Worksop Town skipper wants 1,000 for '˜pay what you want' derby and says title dream is still alive

Conor Higginson wants to see a crowd of 1,000 flood through the Sandy Lane gates for next Wednesday's '˜pay what you want' derby.
Worksop Town v Pontefract Colliers.
Connor Higginson gives chase to a lose ball.Worksop Town v Pontefract Colliers.
Connor Higginson gives chase to a lose ball.
Worksop Town v Pontefract Colliers. Connor Higginson gives chase to a lose ball.

Tigers will host near neighbours Retford United on 10th February, and fans can get into the ground by making a minimum payment of £1.

Worksop Town’s skipper is asking for a season-high attendance, as he and his team-mates attempt to keep their NCEL Premier title hopes alive.

And despite Saturday’s defeat at Tadcaster, Higginson firmly believes Tigers can still win the league.

Speaking ahead of home games against Armthorpe and Retford on Saturday and Wednesday, he said: “I think six points would give us that little boost we need after dropping points at Tadcaster.

“The best thing we can do is come back with six points, we can’t afford to drop any more points.

“Hopefully Saturday will be another big crowd and a better performance, and for the Retford game I’m hoping that we get around 1,000 – that would be brilliant for the club.

“We’re used to the big crowds, and Retford aren’t, so that could play in our favour.”

A member of the Team500 season ticket membership scheme, Higginson has a great relationship with the club’s supporters, and paid tribute to the contribution they make.

“It’s brilliant, it’s a cliche but they’re like a 12th man, the supporters who travel and the home games are brilliant,” he said.

“They make every game a cup final, and I speak for all the lads, it gives you a lift when they’re singing your name.

“It’s the best non league support I’ve ever played in front of.”

Higginson admitted that last weekend’s Tadcaster loss was frustrating, given how well Tigers played for long periods of the game.

But it hasn’t ended their promotion hopes in his eyes: “I 100 per cent think we can win the league.

“I look at the table every day and at the fixtures we have, where we can win and the lads are all hungry to achieve something/

“We’re not all young lads anymore, we want to get a league title under our belts, we want to reward the supporters.

“The gaffer is trying to make us believe that we’re winners and if we stick to our believes we can work towards something.”

Despite having the armband, Higginson hasn’t been guaranteed a starting place this season.

But he says personal goals come second to the club’s primary aim.

“I just want to win the league,” he said.

“I’ve thought about it and whatever team he picks, if we get the three points I’m happy to play my part – I understand sometimes I need to sit out.

“I’m a very proud captain of the club and it would mean the world to win the league, and I’ll play whatever part I can.”

Promotion would be a big step towards getting the club back to where they were in Higginson’s first season as a Tiger.

He scored in the Evo-Stik play-off semi-final agains Fylde, a game Worksop lost before it became public knowledge that owner Jason Clark was withdrawing his funding and the club took a voluntary two-division.

Higginson said: “We were a game away from promotion to the Conference North, it’s unbelievable to think where we are now.

“But the club has become self sufficient, we have a lot more support and although some players like myself are still hurting about what happened, but you can only deal with what you have now, and we have to try to get them up there again.”