Harry Higginbotham

Who was Harry Higginbotham?

Henry B. "Harry" Higginbotham was an Australian-born Scottish professional footballer who played as an inside forward. As a youth, he represented Scotland at junior international level. After playing as a guest for several clubs, including Hibernian, St. Mirren, Third Lanark, Fulham and Millwall, during the First World War, Higginbotham entered senior football in 1919 when joined Football League Second Division side South Shields. He made seven league appearances for the club before moving to Luton Town the following year. He spent three seasons with the Bedfordshire club, scoring 26 goals in 80 league games. In February 1923, Higginbotham signed for Clapton Orient and went on to score once in 19 appearances for the team.

A year later, in February 1924, Higginbotham was signed by Nelson as the team strove to avoid relegation from the Second Division. He made his Nelson debut on 23 February 1924 in the 0–2 defeat away at Bury. Higginbotham went on to make three more league appearances for the club, including the 1–0 win against Manchester United at Old Trafford on 8 March. He left Nelson at the end of the 1923–24 season and subsequently joined Reading. During a single season with Reading, he played 24 league matches and scored 3 goals. Higginbotham then had spells in Welsh football with Mid Rhondda and Pontypridd before returning to Scotland.