McKenna: Humphreys Showed Tonight Everything He Shows in Training Tuesday, 25th Oct 2022 23:39 Town boss Kieran McKenna was delighted for full league debutant Cameron Humphreys following his goalscoring and assist-claiming performance as Town won 3-2 at Port Vale. The 18-year-old lashed in a brilliant second goal for the Blues and then created the third for Freddie Ladapo, the striker’s second of the match. McKenna felt the game was every bit as tough as he anticipated: “It was, with the dynamic changing at half-time. We put ourselves in a great position in the game, two fantastic goals, one excellent team goal, one wonderful strike from Cameron. “At that point we were in the ascendancy, had a really good chance for 3-0 that really kills the game. “We switched off for a moment and the goal on the time that it arrived, we knew at half-time had changed the complexion of the game and we were in for a battle. That’s what we needed to do in the second half, that’s what we managed to do. “I thought we played some really good football at times and then when we needed to grit it out and be tough, we managed to do that as well.” Regarding Humphreys’ excellent strike, he added: “Delighted for him. A wonderful goal, a great assist, but his all-round performance really was just fantastic to watch, the effort and endeavour that he put into the match as he does every day in training. “I think he showed tonight what he shows us every day. He’s got talent, he’s got a heart of a lion and an incredible will to win and do well, and he rinsed every little bit out of himself tonight, and he’s still got some development to do, from a physical point of view especially. “A great night for him, deserves all the plaudits and there’s no worries that Cameron won’t be thinking about anything other than getting back to the training ground and getting back to hard work.” Does he hit many like that on the training ground? “He has got a sweet left foot, he certainly has got a sweet left foot. I think the Carabao Cup game earlier in the season, he was disappointed he didn’t score, but he’s one of those kids who will go straight back to the training ground and work on his shooting. “I can’t imagine he’s caught many better than that, so it’s great for him to have that on his full league debut.” The Town players showed their trust in him during the game and also how pleased they were for him afterwards with Panutche Camara lifting him into the air in the post-match celebrations. “I think the senior players, the first thing they want to see in a young player coming up is the humility to work and to want to learn,” McKenna continued. “Cameron shows that in spades and that’s why the players have taken to him so well. “Of course, they trust in the quality that he shows every day. A great night for him and shows the importance of the squad, but I think tonight is a little bit more special than that because it’s a kid who has been here since he was seven years old who has had a massive part in helping a club to win a big game.” Regarding Ladapo, who took his season’s tally to six, the Blues boss said: “No doubt about it, big night for Freddie. I thought his energy was really good from the start and he showed a lot of character in how he approached and especially on the first goal, terrific movement in the box and something that we’ve spoken about. “He’s been working on his relationship with the other players, so it was great for him to get his rewards and he popped up again with another good finishing position for the second goal. “As I always say, it’s goals that are really important for the forwards, but it’s about what they contribute to the team, the energy they bring and what they contribute on and off the ball, and I thought the base of his performance from that was really good tonight. “Sometimes you get your rewards with goals, sometimes you can’t but it will never drastically change my opinion of how somebody’s performing for the team.” McKenna was disappointed with the manner in which the goals were conceded and says he and his staff will look at them in the days ahead. “For sure we will, especially the first goal,” he said. “I thought it was really poor from us right through the pitch really, missed one or two challenges, allowed them to step through the pitch, didn’t recover into the box, into the backline well enough, didn’t deal with the ball spooned up into the box and didn’t do well enough in terms of blocking the shot. “We spoke about it at half-time, we weren’t happy. We need to learn from it because it showed again how quickly momentum can change in these games and it’s just good when you can have a lesson like that and reminder like that and still go on and win the game. “It definitely changed the dynamic of it but it gave us a chance to dig deep and win the game in a different manner than it was on course to be.” Having been pegged back to 2-2, was McKenna concerned in the period prior to Town’s third goal? “We knew we were in for a tough second half,” he reflected. “In some ways the goal coming so soon after half-time made it clear we were going to need to score again, which we probably always going to need to do with the way that the momentum was going to go at half-time. “We knew we needed another goal, credit to the boys, we were straight back on the front foot after we conceded. Another really good team move and a lovely combination, a run down the left from Cameron and Freddie’s in a really good position again in the box.” McKenna was pleased to win with both regular central midfielders, suspended skipper Sam Morsy and Lee Evans, who has a knee injury, absent. “It shows the importance of the squad, we’ve said it before,” he continued. “I thought Dominic [Ball] stepped in and was excellent, tired a little bit in the second half, but that’s to be expected. “But first half, straight away, knew all the patterns, knew the pictures, was passing it through the lines to both pockets, had a lovely part of the first goal with a one-time pass to the opposite side pocket to Kyle [Edwards]. “He settled into the team straight away, as we expected he would with how he trains and, of course, he and Cameron have had a few games together and lots of training sessions together, so it was a partnership that clicked into gear pretty well.” “It’s a blow. He has an important part to play for us in open play and defensively and on set plays as well. “But you’re going to have them over the course of the season and the reason why Dominic Ball is here is that we needed that seniority in terms of cover in midfield and Dominic gives us that and it’s an opportunity for him now show what he’s got with a run of games and we’ll be looking forward to having Lee back as well.” Town have now played 16 games, more than a third of the season and have 36 points, two fewer than leaders Plymouth. Quizzed on how he assesses the campaign so far, McKenna said: “Probably haven’t spent too much time reflecting back, to be honest. I think we have to have all eyes and all guns blazing towards Charlton on Saturday. “After Saturday, we’ve looked at the schedule and November’s a little bit different, we have the FA Cup, hopefully at least two FA Cup ties and then an EFL tie and not so many league games. “I think once we get through Saturday it’ll be a chance to look back at the first period of the season and look at what we’re doing well and what we can improve. “But for now, it’s just game by game. They’re coming thick and fast and we’re at full stretch in terms of the squad and we just need to keep eyes completely focused on the next game.” Port Vale boss Darrell Clarke was pleased with his team's display even if they were eventually beaten. “We are obviously disappointed we have lost the game,” he told the Vale official website. “What we needed to do when we got it back to 2-2 was make sure we didn’t concede a goal in the next five or ten minutes, because we had the momentum. “That is what top teams do though, they punish you on the turnover and they did that. “We are disappointed in the goals we conceded tonight but certainly have no disappointment in my lads commitment, desire and application — I thought all of that was spot on. “It is just about improving the group and getting better and better. There are two ways of doing that — one where you spend loads and loads of money or one where you go at a pace that is sustainable and moving forward we will be competing with the bigger teams in the division and that’s the right way of doing it for our football club. “The lads can take confidence from that, we are not a million miles away and we have shown in the first 15 games of this season that we belong at this level. “The team have shown consistently that they do respond and they do keep going, but today we were outdone by a team that are clinical and the mistakes we made, they punished.”
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