Mark Simon Harrison is a former English

English people

The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...

 footballer, specialist goalkeeper trainer, and manager.

Playing career

Harrison was a trainee with Southampton

Southampton F.C.

Southampton Football Club is an English football team, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. The club gained promotion to the Championship from League One in the 2010–2011 season after being relegated in 2009. Their home ground is the St Mary's Stadium, where the club...

 before joining Port Vale

Port Vale F.C.

Port Vale Football Club is an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire — one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The club's traditional rivals in the city are Stoke City, and games between the two clubs are known as...

 in February 1980. He was immediately the first choice keeper, however was troubled by cartilage

Cartilage

Cartilage is a flexible connective tissue found in many areas in the bodies of humans and other animals, including the joints between bones, the rib cage, the ear, the nose, the elbow, the knee, the ankle, the bronchial tubes and the intervertebral discs...

 problems from November 1980. In the summer of 1981 he was loaned to rivals

Potteries derby

The Potteries derby is the football local derby in Stoke-on-Trent between Port Vale and Stoke City. The fans of each club both consider the other to be their main rivals; this has led to a heated atmosphere at these matches, especially with the rise of football hooliganism and the 'Naughty Forty'...

 Stoke City

Stoke City F.C.

Stoke City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire that plays in the Premier League. Founded in 1863, it is the oldest club in the Premier League, and considered to be the second oldest professional football club in the world, after Notts...

 as they played a youth tournament. After returning he was an ever-present for the 1981–82 season

1981–82 Port Vale F.C. season

The 1981–82 season was Port Vale's seventieth season of football in the Football League, and their fourth successive season in the Fourth Division. John McGrath led his team to a seventh place finish, a big improvement on the previous two seasons. Top-scorer Ernie Moss and midfielder Mark...

 but was sold to City, along with Mark Chamberlain

Mark Chamberlain

Mark Valentine Chamberlain is an English retired international footballer. He is the younger brother of Neville Chamberlain, and the father of Arsenal and England U21 player Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain....

, for a combined fee of £180,000 in August 1982.

After he left Stoke City, he not only left Stoke-on-Trent

Stoke-on-Trent

Stoke-on-Trent , also called The Potteries is a city in Staffordshire, England, which forms a linear conurbation almost 12 miles long, with an area of . Together with the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme Stoke forms The Potteries Urban Area...

 but England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 as well, as he switched to South Africa

South Africa

The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...

n side Hellenic FC

Hellenic FC

Hellenic FC was a South African association football club based in Cape Town. They were nicknamed The Greek Gods.Established in 1958 by Greek South Africans, Hellenic campaigned in the lower amateur leagues of Cape Town...

. He later returned to England to play non-league football with Kettering Town

Kettering Town F.C.

Kettering Town Football Club are a football club originating in Kettering, Northamptonshire but currently based in the nearby village of Irthlingborough. The club play in the Conference National after winning the Conference North in 2007–08...

, Stafford Rangers

Stafford Rangers F.C.

Stafford Rangers Football Club is a semi-professional English football team from Stafford which plays in the Northern Premier League Premier Division.The team wear black and white stripes with black shorts...

 and Telford United

Telford United F.C.

Telford United F.C. was an English football club based in Telford, Shropshire.The club existed under various names for a total of 132 years from its formation in 1872. The club was founder members of the Alliance Premier League in 1979 and played at this level for 25 years before being wound up in...

.

Management career

Harrison returned to South Africa upon his retirement, where he managed Clyde. He once more returned to England and became the youth coach of Bristol City

Bristol City F.C.

Bristol City Football Club is one of two football league clubs in Bristol, England . They play at Ashton Gate, located in the south-west of the City...

, then goalkeeper coach of Everton

Everton F.C.

Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...

, before becoming coach and assistant manager of Barrow, later player-manager of Stafford Rangers and then the reserve coach of Oxford United

Oxford United F.C.

Oxford United Football Club is an English association football club based in Oxford, Oxfordshire. The club play in League Two, following promotion from the Conference National in May 2010. The club had been a non-League side since their relegation from the Football League in the 2005–06 season. The...

.

He later had a spell as coach of the Bangladesh national football team

Bangladesh national football team

The Bangladesh national football team is the national team of Bangladesh controlled by the Bangladesh Football Federation. It is a member of the Asian Football Confederation and has yet to qualify for the World Cup finals...

.

Harrison was later employed to assist Mpumalanga Black Aces in the SA PSL. He was appointed as head coach for the remainder of the 2010–11 season, but departed the club at the end of the campaign.