![]() Harrison playing for Cheltenham Town in 2014 | |||
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Byron Junior Harrison [1] | ||
Date of birth | [2] | 15 June 1987||
Place of birth | Wandsworth, London, England [3] | ||
Height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) [2] | ||
Position(s) | Striker | ||
Team information | |||
Current team | Nantwich Town | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
2005–2006 | Havant & Waterlooville | 20 | (0) |
2006 | Worthing | 9 | (2) |
2006–2007 | Boreham Wood | 29 | (13) |
2007 | Harrow Borough | 5 | (1) |
2008–2010 | Ashford Town (Middlesex) | 89 | (43) |
2010–2011 | Carshalton Athletic | 30 | (12) |
2011–2012 | Stevenage | 38 | (10) |
2012–2013 | AFC Wimbledon | 40 | (10) |
2013–2015 | Cheltenham Town | 86 | (18) |
2015–2016 | Chesterfield | 15 | (1) |
2016 | → Stevenage (loan) | 9 | (3) |
2016–2018 | Barrow | 56 | (27) |
2018 | → Sutton United (loan) | 13 | (4) |
2018–2019 | Barnet | 20 | (1) |
2019–2020 | Barrow | 29 | (0) |
2020–2021 | Altrincham | 8 | (0) |
2021–2022 | Connah's Quay Nomads | 21 | (6) |
2022 | Boston United | 2 | (0) |
2022 | Altrincham | 1 | (0) |
2022– | Nantwich Town | 106 | (36) |
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 19:42, 14 September 2025 (UTC) |
Byron Junior Harrison (born 15 June 1987) is an English professional footballer who plays as a striker for Northern Premier League Division One West club Nantwich Town.
Harrison began his career at Havant & Waterlooville, making his senior debut in October 2005, before signing for Worthing of the Isthmian League Premier Division in July 2006. He joined divisional rivals Boreham Wood in October of that year, but was released a year later. After a brief spell at Harrow Borough, he signed for Ashford Town (Middlesex) in January 2008, where he scored 53 goals in 93 appearances over two and a half seasons. He left Ashford in February 2010, and signed for Carshalton Athletic. Harrison scored 14 goals during the first half of the 2010–11 season, before joining League Two club Stevenage in January 2011. He finished the season as the club's joint-top goalscorer, helping Stevenage secure promotion to League One via the play-offs in their first season in the Football League.
In January 2012, Harrison signed for League Two club AFC Wimbledon for a club-record fee, before joining Cheltenham Town a year later. He scored 23 goals in 96 appearances for Cheltenham and was named their Player of the Year for the 2013–14 season. He later played for Chesterfield and spent time on loan at Stevenage, before signing permanently for Barrow in 2016. After two years, he joined fellow National League club Barnet, where he spent one season, before returning to Barrow for the 2019–20 season, helping the club win the National League title and secure promotion to League Two. He subsequently had spells at Altrincham, Connah's Quay Nomads, Boston United, and a second stint at Altrincham, before signing for Nantwich Town in October 2022.
Born in Wandsworth, London, Harrison grew up in Clapham. [3] [4] He began playing football as a centre-back for his school team, [5] and was later invited for a two-week trial at Chelsea's youth academy, where he spent several months. [5] A boyhood Arsenal fan, he cited Ian Wright and Thierry Henry as players he aspired to emulate. [5]
Harrison began his career with Conference South club Havant & Waterlooville in 2005, having been recommended to the club by former player Darren Annon. [6] He made his debut in October 2005, coming on as a 70th-minute substitute in an away match against Farnborough Town. [7] A week later, he scored his first professional goal in an FA Cup tie against Cirencester Town. [8] He departed the club at the end of the 2005–06 season, having made 23 appearances, 22 of which were from the substitutes' bench. [7] Havant indicated Harrison would be welcome to return to the club after gaining further first-team experience. [6]
Ahead of the 2006–07 season, Harrison signed for Worthing of the Isthmian League Premier Division, [9] [10] [11] where he scored four goals in 11 appearances. [3] He left Worthing in November, and subsequently joined divisional rivals Boreham Wood. [3] [10] Harrison made his Boreham Wood debut in December 2006, coming on as a substitute in a 4–1 victory away to Folkestone Invicta. [10] Following the match, manager Steve Cook stated: "Byron is very young and enthusiastic and I have a gut feeling about him". [10] A leg injury in January 2007 sidelined him for six weeks, but upon his return on 3 March, he scored a hat-trick against former club Worthing in a 3–2 win at Meadow Park. [12] [13] Harrison finished the season having scored 13 goals in 21 appearances. [3] [14]
Having failed to score in the opening month of the 2007–08 season, during which he was omitted from the starting line-up, [15] Cook noted Harrison appeared "a little subdued" but did not anticipate his absence from the starting line-up to be prolonged. [15] Despite making several further starts, [16] Harrison was released by the club on 30 October 2007. [16]
Following a short spell at Harrow Borough, during which he scored once in five appearances, [3] [17] [18] Harrison signed for Ashford Town (Middlesex) in January 2008. [3] [19] He scored his first goal for the club the following month, the match-winner in a 2–1 victory over former club Boreham Wood. [3] [20] During the first half of the 2009–10 season, Harrison scored 19 goals. [3] [17] [21] His form earned him a trial with Southend United in February 2010, [22] [23] during which he featured in a reserve match against Colchester United, though he did not secure a contract. [23] Had the move materialised, Ashford would have been entitled to £20,000 compensation. [21] A week after his trial, Harrison left Ashford, with manager Jamie Lawrence stating he could no longer afford to continue playing for the club. [23] He subsequently had an unsuccessful trial with Premier League club Wolverhampton Wanderers, [24] and attracted interest from Conference South club Staines Town, who had previously attempted to sign him on two occasions. [23] During his two-year spell at Ashford, Harrison scored 53 goals in all competitions. [25]
In March 2010, Harrison signed for Isthmian League Premier Division club Carshalton Athletic. [26] [27] Manager Mark Butler stated Harrison had been a primary transfer target and expressed confidence in his ability to score goals for the club. [27] He made his debut in a 0–0 home draw against Hendon. [26] On the final day of the season, Harrison scored a hat-trick in a 4–1 away win over Wealdstone, a result that ensured Carshalton's survival and, in turn, relegated his former club Ashford. [28] [29] During the first half of the 2010–11 season, Harrison scored back-to-back hat-tricks in the FA Cup against East Thurrock United and Braintree Town, [27] [30] and went on to score 14 goals in 25 appearances. [3]
Harrison signed for League Two club Stevenage on a free transfer on 1 January 2011. [31] [32] As part of the agreement, Stevenage played in a pre-season friendly at Carshalton in July 2011. [33] Harrison made his debut later that day, starting in Stevenage's 1–0 away defeat to Gillingham. [32] [34] He scored his first goal for the club on 25 January 2011, three minutes after coming on as a substitute in a 3–0 home win against Rotherham United. [34] [35] Harrison finished the 2010–11 season as joint-top goalscorer with eight goals in 23 appearances, including three substitute appearances in the League Two play-offs. [34] [36] He featured as a 62nd-minute substitute in Stevenage's 1–0 victory over Torquay United in the final at Old Trafford on 28 May 2011, securing promotion to League One. [37] During the first half of the 2011–12 season, he scored twice in 23 appearances. [38] In total, Harrison made 46 appearances and scored ten goals for Stevenage across all competitions. [2]
Harrison signed for League Two club AFC Wimbledon on 10 January 2012, becoming the club's record signing for an undisclosed five-figure fee exceeding the £25,000 previously paid for Jon Main. [39] [40] [4] He made his debut for the club in a 2–1 away victory at Port Vale on 14 January. [41] [4] Manager Terry Brown noted it had taken Harrison time to adapt to Wimbledon's style of play, which contributed to him not scoring in his first two months at the club, although he praised his overall performances. [42] After scoring his first goals for the club in a London Senior Cup match against Metropolitan Police, he registered his first league goal on his 13th appearance, as a substitute in a 4–0 victory against Burton Albion on 24 March 2012. [38] [43] He scored two goals in 19 appearances for the club during the second half of the season. [38]
Harrison scored nine goals in 26 appearances during the first half of the 2012–13 season, including four goals in consecutive matches through October 2012. [44] During his one-year spell with the club, he made 45 appearances and scored 11 goals in all competitions. [45]
Harrison signed for League Two club Cheltenham Town on 31 January 2013 for an undisclosed fee, agreeing a two-and-a-half-year contract. [46] Cheltenham manager Mark Yates stated he had previously attempted to sign Harrison on multiple occasions, including prior to the 2012–13 season. [46] [47] The opening months of his Cheltenham career were disrupted by a back injury, limiting him to mostly substitute appearances. [48] He scored his first goal for Cheltenham in his ninth appearance, heading in a stoppage time consolation in a 3–1 away defeat to Burton Albion on 9 March 2013. [49] Harrison scored once in 19 appearances that season, as Cheltenham were defeated by Northampton Town in the play-off semi-finals. [44]
Harrison earned praise from Yates in April 2014 for his response to a disagreement between the two during a post-match review of Cheltenham's 4–1 defeat to Chesterfield: he went on to score four goals in the next 10 matches. [50] [51] He finished the 2013–14 season as the club's top goalscorer and was also named Cheltenham's Player of the Year at the end-of-season awards ceremony. [52] [53]
Having scored seven goals in 27 appearances for Cheltenham during the first half of the 2014–15 season, [54] Harrison was made available for loan or permanent transfer on 9 January 2015. Manager Paul Buckle stated the decision was influenced by a change in the team's playing style, moving away from a target man to two smaller strikers. [55] He subsequently signed for League One club Chesterfield for an undisclosed fee on 27 January 2015. [56] Chesterfield manager Paul Cook stated that the club had monitored Harrison for some time and considered him to possess the qualities required to strengthen the squad. [56] He featured primarily as a substitute during his time at Chesterfield, scoring his only goal for the club in a 1–0 away victory over Bradford City on 31 March 2015. [54]
Limited to three substitute appearances during the first half of the 2015–16 season with Chesterfield, [57] Harrison returned to former club Stevenage on a one-month loan agreement on 11 February 2016. [58] He scored twice on his first appearance back at the club, in a 2–0 victory against Cambridge United at Broadhall Way. [57] The loan was extended in March 2016 until the end of the season, [59] with Harrison making nine appearances and scoring three goals. [57] He was released by Chesterfield upon the expiry of his contract at the end of the season. [60]
Following his release from Chesterfield, Harrison signed for National League club Barrow on 24 July 2016. [61] He scored his first goal for the club in a 2–1 home victory against Braintree Town on 27 August 2016. [62] Between October and December 2016, Harrison scored 14 goals in 11 matches, including a hat-trick and three braces. [62] He sustained an ankle injury during the club's 3–0 victory over Lincoln City on 24 January 2017, ruling him out for three months. [63] He returned for Barrow's final two matches and finished the season as the club's top goalscorer, with 22 goals in 38 appearances. [45] [62]
Harrison missed the opening month of the 2017–18 season due to the ankle injury sustained during the previous season. [63] After being informed that his playing time at Barrow would be limited, he joined fellow National League club Sutton United on loan for the remainder of the season in February 2018. [63] [64] He scored four goals in 14 appearances as Sutton were defeated by Boreham Wood in the play-off qualifying round. [3] [65] He left Barrow following the expiry of his contract in June 2018. [45]
Harrison signed for National League club Barnet on 27 July 2018. [66] Manager John Still described Harrison as his primary transfer target and a direct replacement for departing forward John Akinde, with Harrison citing Still's interest as a key factor in his decision to join the club. [66] He scored two goals in 25 appearances during his one season at Barnet, [3] [45] including the winning goal in a late comeback victory against League One club Bristol Rovers in the FA Cup first round. [67] He was one of eight players released at the end of the season. [68]
Ahead of the 2019–20 season, Harrison trialled with former club Barrow after asking manager Ian Evatt, his former teammate at Chesterfield, for permission to train with the team during pre-season. [69] He officially rejoined on 23 July 2019, signing a one-year contract with an option for a further year. [70] Primarily used as a substitute, Harrison started five of his 29 league appearances as Barrow won the National League title and secured promotion to the Football League. [71] He scored once during his year back at Barrow, in a 7–0 FA Trophy victory over FC United of Manchester, making 33 appearances in all competitions. [3] [45] [72] Harrison was released following the conclusion of his contract in July 2020. [73]
Without a club during the opening months of the 2020–21 season, Harrison signed a short-term contract with National League club Altrincham on 5 December 2020. [74] Upon his arrival, the club noted he was recovering from a minor calf injury. [74] He made eight appearances during a three-month spell before departing in March 2021. [75] [76] Harrison subsequently signed for Cymru Premier club Connah's Quay Nomads on 11 August 2021, [77] with manager Andy Morrison stating the club had beaten competition from a National League team, a National League North team and a club from abroad to secure his signature. [77] He scored nine goals in 25 appearances in all competitions during the 2021–22 season, [78] leaving the club in May 2022 following the expiry of his one-year contract. [79]
Harrison joined Boston United of the National League North on non-contract terms on 3 September 2022, [80] but departed two weeks later having made two appearances. [3] [81] Later that month, following a period training with the club, he returned to Altrincham on a short-term deal to provide cover amid international call-ups and injuries. [82] [83]
After making one substitute appearance for Altrincham, [3] Harrison signed for Northern Premier League club Nantwich Town on a dual-registration basis on 28 October 2022. [84] He scored eight goals in 29 appearances during the remainder of the 2022–23 season. [85] In the 2023–24 season, he scored 20 goals and provided four assists in 47 appearances, finishing as the club's top goalscorer and winning four end-of-season awards, including the Player of the Year. [86] Amid interest from other clubs, Harrison signed a one-year contract extension with Nantwich on 6 June 2024, with manager Paul Carden describing him as "a manager's dream because he never misses training, he’s never injured, he gets on with things with no fuss". [86] He scored 13 goals in 45 appearances during the 2024–25 season, before signing a further one-year contract extension in June 2025. [87] [88]
Deployed solely as a striker throughout his career, Harrison has primarily been utilised as a target man. [5] [55] Upon joining Cheltenham, he described his playing style as "laid-back and athletic", noting a preference for receiving the ball to feet despite often being perceived as being stronger aerially due to his height and build. [5] Manager Ian Evatt praised his hold-up play, link-up ability, and first touch. [69]
Club | Season | Division | League | National cup [a] | League cup [b] | Other | Total | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
Havant & Waterlooville | 2005–06 [7] [8] | Conference South | 20 | 0 | 1 | 1 | — | 2 [c] | 1 | 23 | 2 | |
Worthing | 2006–07 [3] | Isthmian League Premier | 9 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | 1 | 2 | 11 | 4 | |
Boreham Wood | 2006–07 [3] | Isthmian League Premier | 21 | 13 | — | — | 0 | 0 | 21 | 13 | ||
2007–08 [3] | Isthmian League Premier | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | 10 | 0 | ||
Total | 29 | 13 | 1 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | 31 | 13 | |||
Harrow Borough | 2007–08 [18] [3] | Isthmian League Premier | 5 | 1 | — | — | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | ||
Ashford Town (Middlesex) | 2007–08 [3] | Isthmian League Premier | 17 | 5 | — | — | 0 | 0 | 17 | 5 | ||
2008–09 [3] | Isthmian League Premier | 40 | 22 | 4 | 4 | — | 2 | 3 | 46 | 29 | ||
2009–10 [3] | Isthmian League Premier | 32 | 16 | 2 | 1 | — | 2 | 2 | 36 | 19 | ||
Total | 89 | 43 | 6 | 5 | — | 4 | 5 | 99 | 53 | |||
Carshalton Athletic | 2009–10 [3] | Isthmian League Premier | 12 | 5 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 12 | 5 | |
2010–11 [3] | Isthmian League Premier | 18 | 7 | 6 | 7 | — | 1 | 0 | 25 | 14 | ||
Total | 30 | 12 | 6 | 7 | — | 1 | 0 | 37 | 19 | |||
Stevenage | 2010–11 [34] | League Two | 20 | 8 | — | — | 3 [d] | 0 | 23 | 8 | ||
2011–12 [38] | League One | 18 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 [e] | 0 | 23 | 2 | |
Total | 38 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 46 | 10 | ||
AFC Wimbledon | 2011–12 [38] | League Two | 19 | 2 | — | — | — | 19 | 2 | |||
2012–13 [44] | League Two | 21 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 [e] | 0 | 26 | 9 | |
Total | 40 | 10 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 45 | 11 | ||
Cheltenham Town | 2012–13 [44] | League Two | 17 | 1 | — | — | 2 [f] | 0 | 19 | 1 | ||
2013–14 [50] | League Two | 46 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 [e] | 0 | 50 | 15 | |
2014–15 [54] | League Two | 23 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 [e] | 0 | 27 | 7 | |
Total | 86 | 18 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 96 | 23 | ||
Chesterfield | 2014–15 [54] | League One | 12 | 1 | — | — | — | 12 | 1 | |||
2015–16 [57] | League One | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
Total | 15 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 1 | ||
Stevenage (loan) | 2015–16 [57] | League Two | 9 | 3 | — | — | — | 9 | 3 | |||
Barrow | 2016–17 [45] [62] | National League | 30 | 19 | 5 | 3 | — | 3 [g] | 0 | 38 | 22 | |
2017–18 [45] [65] | National League | 26 | 8 | 1 | 1 | — | 2 [g] | 1 | 29 | 10 | ||
Total | 56 | 27 | 6 | 4 | — | 5 | 1 | 67 | 32 | |||
Sutton United (loan) | 2017–18 [45] [65] | National League | 13 | 4 | — | — | 1 [h] | 0 | 14 | 4 | ||
Barnet | 2018–19 [45] [67] | National League | 20 | 1 | 4 | 1 | — | 1 [g] | 0 | 25 | 2 | |
Barrow | 2019–20 [45] [71] | National League | 29 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 4 [g] | 1 | 33 | 1 | |
Altrincham | 2020–21 [75] | National League | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | |
Connah's Quay Nomads | 2021–22 [78] | Cymru Premier | 21 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 9 |
Boston United | 2022–23 [45] | National League North | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
Altrincham | 2022–23 [3] | National League | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
Nantwich Town | 2022–23 [85] | NPL Premier Division | 27 | 7 | 0 | 0 | — | 2 [i] | 1 | 29 | 8 | |
2023–24 [89] | NPL Division One West | 35 | 17 | 4 | 3 | — | 8 [j] | 0 | 47 | 20 | ||
2024–25 [87] | NPL Division One West | 42 | 12 | 1 | 1 | — | 2 [g] | 0 | 45 | 13 | ||
2025–26 [90] | NPL Division One West | 2 | 0 | 4 | 2 | — | 0 | 0 | 6 | 2 | ||
Total | 106 | 36 | 9 | 6 | — | 12 | 1 | 127 | 43 | |||
Career totals | 626 | 187 | 45 | 29 | 7 | 4 | 41 | 11 | 719 | 231 |
Stevenage
Barrow
Individual