Val Harris

Football player infobox
playername= Val Harris


fullname = Valentine Harris
dateofbirth = June 23 1884
cityofbirth = Ringsend, Dublin
countryofbirth = Ireland
position= Midfielder / Forward / Defender
youthyears = 1898
1899
youthclubs = Pembroke
Emeralds
years = 1900
1901
1903-08
1908-1914
1914-1927
clubs= Isles of the Sea (Gaelic football)
Dublin GAA (Gaelic football)
Shelbourne
Everton
Shelbourne
caps(goals) =
190 (1)
nationalyears = 1906-1914
1904-1906
1925-1926
nationalteam = Ireland
Irish League XI
League of Ireland XI
nationalcaps(goals) = 20 (0)
4 (0)
2 (0)
manageryears = 193x-193x
193x-19xx
managerclubs = Irish Free State
Shelbourne

Valentine Harris (born June 23 1884, Ringsend, Dublin, Ireland), commonly referred to as Val Harris, was an Irish footballer who played Gaelic football for Dublin and soccer for, among others Shelbourne, Everton and Ireland. Harris was regarded as one of the finest soccer players of his generation and in 1906 became the first Shelbourne player capped by Ireland. He still remains the clubs most capped player. In 1913 he captained the first Ireland team to beat England and in 1914 he was a member of the Ireland team that won the British Home Championship. Harris has been described as an extremely hard player in the mode of Kevin Moran or Paul McGrath and like his Shelbourne, Everton and Ireland team mate, Bill Lacey, he was also very versatile, covering just about every outfield position during his career.

Playing career

Early years

Harris initially played soccer with junior clubs Pembroke and Emeralds and in 1898 helped Pembroke reach the final of the Leinster Junior Cup. He was also an accomplished Gaelic footballer during his teens and won honours at club level with Ringsend GAA team Isles of the Sea. In 1901 he also won an All- Ireland medal with Dublin. Harris is one of several prominent Dublin gaelic footballers who successfully switched codes to soccer. Others have included Jack Kirwan, Con Martin and Kevin Moran.

helbourne

In 1903 Harris made his debut for Shelbourne in the Leinster Senior League. In May 1904 he had a trial with West Bromwich Albion but then returned to Shelbourne and made his Irish League debut in a 3-1 defeat to Glentoran on September 17 1904 at Serpentine Avenue. Harris went onto play in four consecutive Irish Cup finals and in the 1906 final was captain when Shelbourne beat Belfast Celtic 2-0 at Dalymount Park, becoming the first Dublin side to lift the trophy. His team mates during this era included, among others, Joseph Ledwidge and Bill Lacey.

After four years at Everton, Harris returned to Shelbourne in August 1914. In 1920 Harris won the Irish Cup for a second time after both Belfast Celtic and Glentoran were expelled. In 1921 Shelbourne became founder members of the of the League of Ireland and in 1926 the club won the title. Harris remained a prominent member of the Shelbourne team well passed his fortieth birthday and his second spell at the club saw him play alongside Bill Lacey, Bob Fullam, Ed Brookes and Louis Bookman. During his two spells with Shelbourne, Harris made 71 Irish League appearances, scoring 13 goals, 89 League of Ireland appearances, scoring 6 goals, and a further 36 games and 12 goals in the Irish Cup.

Everton

In March 1908 Harris moved to Everton for £350, the maximum amount allowed at the time. He made his debut for Everton against Woolwich Arsenal and quickly established himself as the team’s regular right-half. During his time at Everton he was noted for his consistency and effectiveness and played in six different positions. With Harris in the team, Everton regularly challenged for top honours, twice finishing as League runners-up as well as reaching the semi-final stage in the 1910 FA Cup. His team mates at Everton included fellow Irish internationals Billy Scott and Bill Lacey, who had followed Harris from Shelbourne in February 1909. While at Everton, Harris made 190 league appearances and scored 1 goal. He also played a further 14 games and scored a further goal in the FA Cup.

Irish International

Harris made his debut for Ireland as a centre-forward on February 17 1906 in a 5-0 defeat to England at the Solitude Ground. His team mates that day included Robert Milne and Jack Kirwan. He was the first Shelbourne player to be capped by Ireland and subsequently won a further six caps while at the club. Despite suffering a number of severe injuries related to his robust style of play, Harris was remarkably consistent in his appearances for Ireland and he featured in a run of thirteen consecutive internationals between 1908 and 1912. On February 15 1913, Harris captained the Ireland team, that also included Billy Scott and two-goal hero Billy Gillespie, as they beat England for the first time with a 2-1 win at Windsor Park. In 1914 Ireland went a stage further and won the British Home Championship. Harris and Gillespie were joined in the squad by among others, Patrick O’Connell, Louis Bookman and Bill Lacey.

Coaching career

After retiring as player in 1927 Harris became a coach with both the Irish Free State and Shelbourne. In 1932 Harris took charge of the Irish team as they played the Netherlands. Although the team was chosen by selectors, Harris took charge of training and gave a the team talk. Before the game Harris declared "Pat O'Callaghan put the tricolour flying high here in the 1928 Olympics and it’s up to you lads to see it is still flying high this evening". The words proved inspiring as an Irish team that included Alex Stevenson, Mick O'Brien, Jimmy Kelly and Paddy Moore won 2-0. Harris would later coach and managed Shelbourne as they won the 1939 FAI Cup, their first success in that competition.

Honours

"Gaelic footballer"

Isles of the Sea
*Dublin Champions
**1900, 1901: 2

Dublin
*All- Ireland Champions
**1901: 1

"Soccer player"

Shelbourne

*Irish Cup
**"Winners" 1906, 1920: 2
**"Runners Up" 1905, 1907, 1908: 3
*League of Ireland
**"Winners" 1925-26: 1
**"Runners Up" 1922-23, 1923-24: 2
*League of Ireland Shield
**"Winners" 1922, 1923, 1926: 3
*Hospitals Cup
**"Winners" 1906 1
*Leinster Cup
**"Winners" ? ?

Everton

*First Division
**"Runners Up" 1908-09, 1911-12: 2

Ireland

*British Champions: 1
**1914

"Soccer manager"

Shelbourne

*FAI Cup
**"Winners" 1939 1

ources

*"Who’s Who Of Everton" (2004): Tony Matthews [http://www.shop-com.co.uk/op/~Who's_Who_of_Everton_(Hardback)_Tony_Matthews-prod-25696581?sourceid=363]
*"The Boys In Green - The FAI International Story" (1997): Sean Ryan [http://www.amazon.ca/dp/1851589392]

External links

* [http://nifootball.blogspot.com/2006/12/val-harris.html Northern Ireland’s Footballing Greats]
* [http://www.hospitalscup.ie/Image_Val_Harris.html Picture of Harris]
* [http://www.shelbournefc.ie/features.php?id=8 Shelbourne official site]
* [http://www.redsindependent.com/100yearsofinternationals.htm Shelbourne fansite]
* [http://planet_shels.tripod.com/history/performances/irishcupfinals.html#1905 Irish Cup finals]
* [http://www.iffhs.de/?3f4b05ffcd85bcca952bda55205fdcdc3bfcdc0aec70aeeda006 Date of Birth at IFFHS]