NUAFC 1968-2018

Pro Player Aids Ngaruawahia
by Bruce Holloway
1993
English footballer Dave Higgins has finally made
the journey to New Zealand he is so thankful he passed up
six years ago.
Higgins, a 30-year-old central defender for
English first division soccer club Tranmere Rovers, made
the best decision of his life in 1987 when he passed up an
offer to emigrate and play for Mount Maunganui.
Shortly after he was snapped up by incoming
Tranmere manager John King, after nearly two years on the
relative scrap-heap of Liverpool non-league football, and
has since made over 200 further appearances for a club
which he was only briefly associated with in the early 80s.
But Higgins’ family links - he is brother-in-law of
Waikato United captain Brian and Ngaruawahia coach
Dave Hayes - have finally brought him to New Zealand.
Over the next six weeks he will be assisting with
coaching at DB Draught Ngaruawahia, throwing in new
ideas, and keeping up his own fitness regime in the
process.
But playing is out of the question. Even if
Ngaruawahia could afford the insurance, Higgins would not
be prepared to risk injury, having just been offered a new
two-year contract at Tranmere.
The gap between Tranmere and Ngaruawahia is
great, but Higgins has nothing but praise for what he has
seen of Kiwi soccer so far.
“The players are dead keen here, fit, and have a
certain amount of ability,” he says.
Higgins loves the pro-footballing lifestyle, and
having worked many years as a printer before breaking
into the top bracket, can appreciate the difference in the
standard of living.
The season just finished had a heart-breaking
end for Tranmere, when it was pipped in the play-off semifinals
for a premier berth by eventual winner Swindon.
But like a true pro Higgins shrugs off the bad
memories: “There are always disappointments in football .
. . things look good for this year.”
Career highlights have included six Wembley
appearances - mainly for division play-offs. He also played
in the Tranmere team which beat the All Whites 7-0 last
year (1992).
TRANMERE ROVERS professional footballer Dave Higgins.
Higgins is assisting Ngaruawahia for the next six weeks.
Craig Wallace
Tony Dickman
Steve Williams & Dave Hayes.
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