Mark Harris (Welsh footballer)

For other people named Mark Harris, see Mark Harris (disambiguation).

Mark Harris
Harris pictured outside the Cardiff City Stadium in February 2018
Personal information
Full name Thomas Mark Harris[1]
Date of birth (1998-12-29) 29 December 1998 (age 25)[2]
Place of birth Swansea, Wales[2]
Height 6 ft 0 in (1.82 m)[2]
Position(s) Striker, winger
Team information
Current team
 Oxford United
Number 9
Youth career
2006–2017 Cardiff City
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2017–2023 Cardiff City 87 (9)
2018–2019 → Newport County (loan) 16 (2)
2019 → Port Vale (loan) 6 (0)
2019–2020 → Wrexham (loan) 24 (3)
2023– Oxford United 58 (19)
International career‡
2014–2015 Wales U17 5 (2)
2016–2017 Wales U19 6 (2)
2017 Wales U20 3 (0)
2017–2020 Wales U21 20 (3)
2021– Wales 9 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 11:47, 17 October 2024 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 23:39, 19 November 2024 (UTC)

Thomas Mark Harris (born 29 December 1998) is a Welsh professional footballer who plays for EFL Championship club Oxford United and the Wales national team. A versatile forward, he can play as a winger or striker.

Harris represented Wales at under-17, under-19, under-20 and under-21 level. He turned professional at Cardiff City in December 2016 and spent the 2018–19 season on loan at Newport County and Port Vale. He spent the first half of the 2019–20 season on loan at Wrexham before breaking into the Cardiff first team during the 2020–21 campaign, though he was released in June 2023. He joined Oxford United the following month and was promoted from League One via the play-offs in 2024.

Club career

Cardiff City

Harris began his career at Cardiff City and was offered his first professional contract at the club in December 2016.[3] He made his first-team debut on 8 January 2017, coming on as a substitute for Greg Halford in a 2–1 defeat to Fulham in the FA Cup.[4][5] A series of illnesses and injuries throughout the Cardiff squad gave Harris the chance to make his Championship debut on 22 April, playing in a five-man midfield in a 0–0 draw at Wigan Athletic.[6] Speaking after the match, manager Neil Warnock said that "I thought he did okay but I felt sorry for him because we were so poor in that area".[7] He made one further appearance in the 2016–17 season, though did not feature in the "Bluebirds" 2017–18 promotion campaign.[8]

On 2 August 2018, Harris joined League Two side Newport County on an initial six-month loan deal.[9] He made his debut for the "Exiles" on 11 August, in a 1–0 victory over Crewe Alexandra at Rodney Parade.[10] He scored his first goal for the club seven days later, in a 1–1 draw at Exeter City.[11] After initially establishing himself in the first team, Harris suffered a concussion while on international duty and was unable to regain his place on his return because of the form of fellow forwards Jamille Matt and Pádraig Amond.[12] He made a total of 20 appearances in all competitions during his loan spell, scoring three times, before returning to the Cardiff City Stadium in January 2019 despite Newport manager Mike Flynn's statement that he was confident of extending the loan deal.[13][12]

On 23 January 2019, he signed for struggling League Two side Port Vale on loan for the remainder of the 2018–19 season.[14] He made three starts and three substitute appearances for the "Valiants" before being allowed to return to Cardiff early by manager John Askey after going five weeks without a first-team game.[15]

On 24 June 2019, Harris signed for National League club Wrexham on a season-long loan.[16] "Red Dragons" manager Bryan Hughes commented that "he'll fit in well to our system. He can play across front three and he is an exciting talent".[17] Harris scored his first goal in his second game for Wrexham, in their 2–2 draw at Boreham Wood on 6 August.[18] He then followed that up with goals in the next two games, in a 2–1 loss at Dover Athletic and then getting the only goal of the game against F.C. Halifax Town at the Racecourse Ground.[19][20] However, he lost his first-team place under new manager Dean Keates and his loan was terminated early on 7 January.[21]

Harris came off the bench to make his first appearance of the 2020–21 Cardiff City season in a 3–2 defeat away at Queens Park Rangers on 31 October.[22] On 28 November, Harris started his first game of the season and scored his side's second goal in a 4–0 victory over Luton Town, his first senior goal for the club.[23] With Neil Harris favouring his namesake over £5.5 million signing Robert Glatzel, his inclusion in the starting eleven was seen as a gamble by Harris.[24] His partnership with Kieffer Moore was effective, however, until Moore was sidelined with injury after six games.[24] Harris then faced stiff competition in the second half of the campaign after new manager Mick McCarthy signed Max Watters and used wingers Josh Murphy and Sheyi Ojo as strikers.[24] He went on to score impressive goals in comfortable wins over Preston North End and Birmingham City to end the season with three goals in 17 appearances.[25]

He made 17 starts and 17 substitute appearances in the 2021–22 Championship campaign as Cardiff looked to integrate more Welsh players into the first team.[26][27] Speaking in February, manager Steve Morison said that he was giving Harris a run in the starting eleven because of his impressive work in training and was rewarded as he scored his fourth goal of the campaign.[28] He was linked with a move to Millwall in August 2023. However, Morison denied having received any offers for Harris.[29] He featured 38 times in the 2022–23 season, scoring three goals. Harris was offered a new contract by new manager Sabri Lamouchi in May 2023 but contract talks stalled and he left the club after the expiration of his contract.[30][31]

Oxford United

On 11 July 2023, Harris joined EFL League One club Oxford United on a "long term deal".[32] Manager Liam Manning said that "signing a full international with his best years ahead of him is a big thing for us".[33] He was sent off for the first time in his career on 2 September after elbowing Nathan Smith in an off-the-ball incident during a 2–1 defeat to former club Port Vale.[34] Following a strong end to the season, scoring six goals in as many matches as Oxford secured their place in the play-offs, Harris was awarded the EFL League One Player of the Month for April 2024.[35] He scored 15 goals in 43 league games in total and went on to say that he had made the right move in joining the club.[36] He hoped his good form would earn him a recall to the Wales squad.[37] He played at Wembley Stadium in the play-off final victory over Bolton Wanderers.[38]

Harris continued his form into the 2024–25 season, scoring four goals in his first four matches, being named EFL Championship Player of the Month for August.[39]

International career

Harris represented Wales at under-17 level, scoring the winning goal against Montenegro in Minsk to secure Wales a place in the Elite Round of qualification for the 2015 UEFA European Under-17 Championship.[40] He went on to be called up to the under-19 team and on 12 November 2016 he scored Wales' second goal of a 3–2 victory over England, only to score an own goal two minutes later; despite the victory Wales failed to qualify for the 2017 UEFA European Under-19 Championship.[41] In May 2017, Rob Page named Harris in the Wales under-20 squad for the 2017 Toulon Tournament.[42] After making his debut for the side in the tournament opener against Ivory Coast as a substitute in place of Tyler Roberts,[43] Harris was named in the starting line-up in Wales' remaining two group matches against France and Bahrain as Wales were eliminated in the group stage.[44][45] He made a total of two appearances for the under-17s, five appearances for the under-19s and three appearances for the under-20s.[46] Harris made his debut for the under-21 side on 1 September 2017, coming on as a substitute in place of Tyler Roberts in a 3–0 victory over Switzerland.[47]

On 30 August 2021, Harris received his first call up to the senior squad as manager Rob Page sought replacements for the injured Aaron Ramsey, Joe Rodon, George Thomas and Neco Williams.[48] He made his debut on 5 September, replacing clubmate Rubin Colwill in the 57th-minute of a 3–2 victory against Belarus in a 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification game.[49] In November 2022, he was named in the Wales squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.[50]

Style of play

Harris is a versatile forward, able to play as a striker, winger, or behind the striker. Harris has said "I don't mind playing up front in a two, my main strength I would say is running in behind and getting at defenders".[51] Newport County manager Mike Flynn stated that "he's a good finisher, makes intelligent runs, and is very quick".[51]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 31 August 2024
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League FA Cup EFL Cup Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Cardiff City 2016–17[52] Championship 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 3 0
2017–18[53] Championship 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2018–19[54] Premier League 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2019–20[55] Championship 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2020–21[25] Championship 16 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 17 3
2021–22[26] Championship 34 3 2 1 1 0 0 0 37 4
2022–23[30] Championship 35 3 2 0 1 0 0 0 38 3
Total 87 9 6 1 2 0 0 0 95 10
Newport County (loan) 2018–19[54] League Two 16 2 1 0 0 0 3[a] 1 20 3
Port Vale (loan) 2018–19[54] League Two 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 0
Wrexham (loan) 2019–20[2] National League 24 3 3 0 0 0 1[b] 0 28 3
Oxford United 2023–24[56] League One 43 15 3 1 1 0 8[c] 3 55 19
2024–25[57] Championship 4 4 0 0 1 0 0 0 5 4
Total 47 19 3 1 2 0 8 3 60 23
Career total 180 33 13 2 4 0 12 4 209 39
  1. ^ EFT
  2. ^ FAT>Appearances in FA Trophy
  3. ^ 5 appearances in EFL Trophy and 3 appearances in play-offs

International

As of match played 9 September 2024[58]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Wales 2021 3 0
2022 2 0
2024 1 0
Total 6 0

Honours

Oxford United

Individual

References

  1. ^ "FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 – Squad list: Wales (WAL)" (PDF). FIFA. 15 November 2022. p. 32. Retrieved 15 November 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d Mark Harris at Soccerway
  3. ^ Jack Vittles (1 December 2016). "This Wales Under-19 star is set to sign his first professional contract with Cardiff City". WalesOnline. Retrieved 8 January 2017.
  4. ^ "Cardiff City 1–2 Fulham". BBC Sport. 8 January 2017. Retrieved 8 January 2017.
  5. ^ "Mark Harris signs professional deal". Cardiff City Official Site. 13 January 2017. Archived from the original on 16 January 2017. Retrieved 13 January 2017.
  6. ^ "Wigan Athletic 0–0 Cardiff City". BBC Sport. 22 April 2017. Retrieved 23 January 2019.
  7. ^ Booth, Dominic (22 April 2017). "Neil Warnock gives his verdict on the Bluebirds rookies". walesonline. Retrieved 23 January 2019.
  8. ^ Mitchelmore, Ian (3 May 2017). "Ball boy to first team starter – Mark Harris' incredible season". walesonline. Retrieved 23 January 2019.
  9. ^ "Newport County AFC sign Mark Harris on loan". Newport County A.F.C. 2 August 2018. Retrieved 2 August 2018.
  10. ^ "Newport County 1–0 Crewe Alexandra". BBC Sport. 11 August 2018. Retrieved 11 August 2018.
  11. ^ "Exeter City 1–1 Newport County". BBC Sport. 18 August 2018. Retrieved 18 August 2018.
  12. ^ a b Penman, Andrew (9 January 2019). "Newport County boss Michael Flynn on transfer targets and Mark Harris' return to Cardiff City". South Wales Argus. Retrieved 9 January 2019.
  13. ^ "Mike Flynn: Newport boss 'confident' on Harris, Pring & Bakinson loan extensions". BBC Sport. 19 December 2018. Retrieved 23 January 2019.
  14. ^ "Mark Harris: Port Vale sign striker on loan from Cardiff City". BBC Sport. 23 January 2019. Retrieved 23 January 2019.
  15. ^ Baggaley, Michael (30 April 2019). "Cardiff City striker leaves Port Vale". Stoke Sentinel. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
  16. ^ "Mark Harris: Wrexham sign Cardiff City forward on loan". BBC Sport. 24 June 2019. Retrieved 24 June 2019.
  17. ^ Baggaley, Michael (25 June 2019). "Former Port Vale striker joins fellow ex Valiants at National League hopefuls". Stoke Sentinel. Retrieved 25 June 2019.
  18. ^ "Boreham Wood 2–2 Wrexham". BBC Sport. 6 August 2019. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
  19. ^ "Dover Athletic 2–1 Wrexham". BBC Sport. 10 August 2019. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
  20. ^ "Wrexham AFC 1 FC Halifax Town 0 – Harris stunner wins it for 10-man Dragons". Daily Post. 13 August 2019. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
  21. ^ Griffiths, Rob (7 January 2020). "On loan winger signs off from Wrexham AFC stint with classy message". northwales. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
  22. ^ "Queens Park Rangers 3–2 Cardiff City". BBC Sport. 31 October 2020. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
  23. ^ Pearlman, Michael (28 November 2020). "Cardiff 4–0 Luton". BBC Sport. Retrieved 29 November 2020.
  24. ^ a b c Williams, Glen (7 May 2021). "What next for Mark Harris, the Cardiff City kid who now has to scrap for minutes". WalesOnline. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  25. ^ a b "Games played by Mark Harris in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 4 September 2020.
  26. ^ a b "Games played by Mark Harris in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 4 September 2020.
  27. ^ "Why more Welsh players have appeared for Cardiff in the last two seasons than the previous nine combined". Nation.Cymru. 12 May 2022. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
  28. ^ Coleman, Tom (16 February 2022). "Cardiff headlines as Harris a 'man possessed' and Tomlin's future turns again". WalesOnline. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
  29. ^ Coleman, Tom (2 September 2022). "Cardiff news as Steve Morison lifts lid on Mark Harris transfer speculation". WalesOnline. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  30. ^ a b "Games played by Mark Harris in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 4 September 2020.
  31. ^ Williams, Glen (5 May 2023). "Cardiff City offer striker new deal as Lamouchi confirms others have to leave". WalesOnline. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  32. ^ "Oxford sign former Cardiff forward Harris". BBC Sport. 11 July 2023. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
  33. ^ "Mark Harris Joins Oxford United". www.oufc.co.uk. 11 July 2023. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
  34. ^ Swindells, Adam (2 September 2023). "Match Report | Oxford United 1–2 Port Vale". Port Vale F.C. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
  35. ^ a b "Sky Bet Manager and Player of the Month: April winners". www.efl.com. 3 May 2024. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
  36. ^ Davies, Matthew (7 May 2024). "Tonight's Cardiff City news as striker says move was 'good choice' and Tan's other team have lifeline". Yahoo News. Retrieved 12 May 2024.
  37. ^ "Mark Harris: Striker hopes Oxford form will bring Wales reward". BBC Sport. 3 May 2024. Retrieved 12 May 2024.
  38. ^ "League One play-off final – Bolton Wanderers 0–2 Oxford United: Josh Murphy is U's hero with double". BBC Sport. 18 May 2024. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
  39. ^ a b "August's Sky Bet Championship Manager & Player of the Month winners". www.efl.com. 13 September 2024. Retrieved 13 September 2024.
  40. ^ "Under-17 – Montenegro-Wales". UEFA.com. Retrieved 23 January 2019.
  41. ^ "Under-19 – England-Wales". UEFA.com. Retrieved 23 January 2019.
  42. ^ "FAW / Wales squad announced for Toulon Tournament". www.faw.cymru. 15 May 2017. Retrieved 23 January 2019.
  43. ^ "Wales U20 2–2 Cote D'Ivoire". Foot Espoirs. Archived from the original on 1 June 2017. Retrieved 16 June 2017.
  44. ^ "Toulon Tournament: France U20 0–0 Wales U20". BBC Sport. 30 May 2017. Retrieved 16 June 2017.
  45. ^ "Toulon Tournament: Wales U20 1–0 Bahrain U20". BBC Sport. 2 June 2017.
  46. ^ "Mark Harris – Forward – First Team – Newport County". www.newport-county.co.uk. Archived from the original on 24 January 2019. Retrieved 23 January 2019.
  47. ^ "Switzerland U21 0–3 Wales U21". Soccerway. Retrieved 1 September 2017.
  48. ^ "FAW / Cymru Squad Update". www.faw.cymru. 30 August 2021. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
  49. ^ Pritchard, Dafydd (5 September 2021). "Bale hat-trick gives Wales win over Belarus". BBC Sport. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
  50. ^ "The players carrying Welsh hopes at the World Cup". BBC Sport. 9 November 2022. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
  51. ^ a b Baggaley, Michael (23 January 2019). "Who is Mark Harris: All about Port Vale's new striker on loan from Cardiff City". Stoke Sentinel. Retrieved 23 January 2019.
  52. ^ "Games played by Mark Harris in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 24 April 2017.
  53. ^ "Games played by Mark Harris in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 29 July 2017.
  54. ^ a b c "Games played by Mark Harris in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 August 2018.
  55. ^ "Games played by Mark Harris in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 August 2018.
  56. ^ "Games played by Mark Harris in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 24 April 2017.
  57. ^ "Games played by Mark Harris in 2024/2025". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
  58. ^ "Harris, Mark". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
  59. ^ "Bolton Wanderers 0–2 Oxford United: Line-ups". BBC Sport. 18 May 2024. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
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