Higginbotham happy to be part of Pars’ push for promotion

Kallum Higginbotham insists he is ready to fire Dunfermline back to the Premiership after shunning interest from north and south of the border to sign a new contract with the Pars.

Meanwhile, the Pars raided relegated rivals Raith Rovers for their player of the year JeanYves M’voto.

The towering Frenchman, who emerged through the youth ranks at PSG, has penned a one-year deal with the East End Park outfit.

Higginbotham last night ended uncertainty over his future by penning a one-year extension to his deal at East End Park, joining Nat Wedderburn, Lee Ashcroft and Callum Morris in committing for next term.

Higginbotham has no doubt Allan Johnston’s side will be in the promotion shake-up next term, having recovered from a nightmare start to the season to finish just four points adrift of the top four, losing just four league games since midNovember.

The playmaker said: “This is something I want to be part of and I feel like the club is going in the right direction.

“I would love to get them back to the Premiership. With the squad the gaffer is building, I believe we can have a real push at it and I’m delighted I’ll be a part of that.

“If you look at this season, we were pushing against some really big teams, like Hibs and Dundee United.

“With Raith Rovers going down, Hibs going up, and potentially losing Falkirk or Dundee United, next year will be a great season to have a real go.”

Higginbotham arrived at Dunfermline last summer after cutting short a miserable spell at Kilmarnock, while brief stints at Partick Thistle, Motherwell and Carlisle were similarly underwhelming.

However, this season has seen him come close to recapturing the dazzling form that shaped his reputation as a youngster at Falkirk, earning him a £400,000 move to Huddersfield back in 2012.

He said: “The belief the management team have in me is huge and when you have got that you know you can go out and express yourself. I feel like I have done that.”

He added: “I had other options on the table.

“It wouldn’t be right for me to name which team, but there was interest here and teams down south that were keen to take me.

“But I went home last week and left my family up here and my daughter was on FaceTime a lot and she was missing me. That was a massive factor in me staying up here.”

Meanwhile, M’voto largely impressed in his 41 appearances for Raith Rovers, albeit he was unable to save them from dropping into League 1.

The 28-year-old made two high-profile blunders in their decisive playoff defeat against Brechin on Saturday, while he also found the net.

He will remain in the Championship next term after crossing the Fife divide.

Jean-Yves M’voto has moved across Fife.