MICKEY Higham is relieved to have ended a year of worry by signing for Warrington Wolves.

Higham has endured an anxious 2008 after it became clear that he would be released by Wigan at the end of the season.

The 5ft 9in impact hooker, who previously appeared for St Helens and Leigh and made four appearances for Great Britain in 2004 and 2005, was linked with Salford before Wolves moved in after being unable to agree a contract extension with Mark Gleeson.

Even then the two-year contract could not be sorted out until the anti-tampering deadline passed at the end of August.

The 28-year-old remains committed to Wigan for the rest of the season and will hope for a better result than Wolves had when he features against Catalans in the second round of the play-offs in Perpignan on Saturday.

And he will go into the match with a weight lifted off his shoulders after expressing his delight about his destination for 2009.

Higham, who won the Grand Final and the Challenge Cup with St Helens and famously moved across the divide to Wigan via a few hours with Bradford Bulls, said: “It’s a worrying time when you’re not sure what’s happening.

“It’s just nice to have sorted something and at a club like Warrington as well.

“It’s a club that I think is going places and I’m made up really. I think it’s a great move for me.

“Salford got in contact and a couple of other clubs were interested as well. Warrington was probably the last club I found out about and when I realised about that, it made my mind up. That was the club that I wanted to go to.

“I found out about Warrington’s interest a couple of months ago. You hear the rumours and I spoke to my agent and he said he thought they might be interested.

“Obviously they can’t discuss it properly until the end of August so nothing was set in concrete, so it was just frustrating when you knew that something might be there and you couldn’t quite do anything about it.

“I was hoping it did come off and I’m made up that it has done.

“It’s been frustrating at times at Wigan if I’m honest.

“I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my time there but things don’t always go your way and obviously when someone tells you in a nice way that your contract is not being renewed and they’ve signed someone else, it’s quite a difficult time.

“Hopefully I’ve still got a few more games left at Wigan and that’s what I’m concentrating on at the moment but it’s nice to have my future sorted.

“It’s really perked me up a bit.”

But both Higham and Carvell have admitted that they have not spoken to Wolves boss Jimmy Lowes during the negotiations.

Asked what Lowes had told him about the club, Higham said on Monday: “To be honest with you, you’ll be shocked. I’ve not spoken to him yet. I don’t know whether that’s a tactic of his that he keeps you waiting!

“I don’t know if I’ll get a phone call some time this week or he’ll probably do the right thing and wait until after I finish at Wigan and let me concentrate on that.

“That’s what it seems to be and that’s the sign of a decent bloke and a good coach.”