Source: Team_Talk
Brown salutes Humphrey showing
Motherwell manager Craig Brown hailed Chris Humphrey after the winger created both goals in Saturday's 2-0 SPL victory at Hearts.[LNB] The 21-year-old twice beat Eggert Jonsson and crossed for Nick Blackman and then John Sutton to net from close range as Motherwell went on to secure a convincing Tynecastle win after an even first half and move up to third place in the table.[LNB]Humphrey missed training on Friday after partner Kerry gave birth to daughter Amelea at 7am, but the wide man continued his promising start to the season as Rudi Skacel's return to a Hearts jersey was totally overshadowed.[LNB]Brown said: "The story is obviously the performance of Chris Humphrey, and you add to that that his partner had a baby on Friday, a wee daughter.[LNB]"So he was off training on Friday and, although everything was fine, it was touch and go whether he was going to be playing."[LNB]Humphrey showed flashes of potential during his first season since moving from Shrewsbury but he has stepped up a level since Jim O'Brien left for Barnsley.[LNB]"He has great pace and his delivery is improving," Brown said.[LNB]"His delivery from wide positions used to be a bit rash but he's picking out players now in the box."[LNB]Hearts manager Jim Jefferies again bemoaned his side's defending, although he left Scotland international Darren Barr out of his squad through choice.[LNB]Jefferies dropped Barr after being disappointed with his display at centre-back during the 4-3 Co-operative Insurance Cup defeat at Falkirk in midweek.[LNB]Craig Thomson also dropped out, through suspension, while Jefferies confirmed captain Marius Zaliukas was fit but unavailable amid the impasse over his contract talks.[LNB]Jefferies had two midfielders in his back four - Adrian Mrowiec at centre-back and Eggert Jonsson, who struggled to cope with Humphrey at left-back.[LNB]Jefferies knew the first goal would be crucial and was disappointed with the space afforded to Blackman to volley home from six yards in the 58th minute.[LNB]"Eggert is not a natural left-back," Jefferies said. "The boy has taken him on and very quickly got a cross in.[LNB]"But when he has got the cross in we have enough defenders in. The striker must have had at least eight yards.[LNB]"We've got four people at the back of him doing nothing - static.[LNB]"I thought Mrowiec did fine considering it's not his natural position. We have got four Hearts players just standing.[LNB]"If they were marking the boy in the first place how can he run eight yards and we can't?"[LNB]Jefferies, who is without a left-back after failing to replace the injured Lee Wallace before the transfer deadline, confirmed Barr was fit.[LNB]"I had a wee chat with him," Jefferies said. "He knows himself, we looked at the video (of the Falkirk game) and he did all the wrong things.[LNB]"I don't see him as a central defender, he was in there covering from right-back. I wasn't happy with some of the opportunities Inverness got last week either.[LNB]"He is so keen to do well, I think he is the type who would go out there in an effort to make up for these mistakes, so I just took the pressure off him. We will work with him and get him back."
