Stocksbridge Park Steels midfielder Harrison Biggins has been sold to Fleetwood Town for an undisclosed fee. Picture: Peter Revitt
Stocksbridge Park Steels manager Chris Hilton has tipped Non League Yorkshire Crawford HR player of the year Harrison Biggins to go far after the midfielder secured his dream move to the Football League.
Biggins, the son of former Barnsley striker Wayne, has signed for Uwe Rosler’s Fleetwood Town after the Steels agreed an undisclosed fee with the League One side. He will initially become part of Paul Murray’s Fleetwood Development Squad.
The move is thoroughly deserved as the youngster has got better and better during his three seasons at Bracken Moor.
He becomes the latest player to progress into League football after playing for the Steels – with Leicester City star Jamie Vardy being the obvious other.
“I’m delighted for the boy, and really proud,” Hilton told Non League Yorkshire.
“We’ve had him for over three seasons and he’s improved in every season. It shows hard work pays off.
“Whilst we are sad to see him leave, developing players and seeing them progress is what we’re about at Stocksbridge.
“Harrison has great ability and he’s ready to make the step-up. I think if Fleetwood put the time and effort in to help him develop then he could go even further than League One, I really do think that.
“Fleetwood is the right club for him, they have a proven track record of developing Non League players.
“Harrison has all the tools to succeed, like any footballer he needs a bit of luck along the way.”
The Steels chief says he realised in the summer of 2014 – the year Biggins signed for the club after his release from Barnsley – that he may have a future star on his hands.
“There was a pre-season game after he had just signed for us and he nutmegged someone who got his own back with a stray elbow,” he said.
“There was a bit of a brawl and I brought him off, even though he said he wanted to stay on.
“Ten minutes later I said: ‘do you want to go back on’. His answer was: ‘yeah I do’.
“Most have would have said: ‘no way’ so his reaction told me a lot about him. I realised then we potentially had a top player on the books with a bit of time and patience.”
Hilton also admits that the move to Fleetwood sums up his shock at Biggins not getting into the Evo Stik Division One South team of the year.
He said: “I tweeted about it at the time. Now it may have sounded like sour grapes, but look at his record.
“In nearly every match, there was always an opposition manager at some point, ‘I bet there’s a few clubs watching your number eight’.
“He is a class act and he scored 19 goals from midfield. They weren’t just against the so-called lesser teams. He scored 13 in the league and six in the FA Trophy, some against National League North teams.”
New Fleetwood town midfielder Harrison Biggins collects his management player of the year trophy from Stocksbridge manager Chris Hilton in 2016, with dad Wayne – the former Barnsley striker – watching on. Picture: Gillian Handisides
Harrison Biggins takes the ball away from Worsbrough’s Calan Rollinson during a Stocksbridge friendly last year
Non League Yorkshire’s James Grayson recently presenting new Fleetwood Town midfielder Harrison Biggins with the Crawford HR player of the year trophy
Harrison Biggins clears his lines
Harrison Biggins scores for Stocksbridge from the penalty spot. Picture: Ian Revitt
Harrison Biggins in battle for Stocksbridge in the 4-1 win over Market Drayton.
Hilton has previously used Biggins as an example to sell his club to young players who want to go further in the game.
The sale of Biggins to Fleetwood – a club where Vardy played at before his move to Leicester – reinforces the view that Stocksbridge is a club where players can develop their skills.
“We’re getting a lot more emails and phone calls from players who have been released from local professional clubs,” he said.
“That’s not just scholars, but second year professionals as well.
“Our policy of developing young players is a real selling point. If young players put the time and effort and be patient, we’ll stick with them and develop them. We have proven that with Harrison.”
Well done to Harrison Biggins from Non League Yorkshire.
Watch Harrison Biggins score an unbelievable goal for Stocksbridge from the halfway line