Article from the Evening Times......
Higdon can be Fir Park thriller
1 Jul 2011
Motherwell star Tom Hateley believes the addition of Michael Higdon could prove to be Well manager Stuart McCalll’s best piece of close-season business.
St Mirren’s top scorer was signed to replace striker John Sutton, who joined Hearts at the beginning of the summer.
Hateley admits he is a big fan of the giant Scouser and has been impressed with his contribution during Well’s first week of pre-season training.
Hateley said: “Michael Higdon gave us real problems last season and I think he could be a very good signing for us.
“It was always going to be vital that we got someone of similar quality in to replace John Sutton and I think the manager has more than done that.
“Michael is also a striker who has a lot more to his game than just winning knock-downs. He has shown in training this week what a great touch he has with either foot. I think he could be the key signing for us and I can see him linking up with Jamie Murphy really well.”
McCall is not finished in the transfer market and revealed he is looking to make at least two more signings.
The Fir Park gaffer has already made 23-year-old Rotherham player Nicky Laws his third capture of the summer after Dumbarton full-back Nicky Devlin and ex-Saints striker Higdon.
McCall said: “Our budget extends to one or maybe two more faces. We’ve only really got five defenders so that remains a priority.
“As much as our overall budget from last season has remained the same, we tied a lot of our younger talent down to two and three-year deals.
“In that instance, players’ wages increase in the second and third year and that has happened to us, so much so it’s probably the combined equivalent of a first-team player. It is a strategy that will pay-off and bear fruit in the long term.
“We are also hopeful that the likes of Stuart Carswell, Jonathan Page and Robert McHugh will make a real breakthrough this season.”