Michael John Harrison (18 April 1940 – 27 January 2019) was an English professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

who played as a

left winger In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. ...

. Harrison made over 250 appearances in

the Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, it is the oldest football league in the world, and was the top-level football league in England from ...

for four clubs over a thirteen-year period.

Career

Born in

Ilford Ilford is a large List of areas of London, town in East London, England, northeast of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Redbridge, Ilford is within the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Greater London. It had a po ...

, Harrison began his career with the youth team of Chelsea, appearing in the Final of the

1957–58 FA Youth Cup FA Youth Cup Finals from 1953 to 1959. 1952–53: Manchester United vs. Wolverhampton Wanderers (7–1 and 2–2, 9–3 aggregate) First leg ---- Second leg ---- 1953–54: Manchester U ...

. He made his senior debut in 1957, at the age of 16. He made 61 league appearances for Chelsea, and also played for

Blackburn Rovers Blackburn Rovers Football Club is a professional football club based in Blackburn, Lancashire, England, which competes in the , the second level of the English football league system. They have played home matches at Ewood Park since 1890. Th ...

Plymouth Argyle Plymouth Argyle Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Plymouth, Devon, England. The team currently competes in EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system. The club has played ...

and

Luton Town Luton Town Football Club is a professional association football, football club from Luton, Bedfordshire, England. The club currently competes in EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system. Nicknamed "The Hatters", L ...

, where he made 160, 15 and 31 appearances respectively, before dropping out to play non-league football with Dover Town. Harrison represented England Schools, and also played for the England under-23 team.

Later life and death

After retiring from football, Harrison worked as an insurance salesman and for a medical company in the West Country. Harrison died on 27 January 2019, aged 78, at a care home in Spain.

References

1940 births 2019 deaths English men's footballers England men's under-23 international footballers Chelsea F.C. players Blackburn Rovers F.C. players Plymouth Argyle F.C. players Luton Town F.C. players Dover F.C. players English Football League players Men's association football wingers Footballers from the London Borough of Redbridge People from Ilford 20th-century English sportsmen {{England-footy-midfielder-1940s-stub