Higgy aims to avoid the boos on his return to ‘special’ club
Former Par Millar passes away at 87
KALLUM Higginbotham is hopeful of a positive reception from Dunfermline fans this weekend after revelling in his “pantomime villain” role on Saturday.
The Kelty Hearts star admitted that the jeers from Falkirk fans fired him up as he helped his team collect their first League One away win against the Bairns.
Higginbotham, who spent a yearand-a-half at the Falkirk Stadium earlier in his career, laid on Alfredo Agyeman’s second goal in Kelty’s 3-2 success in an all-action display.
Receiving stick from Bairns fans is nothing new to the Englishman, particularly during three years as a Pars player, who he will face this Saturday.
It will be a first return to East End Park since the 33-year-old departed in the summer of 2019 and, speaking to Press Sport, he said: “It was a good time to play them at our place (a 0-0 draw in August) but, to go back there, hopefully I’ll get a good reception from the fans.
“I never left on bad terms, I’ve never said anything bad about the club. The club will always have a special place in my heart because it was brilliant for me, but I’m a Kelty player now and hopefully I can go there, do my job, and we can get the three points.
“When that whistle goes, there are no friends on the pitch. I’ve got to go there and do a job and ulfrom timately try and get three points. I believe, with the quality we’ve got in the squad, we can do that.
“We’ll go to Dunfermline with absolutely no pressure. We need a win to claw the play off teams back into us, and we’ll go there with every confidence.”
After helping quieten the Falkirk fans, Higginbotham said: “I always get stick when I come here but, obviously, the most important thing was the three points.
“I don’t understand where it’s come from. When I came back here with Kilmarnock in the play-offs (the Scottish Premiership play-off final in 2016), I was getting booed and I just didn’t quite understand why.
“But then I signed for Dunfermline, and I always managed to have a good game or score. I think that’s where the pantomime villain started.
“I like it. It gets me going and that’s two wins out of two against them this season, so hopefully we can be four wins out of four come the end of the season.
“When I’m angry, or my back’s up, I seem to get a little bit of a kick up the backside and I manage to play a wee bit better.
“I don’t mind it. Hopefully it can continue like that; it’s only a wee bit of friendly banter!”
With their first win on the road and having picked up maximum points in their last three outings, Kelty will go to East End in buoyant mood.
DUNFERMLINE Athletic have expressed their sadness following the passing of their former forward, Jimmy Millar.
The Edinburgh-born player, who was 87, died last Thursday.
Although most associated with Rangers, where he spent 12 years, Millar’s first senior club was Dunfermline, who signed him from Edinburgh-based juvenile side, Merchiston Thistle, in 1952.
He cost the Pars £10, plus a £30 signing on fee, having been spotted by manager, Bobby
Ancell, whilst playing at wing half for Merchiston.
Millar, who was 17 when he made the move into senior football, had been invited to visit Sunderland, and had attracted interest from Motherwell, before joining Dunfermline.
He made his debut, aged 18, in January 1953. The apprentice plumber, playing at inside forward, scored on his bow in a 2-1 win over Hamilton Academical, and went on to score 17 times in 19 league games. That form brought him to the attention of other clubs and, in January 1955, Rangers paid a fee of £5,500 to take him to Ibrox.
Under the management of Scot Symon, Millar went on to win three league titles, five Scottish Cups and three League Cups, and was later inducted into their Hall of Fame.
Rangers, for whom he scored
162 goals in 317 appearances, described him as a “tough, brave and quick centre-forward”, and said they were “saddened” by news of his death.
Following his passing, the Pars, whilst listing his achievements at East End, added: “Everyone at Dunfermline Athletic was saddened to hear about the passing of former Pars player Jimmy Millar.
Our condolences are with Jimmy’s family.”