{{short description|Australian-born Scottish footballer}} {{Use dmy dates|date=May 2014}} {{Use British English|date=May 2014}} {{Infobox football biography | name = Harry Higginbotham | fullname = | image = | birth_date = {{birth date|1894|7|27|df=y}} | birth_place = Ashfield, Australia | death_date = {{death date and age|1950|6|3|1894|7|27|df=y}} | death_place = Springburn, Scotland | height = {{height|ft=5|in=11}}<ref>{{cite news |title=The lure of promotion. Clapton Orient |newspaper=Athletic News |location=Manchester |date=13 August 1923 |page=6}}</ref> | position = Inside forward | years1 = | clubs1 = Kilsyth Rangers | caps1 = | goals1 = | years2 = 1916–1919 | clubs2 = St Mirren | caps2 = 58 | goals2 = 7 | years3 = 1919–1920 | clubs3 = South Shields | caps3 = 7 | goals3 = 0 | years4 = 1920–1923 | clubs4 = Luton Town | caps4 = 80 | goals4 = 25 | years5 = 1923–1924 | clubs5 = Clapton Orient | caps5 = 19 | goals5 = 1 | years6 = 1924 | clubs6 = Nelson | caps6= 4 | goals6 = 0 | years7 = 1924–1925 | clubs7 = Reading | caps7= 24 | goals7 = 3 | years8 = 1925–1926 | clubs8 = Mid Rhondda | caps8 = ? | goals8 = ? | years9 = 1926 | clubs9 = Pontypridd | caps9 = ? | goals9 = ? }} '''Harry B. Higginbotham''' (27 July 1894 – 3 June 1950)<ref name="nelson">{{cite book|author=Dykes, Garth|title=Nelson FC in the Football League|year=2009|publisher=SoccerData|location=Nottingham|page=43|isbn=978-1-905891-29-0}}</ref> was a professional footballer who played mainly as an inside forward.
==Career== Born in New South Wales, Australia, Higginbotham emigrated to Scotland with his family in 1900, initially living in the Edinburgh area before moving to Glasgow. He represented Scotland at junior international level while playing for Kilsyth Rangers, then signed for St Mirren in 1916. After playing regularly as an outside right for the ''Buddies'' for two seasons during World War I<ref>[http://www.stmirren.info/id264.html 1916-17] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220103153240/http://www.stmirren.info/id264.html |date=3 January 2022 }}, StMirren.info. Retrieved 3 January 2022.</ref><ref>[http://www.stmirren.info/id265.html 1917-18] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220103153239/http://www.stmirren.info/id265.html |date=3 January 2022 }}, StMirren.info. Retrieved 3 January 2022.</ref> (the Scottish Football League continued during the conflict for morale reasons) he made no appearances in a third campaign despite still being contracted to the Paisley club;<ref name="litsterprewar">{{cite journal|title=A Record of pre-war Scottish League Players|author=John Litster|publisher=Scottish Football Historian magazine|date=October 2012}}</ref> this was possibly related to wartime commitments elsewhere, and he made guest appearances for several clubs including Hibernian and Third Lanark in Scotland and Fulham and Millwall in London.{{citation needed|date=January 2022}}
In 1919 Higginbotham joined Football League Second Division side South Shields.<ref name="nelson"/> 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 25 goals in 80 league games.<ref>[https://www.hattersheritage.co.uk/harry-higginbotham Harry Higginbotham], Hatters Heritage. Retrieved 3 January 2022.</ref> In February 1923, Higginbotham signed for Clapton Orient and went on to score once in 19 appearances for the team.<ref name="joyce">{{cite book|author=Joyce, Michael|title=Football League Players' Records 1888–1939|year=2004|publisher=SoccerData|location=Nottingham|page=124|isbn=1-899468-67-6}}</ref>
A year later, in February 1924, Higginbotham was signed by Nelson as the team battled to avoid relegation from the Second Division. He made his debut on 23 February 1924 in a 2–0 defeat away at Bury. Higginbotham went on to make three more league appearances for Nelson, including a 1–0 win against Manchester United at Old Trafford on 8 March.<ref name="nelson"/> He left at the end of the 1923–24 season and subsequently joined Reading. During a single season with the ''Royals'', he played 24 league matches and scored three goals.<ref name="joyce"/> Higginbotham then had spells in Welsh football with Mid Rhondda and Pontypridd before returning to Scotland.<ref name="nelson"/>
==References== {{reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Higginbotham, Harry}} Category:1894 births Category:1950 deaths Category:Soccer players from Sydney Category:Footballers from Glasgow Category:People from Springburn Category:Scottish men's footballers Category:Australian men's soccer players Category:Men's association football forwards Category:Gateshead A.F.C. players Category:Luton Town F.C. players Category:Leyton Orient F.C. players Category:Nelson F.C. players Category:Reading F.C. players Category:Mid Rhondda F.C. players Category:Pontypridd F.C. players Category:Scottish Junior Football Association players Category:Scotland men's junior international footballers Category:St Mirren F.C. players Category:Kilsyth Rangers F.C. players Category:Scottish Football League players Category:English Football League players Category:Fulham F.C. wartime guest players Category:Millwall F.C. wartime guest players Category:Australian emigrants to Scotland Category:20th-century Australian sportsmen Category:20th-century Scottish sportsmen