| A summer of signings unrivalled anywhere in the country in terms of numbers, and second only to Celtic when it comes to cash splashed, has left the Dark Blues support looking for a lot.
No. 1 on the wish list is promotion back to the SPL, but decent cup runs are up there, too, and former Ross County striker Higgins has pledged the team will do all they can to oblige.
And, while being hotly-tipped for a successful campaign brings pressure, he is comfortable with that.
“Starting with the Stranraer game, the fans will be expecting to see us win, but that is the way it should be and, as players, we are all aiming for exactly what the fans want.
“The manager has brought in a lot of quality and, when you look at the squad here, it is one that should be winning games, so it is up to us to do that.”
On a personal level, although he is a triple finalist in the Challenge Cup from his days in the Highlands, Higgins would love to improve his record in the two major cup competitions.
“The Challenge Cup has been good for me, but in the Scottish Cup the round before the quarters when we played Celtic is as far as I’ve gone. In the CIS, I’ve got a couple of goals and that’s about it. I’ve never gone far and it would be good if we could go on a run.”
While he knows success or failure over the next 10 months will be determined by league position, boss Jocky Scott remains hungry for knock-out success.
“We got a bye in the Challenge Cup last week, but now we’ve been drawn at Cowdenbeath next month and that’s a tie we’ll want to win and it is a cup where we have to aim to get to the final and try to win.
“Likewise, in the other two cups, I want us to be still in there at the point where the Premier League teams come in and then we’ll take things from there.”
Even allowing for injuries, the gaffer also admitted the team that lines up against Stranraer may be considerably different from the one that kicks off in the league against Morton a week later.
Definitely out of this one are Rab Douglas, Craig McKeown, David Cowan, Pat Clarke and Gary MacKenzie, who has a back strain.
They have not made any move for him yet, but, if reports he is surplus to requirements at Motherwell are accurate, Dundee could be interested in bringing in left-back Steven Hammell to provide competition for Eddie Malone. |
