Tees Life Tees Life issue 2 | Page 45

SPORT My Riverside rollercoaster Tees Life co-editor Dave Allan catches up with former Middlesbrough footballer Craig Hignett – scorer of the first- ever goal at Boro’s Riverside Stadium 22 years ago – who talks about his love for the club, his controversial departure as assistant to Aitor Karanka and his spell as a manager with Hartlepool United... PI C T U RE S BY M A RT I N WA L K E R There were highs and lows for Hignett at Boro and Hartlepool. It’s a club I’d love to manage one day but I knew I had to learn my trade first. But when someone takes that away from you, through them being, shall we say, childish, why shouldn’t I say what I feel and tell the truth? TL: How do you spend your spare time on Teesside? Higgy: I go boxing. I’ve been going for about two-and-a-half years now. I go training every morning with a couple of friends. I love it because it gives me something to focus on, keeps me fit and keeps the weight off. I go most mornings, then I’ll go up to the moors and give the dog a good walk. I’ll need to work again at some point – and I’m working on that at the minute – but right now I’m just enjoying what I’m doing, and re-charging the batteries because the last job took it out of me. TL: In boxing parlance, losing the Hartlepool job was a bit of a sucker-punch. Higgy: It was a great place at first. We were third bottom when I got there, and we finished comfortably mid-table. We wanted to kick on in the next season but when things start happening to players off the pitch there’s nothing a manager can do really. We were always fire-fighting. There was no money- and when you have people not being honest with you, it’s not easy. It was an impossible job but I was quite pleased with the job I did because the players I brought in for nothing have all been sold for money. I’m confident we would have stayed up if I’d stayed. I don’t blame the chairman totally, he’s listened to some people he’s brought in, people who are still there now, who I’d class as ‘hearts are in the right place, but clueless at what they’re doing’. TL: What do you think of Boro’s prospects this season? Higgy: I’m really excited. Gary Monk is going to be supported by (chairman) Steve Gibson, who has said himself he wants to obliterate the league. It’s a tough league but if you have money behind you then you’ve got a real chance. Hopefully we’ll see some exciting football and a few goals. TL: So what’s your next dream? Higgy: Obviously I want to stay in football. Unless people really know the ins and outs of what happened at Hartlepool, I think I’ll struggle to get a manager’s job. I thought the football we played was good, but off- the-field stuff took over. It was more like a circus than a football club. I’ll need to start coaching somewhere and then in time I’ll have another crack at it, because it’s a job I know I can do. 45