Wayne Harrison (footballer, born 1967)

Wayne Harrison (15 November 1967 – 25 December 2013) was an English professional footballer who played as a striker.

Wayne Harrison
Personal information
Full name Wayne Harrison[1]
Date of birth (1967-11-15)15 November 1967[1]
Place of birth Stockport,[1] England
Date of death 25 December 2013(2013-12-25) (aged 46)
Place of death Stockport, England
Height 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)[2]
Position(s) Striker
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1984–1985 Oldham Athletic 6 (1)
1985–1991 Liverpool 0 (0)
1985 → Oldham Athletic (loan) 1 (0)
1988 → Crewe Alexandra (loan) 3 (1)
Total 10 (2)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

He is most famous for his record-breaking transfer from Oldham Athletic to Liverpool, where he became the world's most expensive 17-year-old, but his time at Anfield was blighted by a succession of injuries which eventually forced him to retire aged just 23.

Career

Born in Stockport, Harrison grew up a fan of Liverpool, and his heroes were Kenny Dalglish and Kevin Keegan.[3]

After starting his career with Oldham Athletic, he later progressed to the first team, becoming Oldham's youngest ever player at the age of 16. He then made the move to Liverpool, where he was loaned out to Oldham and Crewe Alexandra, making a total of 10 appearances in the Football League.[4]

Whilst playing for Oldham, he scored twice against Liverpool in the FA Youth Cup in December 1984, to help Oldham win.[5] Liverpool manager Joe Fagan put in a bid, and he signed for Liverpool in January 1985 for a fee of £250,000, which made him the world's most expensive 17-year-old player at the time.[5][6][7] Fagan, who had fended off competition from Everton, Nottingham Forest and Manchester United, described Harrison as a "special player". Liverpool scout Tom Saunders had originally spotted Harrison before he came to Fagan's attention.[3]

His time with Liverpool was blighted by injury, including a near fatal accident in which he fell through a greenhouse and almost died due to the massive blood loss he endured.[8] He recovered through loans to Oldham and Crewe Alexandra, to become top scorer for Liverpool reserves in the 1989–90 season, scoring 17 goals in 28 games to help the side win the Central League title.[5]

About to break into the first team, he suffered an irreparable knee injury, which forced him to quit football immediately in 1991,[7] and also miss his testimonial game at Boundary Park in 1992 between Oldham and Liverpool.[5] He never made a first-team appearance for Liverpool.[9]

Later life and death

After retirement from the professional sport, Harrison played Sunday League football and worked as an HGV driver for a local brewery.[5][7]

He died at his hometown's Stepping Hill Hospital on 25 December 2013 at the age of 46, after suffering from pancreatic illness.[5][7]

References
  1. "Wayne Harrison". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  2. Dunk, Peter, ed. (1987). Rothmans Football Yearbook 1987–88. London: Queen Anne Press. p. 222. ISBN 978-0-356-14354-5.
  3. "RIP Wayne Harrison". Liverpool FC Official Website. 27 December 2013. Retrieved 27 December 2013.
  4. "Profile". Post War English & Scottish Football League A - Z Player's Transfer Database. Retrieved 26 December 2013.
  5. "Former Liverpool and Oldham Athletic player Wayne Harrison dies". BBC News. 27 December 2013. Retrieved 27 December 2013.
  6. "From World Cup winners to prison: Football's costliest teenagers". BBC News. 2 September 2015. Retrieved 2 September 2015.
  7. Keegan, Mike (26 December 2013). "'Original Wayne Rooney' Harrison dies, aged 46". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 26 December 2013.
  8. "Wayne Harrison, former Liverpool and Oldham forward, dies aged 46". The Guardian. 27 December 2013. Retrieved 27 December 2013.
  9. Whalley, Mike (27 December 2013). "Wayne Harrison dies aged 46". ESPN. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
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