Motherwell must finish third, says Humphrey
Holding on to their current ranking would secure Stuart McCall’s men a place in the Champions League qualifiers following second-placed Rangers’ financial implosion. To Humphrey that prize means any other outcome would represent a spectacular last-lap blow-out by the Lanarkshire club, who have the motoring St Johnstone and Dundee United on their tails ahead of hosting champions Celtic this afternoon.
“What we’ve done up to now doesn’t matter – these five games are all that matter,” the 24-year-old says. “We just need to make sure we finish third. That’s the priority. All the hard work we’ve done through the season won’t matter if we don’t get there. We’d feel it was a let-down if we finished fourth now. Being third for so long, managing to get second [at one time], has been unbelievable. So for it to happen now that we didn’t finish third would be a disappointment.
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Hide Ad“We were so many points clear and everyone was saying ‘you’ll definitely get third, you need to be looking at second, blah blah blah...’ We’ve since had a couple of draws we needed to make wins. But Dundee United and St Johnstone have been flying, and either drawing with or beating Rangers, something we haven’t done. We haven’t taken any points off Celtic either so we need good results against the top two at this stage of the season.”
The Fir Park faithful are understandably frothing at the prospect of their club competing in the qualifying stages of the planet’s most prestigious club football tournament. “Everyone is talking about it,” Humphrey says. “You can’t get away from it. That’s why we don’t want to let anyone down.”
Motherwell making up Scotland’s representation in the pre-group stages of the competition would be all the more monumental as it is likely to be another generation before this country again has more than just the SPL title winners in Champions League qualifiers. “Exactly, which is why the last five games are so important to the club,” says Humphrey. “If we do well, we get that privilege.” Yet, if they don’t, there is seemingly ample compensation of continental football courtesy of the Europa League qualifiers, which the Jamaican played in for the club in 2009, the summer he moved from Shrewsbury Town, and the following season. Not so for the attacker. “In my eyes the Europa League would be under-achievement,” he states.
Achievement of a different kind appears to await Humphrey this summer. Although he has had an uneven season, and spent the odd spell on the bench, he is expected to be called up for Jamaica’s five games from 18 May to 12 June that will see them face Guyana at home, Panama home and away in friendlies in preparation for World Cup qualifiers at home to Guatemala, and away to Antigua and Barbuda. Humphrey, born of a Scottish mother Verna, spent his first five years in Jamaica before the family moved to Walsall. There was some talk of a Scotland call with Motherwell No.2 Kenny Black also assistant to Craig Levein but last year Humphrey declared for the country of his birth only to be unable to represent them because he did not have the necessary passport. His mother returned to Jamaica last year to sort out the paperwork he will be able to sign should international selection take him back to a country he hasn’t been back in since leaving 19 years ago.
“It would be the perfect end of the season to get called up,” he says. “Growing up I always wanted to play for England, to be honest. That was the dream but I realised that probably would never happen. But as a professional, any cap would be fantastic and having been born in Jamaica it means something.”