Kallum Higginbotham Player review
Video edit by @ScottishEdits. Follow or subscribe for more Scottish Football Edits.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21RrbwQl_WI
Partick Thistle’s striker Kallum Higginbotham has an eye for the extravagant, try typing his name on Youtube and your results would be “amazing overhead kick by Higginbotham as he does a Rooney”, “Sensational solo goal by Higginbotham”, “most audacious effort ever? Higginbotham hits cross bar straight from kick off” and “Top tekkers from Kallum Higginbotham” as you can tell by these video titles he isn’t afraid to try something different.
Despite being only 24 years old, the Salford born attacker has already played for eight different clubs through various failed transfers and loan spells. However, since signing for Partick Thistle in 2013 he has truly shown what he is capable of when a manager trusts and works with him.
Higginbotham’s professional career began at Oldham Athletic, where he signed as an 18 year old. Despite the club holding a positive record for bringing through youngsters to the first team, Higginbotham failed to make an appearance for the Greater Manchester club before being released one year into his trainee contract.
In 2007, Higgibotham was quickly snatched up by the English League 2 side Rochdale. After three months of as he described “brutal fitness training”, he made his professional debut against Rossendale United scoring a stoppage time winner.
After an impressive opening season for Higgibotham at Rochdale, the emergence of fellow winger Will Buckley saw Higginbotham fall out of favor and shortly after go out on loan to Accrington Stanley, where he set up six goals in just 12 appearances for the club.
As the season came to a close and Keith Hill’s dislike for Higginbotham continued, his contract expired at the end of the 2009-10 season, where he signed for Scottish Division 1 club Falkirk.
In his first year with “the Bairns”, Higginbotham struggled to adapt to the physical nature of the Scottish game, however in his second and final season at the West-Coast club he was voted as Fans player of the Year and player’s player of the year, in a season where he created a formidable partnership with the now Hibernian striker Farid El-Alagui.
In the Scottish League cup semi-final at Hampden against Celtic, Higginbotham was awarded Man of the Match in what turned out to be his final game for the club in a brave 3-1 loss against the Scottish Champions. Throughout his time at Falkirk he made 50 appearances scoring 7 goals in the process.
In what proved to be his final game for Falkirk, Higginbotham put on a man of the match performance in a brave Scottish League Cup semi-final at Hampden. He set up two of the goals in the defeat to Scottish Champions Celtic.
Although there were interest from other clubs such as Scottish giants Celtic and Rangers, Higginbotham chose to further his career down south with Huddersfield United. After four disappointing performances for United, Higginbotham once again found himself frozen out by the newly appointed manager Simon Grayson. It was believed that Grayson never took a liking to Higginbotham’s unorthodox style of play, believing that Higginbotham only played for the glory of himself. In his one season with Huddersfield, Higginbotham found himself put out on loan to three different clubs, one being Motherwell where he scored that outrageous scissor kick at home to Hibernian.
At the end of the 2012-13 season, Higginbotham once again found himself in search for another club after his release from Huddersfield United. Higginbotham chose to return north, this time with Glasgow side Partick Thistle. In his first season with the Scottish club he made a healthy 39 appearances, scoring 8 goals in the process.
The attacker has had mixed reviews from fans across Scotland. Many believe he is a fantastic player with an exceptionally high jump for such a small guy without doubt, the Salford born magician is capable of winning games with a moment of magic. He also possesses a brilliant work rate off the ball, pressuring defenders into making misplaced passes. Despite so much positivety surrounding Higginbotham’s obvious technical ability, many have described his playing style as highly frustrating. Often when Thistle are passing the ball around nicely on the deck and it reaches Higginbotham, he tends to make about seven touches, run around the same defender three times before passing the ball to his team mate. However, I believe that Higginbotham is an asset for any team and when a side needs just one piece of magic to win a match, Higginbotham has the nerve and audacity to score that all important goal.
Article by Joseph James
Video edit by @ScottishEdits. Follow or subscribe for more Scottish Football Edits.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21RrbwQl_WI
Partick Thistle’s striker Kallum Higginbotham has an eye for the extravagant, try typing his name on Youtube and your results would be “amazing overhead kick by Higginbotham as he does a Rooney”, “Sensational solo goal by Higginbotham”, “most audacious effort ever? Higginbotham hits cross bar straight from kick off” and “Top tekkers from Kallum Higginbotham” as you can tell by these video titles he isn’t afraid to try something different.
Despite being only 24 years old, the Salford born attacker has already played for eight different clubs through various failed transfers and loan spells. However, since signing for Partick Thistle in 2013 he has truly shown what he is capable of when a manager trusts and works with him.
Higginbotham’s professional career began at Oldham Athletic, where he signed as an 18 year old. Despite the club holding a positive record for bringing through youngsters to the first team, Higginbotham failed to make an appearance for the Greater Manchester club before being released one year into his trainee contract.
In 2007, Higgibotham was quickly snatched up by the English League 2 side Rochdale. After three months of as he described “brutal fitness training”, he made his professional debut against Rossendale United scoring a stoppage time winner.
After an impressive opening season for Higgibotham at Rochdale, the emergence of fellow winger Will Buckley saw Higginbotham fall out of favor and shortly after go out on loan to Accrington Stanley, where he set up six goals in just 12 appearances for the club.
As the season came to a close and Keith Hill’s dislike for Higginbotham continued, his contract expired at the end of the 2009-10 season, where he signed for Scottish Division 1 club Falkirk.
In his first year with “the Bairns”, Higginbotham struggled to adapt to the physical nature of the Scottish game, however in his second and final season at the West-Coast club he was voted as Fans player of the Year and player’s player of the year, in a season where he created a formidable partnership with the now Hibernian striker Farid El-Alagui.
In the Scottish League cup semi-final at Hampden against Celtic, Higginbotham was awarded Man of the Match in what turned out to be his final game for the club in a brave 3-1 loss against the Scottish Champions. Throughout his time at Falkirk he made 50 appearances scoring 7 goals in the process.
In what proved to be his final game for Falkirk, Higginbotham put on a man of the match performance in a brave Scottish League Cup semi-final at Hampden. He set up two of the goals in the defeat to Scottish Champions Celtic.
Although there were interest from other clubs such as Scottish giants Celtic and Rangers, Higginbotham chose to further his career down south with Huddersfield United. After four disappointing performances for United, Higginbotham once again found himself frozen out by the newly appointed manager Simon Grayson. It was believed that Grayson never took a liking to Higginbotham’s unorthodox style of play, believing that Higginbotham only played for the glory of himself. In his one season with Huddersfield, Higginbotham found himself put out on loan to three different clubs, one being Motherwell where he scored that outrageous scissor kick at home to Hibernian.
At the end of the 2012-13 season, Higginbotham once again found himself in search for another club after his release from Huddersfield United. Higginbotham chose to return north, this time with Glasgow side Partick Thistle. In his first season with the Scottish club he made a healthy 39 appearances, scoring 8 goals in the process.
The attacker has had mixed reviews from fans across Scotland. Many believe he is a fantastic player with an exceptionally high jump for such a small guy without doubt, the Salford born magician is capable of winning games with a moment of magic. He also possesses a brilliant work rate off the ball, pressuring defenders into making misplaced passes. Despite so much positivety surrounding Higginbotham’s obvious technical ability, many have described his playing style as highly frustrating. Often when Thistle are passing the ball around nicely on the deck and it reaches Higginbotham, he tends to make about seven touches, run around the same defender three times before passing the ball to his team mate. However, I believe that Higginbotham is an asset for any team and when a side needs just one piece of magic to win a match, Higginbotham has the nerve and audacity to score that all important goal.
Article by Joseph James