players, then brilliant."

Barnsley are growing into 2024-25 and so is Humphrys.

After only arriving in late August, the Lancastrian was busy playing catch-up on the fitness front in the opening six weeks of his stint at Oakwell.

A total of four goals thus far is tribute to what he can do and it whets the appetite for when he is at full pelt, which is a bit further down the line in his eyes.

Humphrys signed a one-year deal with the Reds after his release from Wigan, with the option of a further 12 months.

Should Humphrys do his bit to help Barnsley return to the Championship, then the clause is highly likely to be triggered. The second tier is definitely a level where he has unfinished business too.

Humphrys, whose goals helped Wigan to the League One title in 2021-22, continued: "Fitness wise, I think I am still ten or 15 per cent away from being fully sharp and match-fit. But that was always going to happen without a pre-season.

"Then, the other ten or 15 per cent is just learning your players and I am still maybe learning the strengths and the weaknesses of my team-mates. Once everyone is on the same page, they know my strengths and I know theirs, it can only get better.

"When we got promoted with Wigan, for whatever reason, I went on loan to Hearts. I played a couple of games in the Championship, but I never got the chance to prove I could do it at that level.

"That’s my main target, to get this club back into the Championship and then get a proper Championship season under my belt with Barnsley."

Humphrys’ ‘Griddy’ heel-tapping goal celebration - as popularised by two NFL stars while also featuring on a FIFA video game - has earned him kudos with Barnsley fans of late, but he won’t be one for celebrating if he scores against the Latics on Saturday, out of respect for his old club.

He left there in the summer after budget cuts saw him offered terms which he viewed to be unacceptable, but his time with the Latics remains special to him. Humphrys added: "Shaun (Maloney) was not just a manager to me, but a friend and I had a really good relationship with him..

"Hopefully not too many of the fans boo me. I’m sure there will be a mixed response. There were definitely fans who were good to me and definitely some online when I left who gave me a bit of abuse. But that’s just part and parcel of the game.

"At the end of the day, I want to win, and will do all it takes to win on Saturday.

"There was obviously the contract situation, which I think was the main factor why in the second half of last season, I wasn’t playing. I’d not signed my contract and I believe it was a political decision."