Page 185 - NUAFC EBook

Dave Higgins

English footballer Dave Higgins has finally made
the journey to New Zealand he is so thankful he passed up
six years ago.
Higgins, a 30-year-old central defender for English
first division soccer club Tranmere Rovers, made the best
decision of his life in 1987 when he passed up an offer to
emigrate and play for Mount Maunganui.
Shortly after he was snapped up by incoming
Tranmere manager John King, after nearly two years on the
relative scrap-heap of Liverpool non-league football, and has
since made over 200 further appearances for a club which he
was only briefly associated with in the early 80s.
But Higgins’ family links - he is brother-in-law of
Waikato United captain Brian and Ngaruawahia coach Dave
Hayes - have finally brought him to New Zealand.
Over the next six weeks he will be assisting with
coaching at DB Draught Ngaruawahia, throwing in new
ideas, and keeping up his own fitness regime in the process.
But playing is out of the question. Even if
Ngaruawahia could afford the insurance, Higgins would not
be prepared to risk injury, having just been offered a new
two-year contract at Tranmere.
The gap between Tranmere and Ngaruawahia is
great, but Higgins has nothing but praise for what he has
seen of Kiwi soccer so far.
“The players are dead keen here, fit, and have a
certain amount of ability,” he says.
Higgins loves the pro-footballing lifestyle, and
having worked many years as a printer before breaking into
the top bracket, can appreciate the difference in the standard
of living.
The season just finished had a heart-breaking end
for Tranmere, when it was pipped in the play-off semi-finals
for a premier berth by eventual winner Swindon.
But like a true pro Higgins shrugs off the bad
memories: “There are always disappointments in football . . .
things look good for this year.”
Career highlights have included six Wembley
appearances - mainly for division play-offs. He also played
in the Tranmere team which beat the All Whites 7-0 last
year (1992).

TRANMERE ROVERS professional footballer Dave Higgins.
Higgins assisted Ngaruawahia for six weeks of the season.

Craig Wallace Tony Dickman Steve Williams & Dave Hayes.

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