higgins_alexander
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William Alexander "Sandy" Higgins - Manchester United half-back - Player profile & stats |
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| Name: William Alexander "Sandy" Higgins |
Nationality: England |
| Position: half-back |
Signing Information: Transferred from: Middlesbrough, 10/1901, £ |
| Birthdate: 00-00-0000 |
Years at Club: 1901-1902 |
| Age: () |
Debut: 12/10/1901 v Burton United (A) 0-0 (League Division Two) |
| Birthplace: Smethwick, Staffordshire, England |
Previous clubs: Albion Swifts, Birmingham St. George's, Grimsby Town, Bristol City, Newcastle United, Middlesbrough |
| Height: 5' 10" (1.78m) |
Farewell to Manchester United: Transferred to ?, 05/1902, £ |
| Weight: 12st (76.2kg) |
Passed Away: PA |
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His full name was William Alexander Higgins but he preferred to go by 'Sandy' instead, which proved to be an enlightened decision once he joined Newton Heath, where there were five other first-team men named William! Hailing from a footballing family - his brothers Tom and Alfred also kicked balls - Sandy initially honed his skills with several sides in the Birmingham area, namely Woodfield, Albion Swifts, and Birmingham St. George's.
In time, the 5'10", 12st Sandy developed into a cool, levelheaded centre-half with the knack "to generally be where he was wanted", though he was not too conspicuous by his tackling. That said, he could also play anywhere in the front line if necessary. And the first league team to benefit from his services was Grimsby Town, who signed him in preparation for their inaugural Football League campaign in 1892-93. He went on to play 148 league and cup games for them in 5 years, often as captain, netting 35 goals, and represented the Football League in November 1896.
It was said the Grimsby directors tried everything to keep him in the summer of 1897 but Higgins was seduced by the riches on offer at the newly formed Bristol City of the Southern League. He was made captain and he promptly scored on his debut as City won their first game - against the champions, Southampton. A year later, a similar scenario occurred: Newcastle United sought his "cool head" as they contested their first ever top flight campaign. Sandy made his bow versus Wolverhampton in September 1898, then went on to play 39 times for the Geordies.
However, when they did not re-sign him in 1900, Higgins signed for Middlesbrough, who made him skipper from his first game versus Lincoln City. After 29 games, he was not re-engaged as the 1901-02 season started. Eventually, in October, he put his tendency to assist teams in introductory seasons to the side to join Newton Heath in what proved to their last season under that set-up. And this only became possible after Heath's manager, James West, saved on other players' wages to afford him!
Higgins played 10 matches in all for the struggling Mancunians, the centre-half's debut coming as a centre-forward against Burton United on October 12th, 1901. The highlight of his time at Bank Street was the away game at Bristol City on January 18th, 1902. The stricken Heathens required a whip-around to afford the long trip, something that the home team appreciated and, adding the fact Higgins was an old City player, they gave the Heathens a hearty reception onto the pitch. Alas, a week later, Sandy suffered a recurrence of the ankle injury he had received the previous month, and he never recovered sufficiently to play again.
After retirement, Higgins moved to Thornaby in the Northeast. Biography kindly provided by Charbel Boujaoude. |
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League Cup |
FA Cup |
Charity Shield |
European Cup |
Europa League |
Super Cup |
Cup Winners Cup |
Inter-Continental Cup |
World Clubs Cup |
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Season
Goals |
Season
Apps |
| 1 |
1901-1902 |
0 |
10 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
10 |
| TOTALS |
0 |
10 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
10 |
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