Craig Hignett at the Riverside Stadium,
where he made his name as a Boro star.
Tees Life: The Riverside has been like your
second home for the last 20 years – and
you both got off to that great start when
you scored the first ever goal at the stadium
against Chelsea in 1995.
Higgy: It’s been 25 years now that I’ve been
associated with the football club, in one
guise or another. I suppose the Riverside is
my second home. Everyone associates me
with Middlesbrough, and it’s the place where
I feel comfortable. I love coming here and
watching games. That first match here was
a great day. It was a massive difference to
what we’d been used to at Ayresome Park.
Ayresome was a great place but it was falling
to bits. Along with Bryan Robson, this
place was responsible for attracting a lot of
players. I don’t think (Fabrizio) Ravanelli
would have come if we were playing in an
old shabby stadium. I remember my goal in
that first match because people don’t stop
talking about it! Nick Barmby went down the
left, cut the ball across and I just remember
having loads of time. I just put my foot
through it and it flew in the top corner, so it
looked better than what I’d intended.
TL: Do you think Bryan Robson appreciated
you?
Higgy: I’d say no. I always felt I was a
scapegoat. But at the same time I understood
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that. He’d spent £10m on two players –
Barmby and then Juninho. If they were fit,
I understood the politics and they had to
play. But I never fell out with Robbo, he was
great with me. It never ended badly with
him, it was my decision to leave. The
club wanted me to stay but the contract
offer didn’t reflect that, so I moved on.
But I scored two in my last game against
Oxford and we won promotion back to
the Premier League, so I thought it was a
fitting way to go out.
TL: But you keep coming back, Higgy!
Higgy: I don’t know if that’s a good or
a bad thing! I came back to work in the
Academy first, learned my trade as a
coach and got my qualifications. I then
joined Hartlepool as Colin Cooper’s
assistant and then came back here under
Aitor Karanka, which was a big thrill for me.
It was a fantastic job, something I couldn’t
turn down, but it didn’t go the way I’d
planned it to.
TL: Why didn’t it work out?
Higgy: I just think we were two different
people. Aitor is one way, and I’m very
straight. From pretty early on I knew it was
going to be difficult. I don’t fall out with
anyone but I do have opinions, and if people
WATCH: Our video interview
with Craig Hignett can be seen
in the online version of Tees Life
at tees-life.co.uk
Craig Hignett celebrates scoring the first-ever
goal at Boro’s Riverside Stadium against
Chelsea, back in August 1995.
ask me I’ll tell them what I think. I’m my
own man, and I’m not going to pander to
anyone or say what other people want me
to say, just to get on in life. I’ve seen enough
people do that, and I’ve got no respect for
the people who do. The breaking point
came after a game when Blackburn scored
a last-minute equaliser. Aitor questioned
my loyalty and I took offence to it. I’ve been
accused of being bitter about Aitor but that’s
not the case. This wasn’t far off my dream
job. I was assistant manager at a club I love.