Player Focus: Brit Abroad Michael Higdon Key to NEC's Survival

Who is, as of today, the most prolific English top flight goalscorer over the last two seasons? If you've answered Wayne Rooney or Daniel Sturridge then you'd be wrong. The individual in question is Michel Higdon. A household name he may not be in England, but his exploits – 39 goals in 64 games – has seen him lauded in Scotland and made many a person, in the Netherlands at least, sit up and take notice.

Higdon, from Liverpool – a city renowned for producing great forwards – turned down a new contract at Motherwell last summer for a move to Nijmegen in the south east of the Netherlands. In his final season with the North Lanarkshire based club, he won the Golden Boot (scoring 26 goals) and was named Scottish PFA Player of the Year. His reasoning, at the twilight of his career, was that the Eredivisie presents a fresh challenge plus an opportunity to immerse himself in a new footballing culture. 

"I'm up front on my own in a 4-3-3, which can be difficult, but I want to learn new ways to play, new tactics, how to defend from the front," he said in conversation with the Daily Record. Higdon feels, despite turning 30 last September, he's continuing to progress as a footballer. "You learn to do things better the older you get." He's assimilated well to a contrasting style of the beautiful game. "A lot more football gets played here; the ball stays on the ground," he told Herald Scotland. "The game is a bit more direct in Scotland and the rest of the UK. In Holland, it is a lot more possession-based. I think that's a big difference." 

It's wasn't the easiest of starts. NEC – who staved off relegation the previous year, finishing one place above the relegation play-off spots – parted company with manager Alex Pastoor after losing their first three games. They would record their first win in October, under Pastoor's successor Anton Janssen, with Higdon netting a brace in a 2-1 victory over Heerenveen.

NEC aren't the worst team in the division, but their five wins is the poorest return. Their main concern is not being able to turn draws into wins. A permeable defence - 71 goals conceded, by a considerable distance the leakiest – doesn't help, but there's resilience to Janssen's men, who have snatched a point from the jaws of defeat in eight of their twelve draws, including away to Heerenveen over the weekend. Higdon was once again pivotal, reducing their two-goal deficit before setting up the equaliser. If it wasn't clear before, it is now: having a striker who's canny in front of goal – able to score in the unlikeliest of situations – gives any side a chance of survival in a relegation fight. With time running out attack – sensibly built around the Englishman – will have to be their best form of defence.

A graduate of Crewe Alexandra's esteemed academy under the tutelage of Dario Gradi, Higdon converted from a midfielder into a striker, he's far removed from the type of 'number nine' Dutch teams normally prefer – where there's just as much demand in being a good playmaker – but needs must and it's understandable NEC ask him to focus on the one job, succinctly illustrated by him rarely drifting wide. Higdon feels he serves his side better by remaining where he can be most effective. His languid style and height supplements his technique, making him more adept as a focal point allowing those around him into the game. He has 5 assists from 44 chances created and has developed a WhoScored style of play of ‘likes to play short passes’, making 31.4 per game with a success rate of 62.6%. 

For a struggling team set-pieces are paramount; no team comes close to NEC in terms of goals scored from corners and free-kicks (21). Higdon – exceptional in the air – is a constant threat. Overall his figures, 13 goals in 27 games with a conversion rate of 20.9% (responsible for 28% of his team’s goals), are enhanced when you consider he's only trailing Alfreð Finnbogason (24), Graziano Pellè (20), Aron Jóhannsson (16) and Luc Castaignos (14) in the scoring charts, and they are all playing for sides in the top seven.

Of his fellow countrymen in top flight Europe, only Sturridge (19) and John Sutton (18) – his successor at Motherwell – have outscored the Liverpudlian. Despite his prolificacy a call-up from Roy Hodgson is unlikely to happen, but the England manager – who's coached across the Continent – would certainly appreciate Higdon for playing outside his comfort zone especially at a time when the presence of British footballers in Europe's major leagues – save Gareth Bale, Michael Mancienne, Matt Jones and Eric Dier – is a rarity.

Yes, when it comes to measuring goals, there's a difference in level between the Eredivisie and Premier League, but as José Mourinho [who once upon a time could have joined PSV] said earlier this year – when discussing the lack of English coaches abroad – "football is the same everywhere". Taking cue from this outlook, play to your striker's strengths and he does the rest. NEC have done that in what has been a challenging few months. Now, with the season close to completion, three of their last five games will be at home, where Higdon scores most of his goals. His cult status in Nijmegen continues to grow; if they stay up – currently four points from salvation – their achievements will go down in history.

Can Higdon inspire NEC to survival? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below