Alex Higgins (footballer, born 1863)

Alexander Higgins, known as "Sandy Higgins" (7 November 1863 – 17 April 1920) was a Scottish footballer who played for Kilmarnock, Derby County, Nottingham Forest and the Scotland national team.

Alex Higgins
Personal information
Full name Alexander Higgins
Date of birth (1863-11-07)7 November 1863
Place of birth Kilmarnock, Scotland
Date of death 17 April 1920(1920-04-17) (aged 56)
Playing position(s) Centre–forward
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1882–1888 Kilmarnock 0 (0)
1888–1890 Derby County 42 (25)
1890–1894 Nottingham Forest 47 (18)
1894 Kilmarnock 0 (0)
National team
1885 Scotland 1 (3)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Career

Higgins was born in Kilmarnock, originally working as a coal-miner, and began his career in his hometown with Kilmarnock.[1] He won his only Scotland cap while at the club on 14 March 1885. Despite scoring a hat-trick in an 8–2 win over Ireland, he was never selected again for his country;[2] James B. Niven, later of Chelsea, also gained his only cap in that game.

Higgins joined English club Derby County in August 1888 and made his Football League debut on 8 September 1888, playing at centre–forward, at Pike's Lane, the then home of Bolton Wanderers. Derby defeated the home team 6–3. He scored his maiden League goal on 22 September at the County Ground, the then home of Derby County, when the visitors were Accrington – the match ended as a 1–1 draw and Higgins scored the Derby goal. He appeared in 21 of the 22 League matches played by Derby County in season 1888–89 and scored 11 league goals, which made him the top scorer for that season; of those goals, six came in two matches. He became the first Derby County player to score four in one league match when he scored four against Aston Villa at the County Ground on 9 March 1889.[3]

Higgins left Derby in 1890 and joined Nottingham Forest, where he remained until 1894, when he returned to Scotland and Kilmarnock for an short unsuccessful bid for the Scottish Cup.[1][4]

Personal life

Higgins died on 17 April 1920, the same day his first club Kilmarnock won the Scottish Cup for the first time in their history. His son, Alex Higgins, Jr., also a Scottish international, was a registered Kilmarnock player at this point, although he did not play in the final.[5]

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References
  1. Kilmarnock player Higgins (Sr), Sandy, FitbaStats
  2. Sat 14 Mar 1885 Scotland 8 Ireland 2, London Hearts Supporters Club
  3. "English National Football Archive". Retrieved 14 January 2018. (registration & fee required)
  4. Mortimer, Gerald (2004). Who's Who of Derby County. Breedon Books. p. 89. ISBN 1 85983 409 4.
  5. Lamming, Douglas (1987). A Scottish Soccer Internationalists Who's Who, 1872-1986. Hutton Press. p. 13. ISBN 0-907033-47-4.
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