Higginbotham ready to take chance
Huddersfield Town striker Kallum Higginbotham has returned to the Club after completing his loan spell with Scottish Premier League side Motherwell.
In total, Higginbotham made 21 appearances last term during spells at League 1 Carlisle and Motherwell.
He joined The Steelmen in early 2013 and made ten appearances, scoring one goal in a 4-1 victory over Hibernian. The goal, which capped Motherwell’s comeback in the game, was a stunning acrobatic effort from inside the area.
Speaking to htafc.com, the striker said he was looking forward to proving himself to Mark Robins:
“I spoke with the Manager last week and although he hasn’t worked with me yet, he was positive. I want to show him what I can do and I am going to work hard in the close and pre-season to make an impression.
“Being back up in Scotland was nice and it was good to be close to my daughter. I would have liked to have played more football, but I was pleased to pick up the Goal of the Season award at the Club’s Annual Awards ceremony.”
Elsewhere, left-back Liam Ridehalgh made his final appearance of the season in late April during Rotherham’s narrow victory over Plymouth. Liam made 20 appearances during his time on loan in south Yorkshire as the Millers gained promoting to League 1. The defender returned to Town during the final week of the season and trained under Mark Robins and his coaching staff.
The 22 year-old Academy graduate recently signed a new deal with the Terriers, click HERE for more information.
Including Kallum and Liam, Town had ten players move out on loan to gain experience and match fitness during the 2012/13 campaign.
Arguably the most successful of those loans was Chris Atkinson’s to League 2 Chesterfield during the latter months of 2012. He was a regular starter for the Spireites as they looked to bounce back from relegation to League 1 and the midfielder notched five goals in 13 impressive starts.
Huddersfield Town Manager Mark Robins emphasised the importance of loans:
“Both Chris Atkinson and Jordan Sinnott proved that they were capable of playing at the respective levels while on loan and with hard and commitment they will hopefully establish themself for Huddersfield Town in the future.
“They enjoyed a taste of Championship football last season and I am hopeful that they will drive forward with their careers at the Club.
“Loans can also useful for established players who are finding first team football difficult to obtain. Anton Robinson was able to play in a league winning side during the latter half of last season, maintain his match fitness and prove his ability to people.”
Anton made 14 appearances for Gillingham during 2013, 12 of those were starts as the Gills gained promotion to League 1 as champions.
Elsewhere, Jimmy Spencer found his time away from the Club cut short because of injury. The striker made just two substitute appearances at Brentford and although he agreed a deal to join Crawley later on in the season, he never played a game as a result of injury.
A number of Town’s U21 squad enjoyed time away from the Club over the winter months during the Professional Development League’s break. Captain Jordan Sinnott made six starts at Blue Square Bet Premier Altrincham. Radcliffe Borough benefitted from Matt Crooks who scored three goals in five starts and defender James Burke who scored one in five.
Furthermore, Max Leonard scored two goals in four starts at Garforth Town while Connor Loftus notched one goal in three games at Mossley.
