Higdon targets promotion

Michael Higdon is hoping to fire the goals which will get Sheffield United out of League One after joining from Dutch club NEC.

The 30-year-old Englishman came through Crewe's academy as a youngster and proved himself as a clinical marksman with Alex, Falkirk, St Mirren and Motherwell before moving to Holland last summer. Despite Nijmegen struggling in the top flight, Higdon scored 14 goals in 32 Eredivisie appearances last term and becomes the Blades' ninth new signing after putting pen to paper on a two-year deal at Bramall Lane. "Obviously, I'm ecstatic it's all done now," he told BladesPlayer.tv. "It's a fantastic opportunity for me and one I'm really looking forward to. I had a lot of interest, but when I found out they were interested in me, then with the size of the club and the foundation, it's a good opportunity. "I signed a two-year contract in Holland, but it didn't go well for the team over there and we got relegated, which is unfortunate. I managed to score a good amount of goals there though, so I didn't want to play in the second league in Holland. I've also got a small, young child who is in school, so when this opportunity came up, I grabbed it with both hands. "I went over to Holland on my own as it was a good career move at the time. Everyone speaks about Dutch football and thinks it's a passing game, with the ball on the floor, 4-3-3, and that's the way it was. I had to adjust my game a little to it, which was another experience I wanted - seeing different styles of football. "It was an experience and I'm glad I did it, but I want to come back to England and hopefully with Sheffield United I can carry on my goalscoring form and help them climb the table. I'd like to think I can take my chances when they come along." United have plenty of creative players able to provide the ammunition for Higdon to fire in and the former SPL Golden Boot and PFA Scotland Players' Player of the Year winner is confident he will fit in well at Bramall Lane. "There are certain limitations in my game that I'm not so strong at, but I think as you get older, you learn more about what you can do and what you can't do - and I think that's been a factor with me," he added. "Obviously, as a main striker you need to score goals and I think the last four or five seasons I've done that consistently, so that's what I'm aiming to do here. I had a lot of joy at Motherwell in a similar role, with a lot of fast players around me, so I just need to keep working on my fitness now and hopefully I'll be ready to hit the ground running when the manager picks me."