IT is family, and not finance, that is most pertinent for Michael Higdon.
The striker’s options were plentiful and lucrative at the end of his St Mirren contract, but he bucked the trend to remain in Scotland instead of seeking his fortune south of the border.
Higdon became Stuart McCall, the Motherwell manager’s, first recruit of the summer when he moved on a Bosman earlier this month. Having lost top scorer John Sutton to Hearts, McCall moved quickly to fill the sizeable void in his attack. He has found his replacement in Higdon, with the appeal of Lanarkshire life a significant draw for the Liverpudlian.
“I had a lot of offers from down south, I could have made a lot more money for myself but I decided to stay up here for family reasons,” Higdon said. “I like living where I live. It is not all about money. My little girl starts school in August so am I going to uproot her and go to London or wherever? That is not fair for an extra amount of money. It is not always greener on the other side. I don’t want to be classed as greedy, I have heard that said about me. I want to put the record straight.”
Higdon arrived in Scotland in 2007 after a four-year association with Crewe Alexandra to join John Hughes’ Falkirk. His decision to leave Gresty Road was made with a fresh start in mind yet, after proving himself more than capable of finding the net on a regular basis in the Clydesdale Bank Premier League, he has spurned the opportunity to up sticks once more.
He said: “Initially, I wanted to come up and get a bit of a reputation and then maybe go back down south. But I am happy up here. It is not just about football, it has got to tie in with everything and making sure the family and the kids are happy and that side of it. That is what I am thinking about, that is the main thing in my life.”
Having perennially been involved in relegation scraps since his arrival in Scottish football four summers ago, Higdon is preparing for a different challenge next time out. Two Hampden appearances and a top-six finish, plus a decent showing in the Europa League at the beginning of the campaign, ensured last season was one of the most fruitful in Motherwell’s recent history and Higdon hopes there is more to come.
McCall, meanwhile, will this week officially unveil his latest signing, Rotherham’s 23-year-old midfielder Nicky Law.
“He is under contract to June 30 but we’ve done a deal to bring him up on Friday and we are delighted to get him,” he said.
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