Published: Thursday, 4th June, 2009 9:37am

News Pars boy Higgins has plenty to shout about

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Pic by: Dunfermline Press

CHRIS Higgins should feel right at home with the Pars as East End Park is already a happy hunting ground for the young defender.

Unlike some of the misfiring strikers seen at the club in years gone by, the former Clyde man obviously has no problem hitting the back of the net on the Pars" home turf.

Higgins laughed, 'The only two goals I got last season were against Dunfermline, both at East End Park, so I hope I"ll continue to enjoy my time there!'

The 23-year-old centre half put pen to paper on a two-year deal this week – something to shout about for a player who won"t be shy on the park.

'I like to shout at people!' Higgins smiled. 'I like to be a leader and I"ve captained Clyde a few times too but you really need 16 leaders, 11 on the park plus the manager, subs and the coaches.

'I"m looking to improve myself and if I"m doing something wrong I"ll take it on the chin.'

Following on from the capture of Andy Dowie from Ross County, Pars now have two new centre backs to replace the outgoing Greg Shields, Scott Wilson and Scott Thomson.

Higgins, who started his career at Motherwell, admitted they"ll be a tough act to follow and said, 'They were legends here. They played in Europe and the SPL and last season had a great run in the Scottish Cup.

'No disrespect to who"s been here before but maybe it"s time for new people to come in and hopefully it"ll help us get to the SPL next year.

'I"ve only ever played against Andy, I don"t know him personally, but hopefully we"ll form a good partnership.

'You have to know each other"s game and know when to cover, but we"ve got plenty of time before the season starts.'

He agreed Pars were set to rely on younger players and said, 'A young squad means we"re going to be able to run all day and go for the full 90 minutes.

'I haven"t played in the SPL – I was on the bench countless times for Motherwell – but I think you get less time on the ball in the First Division.

'It"s more physical, a hard league, so if we"ve got the legs to play for 90 minutes I can only see it as a good thing.'

Higgins didn"t need long to decide to sign for Pars and said it was tied up in a matter of days.

'The manager phoned me last week, I met him and we agreed a deal and the medical went through after that,' he explained.

'My contract was up anyway and Clyde were in a bit of turmoil but I"m thankful to them for four years of first team football and I"ve played nearly 160 games for them.

'But I"m really looking forward to playing for Dunfermline.

'It"s a bigger club with bigger expectations but I"m looking to come here and get promoted.'