Shayon Harrison: Missing chance on my debut cost me my Spurs dream

In Depth

Simon Yaffe
17th March 2020

It was a moment Shayon Harrison will not forget in a hurry. Tottenham were 2-1 down in a League Cup clash against Liverpool in October 2016, when, in front of more than 40,000 at Anfield, he was through on goal with just Simon Mignolet to beat.

Harrison, who had replaced Georges-Kevin Nkoudou moments earlier to make his debut, moved into space as he met Erik Lamela’s high cross.

But when the ball dropped on to his chest, it ran away from him and Mignolet collected it with ease as full-time approached.

Tottenham lost the game 2-1 and Harrison never appeared for the club he had been at since he was nine again.

Tipped by many to follow in fellow striker Harry Kane’s footsteps at Spurs, he believes that moment changed his career with the north London club.

“As the ball rolled into the goalkeeper’s hands, it hit me just how much of an opportunity that chance had been,” says Harrison, who now plays for Dutch second-tier side Almere City. “I don’t regret it, but it is something I will not forget for a long, long time.

“I do believe, had I scored, I would have had more chances in the first team at Tottenham because you look at the players who made an impact on their debut, such as Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford.

“The sky is now the limit for those boys. But I try not to dwell on it too much as I am now taking a different pathway.”

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READ: The story of Jamie Slabber, his one game for Spurs & his remarkable fall

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Rather than confront him about the miss, Spurs’ then-manager Mauricio Pochettino consoled the young striker.

“He put his arm around me, as did all the staff, which kept me going,” Harrison says. “I was really appreciative of that, even though I felt I had let him and the team down.

“It felt like he had put so much faith in me.”

Faith alone, though, was not enough, and Harrison departed Spurs last summer for Holland, following loan spells with Yeovil Town, Southend United and Melbourne City.

And it was former Spurs striker Vincent Janssen who encouraged him to move to Almere.

“He is a legend at Almere, where he started his career, so I sought his advice and he helped me with the decision to move here,” Harrison says.

“I am trying to emulate his path, as Vinny went from Almere to AZ Alkmaar in the Eredivisie, and then to the Premier League.”

Life after Spurs

Then came the fateful moment when he missed out on a debut goal. It led to loan spells in the lower divisions with Yeovil and Southend, which were a world away from what he was used to at Spurs.

“Despite the lesser facilities, I do think younger players need to have those experiences,” Harrison says.

“Being at Yeovil especially was the opposite of what I had Spurs, and the playing style was not suited to what I liked, but I took so much from it. It was the first time I had lived away from home.”

He swapped Somerset and Essex for Australia in January 2019, joining Melbourne City and scoring four times in 11 appearances.

Warren Joyce, the club’s then-manager had previously been in charge of Manchester United’s Under-23s and had watched Harrison in action numerous times.

“Going to Melbourne was really beneficial. The club is owned by the same people behind Manchester City, so everything was top class.

“The weather was amazing, the facilities were state of the art, and Warren took me under his wing and really helped develop me.”

Spurs forward Shayon Harrison channelling his inner Messi at Melbourne City 😍pic.twitter.com/s4zn2rwr30

— Goal (@goal) April 26, 2019

After his contract expired at Spurs in the summer, the 22-year-old could have joined Salford City after Joyce was appointed head of their development squad, but he decided Almere would be a better opportunity.

He has netted seven times in 20 games for the club, who sit one place outside the promotion play-off standings.

“Most of the people at the club speak English, which is good because I can’t speak a word of Dutch!” he says, having based himself in Amsterdam, a half-hour’s drive from the training ground.

“I do think more young British players should go abroad – look at Jadon (Sancho), who is the perfect example.

“You grow up living by yourself, as opposed to being at a top club in England, where everything is done for you. It is a big step going abroad, but it has benefited me massively.”

Harrison has become something of a cult hero at Almere, not least for an incident in October in the wake of his goal against Go Ahead Eagles which went viral on social media.

“We were hugging after the goal and something caught my eye which, it turned out, was a cup of beer. It was coming at an angle which was perfect for me to catch and instinct took over, so I had a little swig of it.”

Futbolista atrapa un vaso de cerveza lanzado por un espectador

El futbolista Shayon Harrison atrapó un vaso de cerveza lanzado por un espectador durante un partido de la 2ª división neerlandesa que enfrentó al Almere City y el Go Ahead Eagles pic.twitter.com/vYVUCyisvq

— RT en Español (@ActualidadRT) October 17, 2019

While his pathway is proving to be more of a circuitous one than it has been for the likes of Kane and Rashford, he is determined it will lead him back to the Premier League.

“I will get to where I want to be, which is the top level, even if it takes me longer than I initially thought. I still believe in myself.”

Kane has even been on hand to offer advice.

“Harry has helped me whenever I have asked him something, such as what I could have done better in a certain situation. He is one of the nicest guys you could wish to meet.”

Like Harrison, Kane was also sent on loan numerous times before heading back to his beloved Spurs and becoming one of their all-time greats.

With his positive attitude and determination, don’t bet against Harrison imitating Kane and establishing himself among English football’s highest level.

By Simon Yaffe