Higham knew how important his goal was yesterday.
Had Wellington not beaten Manawatu in Palmerston North yesterday (Wellington won 6-0), Hawke's Bay's next and final round robin outing in the premiership, against Wellington in the capital on April 8, would have had a play-off berth up for grabs.
"You always want to win no matter what's at stake. With a month until our next game, I think we can have a good night tonight," Higham said before re-entering a jubilant changing room.
Just as ecstatic as Higham was Hawke's Bay United coach Chris Greatholder.
"I'm proud of the boys ... they showed a lot of character and produced a stunning second half," Greatholder said.
He agreed his troops could easily have had another five or six goals in the second half such was the hosts' domination during this spell. They had 10 shots on goal, seven more than Waikato and finished the match with 17 shots on goal, eight more than the visitors.
"Obviously we were hoping Manawatu would upset Wellington but it wasn't to be ... we did our bit," Greatholder said.
His troops will play friendlies against Maycenvale, a Hawke's Bay XI and Napier City Rovers to keep in shape before April 8. Olympic qualifying matches have forced the spell in the premiership.
These matches should prove valuable for Greatholder to get his players to up their completion rate. Far too often yesterday goals were missed because the host players weren't urgent enough in getting to the far post or, when they did get there, they lacked the necessary aggression or killer instinct.
However, the fact these opportunities were created, often with classy construction, is a huge positive.
Hawke's Bay United opened the scoring in the 20th minute when Danny Wilson headed in a cross from Connor Tinnion. Three minutes later, Waikato equalised when Mohammed Awad took advantage of some soft United defensive work upon receiving a well-placed through ball from Matteo Ballan.
Waikato took a 2-1 lead into the interval after Tyler Boyd scored in the 43rd minute. His shot somehow got underneath United keeper Richard Gillespie.
United substitute Sam Margetts scored the equaliser in the 80th minute after receiving a well-placed pass from Matt Hastings.
While all the Bay players deserve praise for their efforts, particularly during the second half, defender Fergus Neil and forward Leon Birnie were the most consistent. Awad, Ballan and Ryan Thomas were the best of the Waikato players.
Referee Matt Conger's top-notch work was a key factor in the match being the spectacle it was. Almost worth the price of admission was the passion and animation displayed by Waikato coach Declan Edge in and out of the coaching box.
When Boyd put the visitors ahead Edge, the former All Whites striker who played for Napier City Rovers in 1991, left the coaching box and celebrated in front of the United subs. After the final whistle some of the United camp reminded Edge's support crew about the respect factor which should always be observed and, while there was definitely ill-feeling and ugly glares, no fists were thrown.
