'I burst into tears after making Tottenham debut vs Liverpool – it ruined my career'
'I burst into tears after making Tottenham debut vs Liverpool – it ruined my career'
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Shayon Harrison looks back on his Tottenham Hotspur debut with a wealth of regret. The now 27-year-old spent three years as a part of the Spurs youth set-up before making his debut against Liverpool in the Carabao Cup in October 2016, entering the fray as an 83rd-minute substitute for Georges-Kevin Nkoudou. Aged 19 at the time, Harrison had the chance to etch his name into the annals of history under Mauricio Pochettino.
Spurs were 2-1 down at Anfield when Erik Lamela found him in the box with a pinpoint cross. However, rather than equalise and give the Lilywhites hope of progressing, Harrison mis-controlled the ball, allowing Simon Mignolet to make a routine collection. The squandered chance all but confirmed Spurs' exit from the competition and put an incredible dampener on Harrison's dream debut - with the young talent bursting into tears at what could have been. Speaking about the incident in conversation with The Guardian, he explained: "I was in the changing room crying, I burst into tears because I knew what that moment meant and how it had escaped me.".
He added: "Pochettino put his arm around me and comforted me as much as he could. I feel everything had been leading up to that moment; I had been with the first team for quite a while, travelling to games, training with them on a regular basis and then the opportunity was presented to me. "I should have taken it. If it comes again, nine times out of 10 I probably score, that is how confident I am. It took me a long, long time to try and forget about it. A month ago it came back into my head and I watched the clip on YouTube a few times. Every now and again, I do think about it.".
Harrison ultimately never played another game for Spurs, instead finding himself sent out on loan to Yeovil Town in 2017, Southend United the following year, and Melbourne City in 2019. The forward then found himself at Dutch outfit Almere City in a permanent move - however, his tenure in the Netherlands came to an end when he was released in February 2021. Harrison had further stints with AFC Wimbledon, Morecambe, and Hayes and Yeading United, but ultimately struggled to find his footing until he signed with Romanian outfit Politehnica Iasi in 2022. At the club, Harrison scored 17 goals and provided four assists in 66 games, before making the move to UTA Arad in January.
He has made just one appearance for the club thus far, making his debut in a 1-0 loss to FCSB on January 26.. Harrison also admitted that his footballing career has been incredibly difficult from a mental standpoint. "It’s been a rollercoaster," he continued. "The last couple of years have been very, very difficult for me mentally. It was a massive mental challenge because I was not enjoying football: I was coming in, not really knowing if it was something that I really wanted to do.
"I wasn’t at the point that I wanted to quit football but I wasn’t at that point where I used to wake up excited and buzzing. My path has taken a different turn but I still don’t have any doubt in myself that I will get to where I want to get to. "I always think football is about taking risks and being brave. It is a rollercoaster more than anything. Keep your head down and stay focused. That is what I am doing out here." Now Liverpool are set to host Spurs in the Carabao Cup again for the second leg of their semi-final on Thursday.
The Lilywhites ran out 1-0 winners in January's reverse fixture, courtesy of an 86th-minute goal from Lucas Bergvall. And should they be able to hold Arne Slot's Reds to a draw or extend their aggregate lead, they will make their way to the final of the tournament. While Ange Postecoglou has endured a nightmare second season at Spurs in the Premier League, managing just eight wins, three draws and 13 defeats to leave them 14th, they are still competing in all three cup competitions. They head to Aston Villa in the FA Cup fourth round on Saturday and have progressed straight through to the Europa League knockout stage after finishing fourth in the league phase.
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