Chris Higgins was given a new lease of Fife last season

The Methil men had every chance of reaching the end of season promotion play-offs until the season was brought to a premature end.

The Fifers had been in and around the top four the entire campaign and defender Higgins says the foundation is there at the club to make a similar impact in the new season.

He said: “The nucleus of the squad is signed up for next season which is great.

“As a player I’ve played in various different squads, some where it’s been year to year contracts and the whole squad is refreshed every year and I’ve been in some where the continuity has been there.

“From my own experience the clubs that maintain the majority of their players are the ones who go on and do well.

“The manager kept the majority of the squad from last year and brought in a few, including myself, Stewart Murdoch and Ryan Wallace.

“It looks like it’s going to be the same next season and hopefully that’ll be a benefit.”

Higgins arrived at the club originally on loan in the latter part of the 2018/19 campaign.

He had suffered a serious injury in the months before his move and reckons the Fife fans didn’t see the best of him until the next campaign kicked off.

“I had a pre-season and it did me the world of good in terms of my own fitness, psychologically and physically,” he said.

“I feel like I had a new lease of life at the start of last season because I had been out injured.

“It was great to be involved in every single minute in the league.”