In-form star reveals reason for his Wigan Athletic Midas touch

The 26-year-old's winner at York on Friday night was his ninth goal of the campaign, from only 24 matches.

It's only three short of his best ever tally of 12, during his final year at Rochdale in 2020-21 - including a brace in a 3-3 draw against Latics at Spotland in mid-season.

Humphrys joined Latics at the end of that campaign, but he spent most of his first year at the DW on the bench, making only a dozen league starts.

Then, last term, his future at the club looked up in the air when then-boss Leam Richardson loaned him out to Scottish club Hearts.

Humphrys even made noises about possibly staying up in Scotland, but the goalposts were shifted when Shaun Maloney took over at the DW in January of this year.

Maloney identified Humphrys as one of his key men in leading the rebuild following relegation from the Championship, and the player has more than repaid that faith with his form on the field.

And he insists there's been no secret formula - other than nailing down a first-team starting spot.

"To be honest, I think it's down to me getting a regular run of games," he said.

"In my first season here, I'd maybe score, and then if I didn't score in the next game, I'd be out of the team.

"This manager has kind of given me the freedom to go wherever I like on the pitch, and he trusts me to do the job.

"To be honest, it's probably down to the gaffer for putting his trust in me and giving me the chance to show what I can do, and I'm very grateful for that."

After starting the season wide on the right, Humphrys has been part of a four-man floating strike force in recent weeks, which has given the flair players a licence to thrill.

"I think with the way we're playing, any forward in our team is able to make a difference," Himphrys added.

"In the last game (against Fleetwood), Jordan Jones was unbelievable, and thankfully I've managed to score a few goals.

"Charlie Wyke was firing them in at the start of the season, so I'm just riding my luck as long as I've got it.

"Maybe next time it will be someone else's turn, but it doesn't matter who steps up as long as the team is winning."

The importance of Humphrys’ beautifully-taken goal – which saw him race clear of the home defence before coolly rounding David Stockdale and slotting home into an empty net – was magnified on Sunday afternoon when Latics were paired with Manchester United in the FA Cup third round.

"Getting into the next round was all that matters,” added Humphrys.

"Credit to York, they tested us towards the end, and they created a few chances that, on another night, they might have been able to finish.”