Elyh Harrison during his loan spell at Chester from Manchester United.
Elyh Harrison during his loan spell at Chester from Manchester United.
Elyh Harrison had picked up an important clean sheet for Chester but his celebrations were short-lived.
In the context of the season, the win over Needham Market came at a crucial time thanks to Harrison Burke’s late header, with pressure mounting on the National League North side. The exhaustion was painted across the face of Chester manager Calum McIntyre but for the travelling supporters, the 432-mile round trip was eventually worthwhile.
The Manchester United loanee Harrison quickly switched his focus to international duty with England - as he made the trip from Suffolk to St George’s Park. “He kept a really important clean sheet during a time when we were under pressure as a group, results had a dip, he played for us on the Saturday then the next day was involved in the England under-19s camp,” says McIntyre, speaking to the Manchester Evening News.
“If you think of what a contrast that is from experiences and styles, Elyh would have approached both with the exact same mindset. It would be very easy to stereotype that a player coming from a Premier League club would sniff at loans in the sixth tier.
“He approached it with real humility, and threw himself into it. It’s really important for anyone who is going to be a professional, first and foremost, is they are that - professional.”
Chester manager Calum McIntyre shares a moment with Elyh Harrison after their dramatic win over Needham Market. (Image: Rick Matthews/ChesterFC)
Although it was far from easy. During that time, they suffered a deflating 3-1 defeat in the FA Cup to Scarborough Athletic as well as three more in the league (drawing twice) - including a chastening 4-0 defeat at Curzon Ashton at the end of October.
Disappointment on Tameside was particularly bruising for Harrison, posing a real test of resilience. The 18-year-old couldn't keep out a thumping header before his stray pass landed at the feet of Michael Afuye to double the lead as the promotion-chasers ran riot at a pre-season favourite.
"Any time Elyh made a mistake within our game, the big question mark was what would your response be? How do they carry on for the rest of the game? Are they going to be mentally strong?," recalls goalkeeper coach Neil Ebbrell.
"And he was every time. For a young lad, he handled that well."
The pressure was on for McIntyre, 31, with supporters at the Deva Stadium questioning whether they can make the jump into the playoffs and return to the National League for the first time since 2018.
Two weeks later, Burke’s towering header cemented just a second win in eight matches in all competitions for the Seals. But it proved to be a turning point with Chester losing one in eight games, until Harrison’s recall in early January.
The foundation was left for Wolves talent Jimmy Storer to replace the 18-year-old as the non-league club went on a superb run of 10 matches without defeat - three of which the United loanee featured in.
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Important breeding ground into football
The non-league pyramid can be unforgiving and for youngsters from professional clubs, their loan spells are often sink or swim. Chester have proved to be a good production line for goalkeepers with Everton goalkeeper Harry Tyrer enjoying a solid season-long loan at the club, before going onto win the National League with Chesterfield and now a temporary spell in League One with Blackpool.
Wyll Stanway was next off the rank after being plucked from levels below step three of the non-league pyramid and within a couple of seasons, earned a move to Barrow in League Two. In the summer, Harrison was a player on Chester’s radar to strengthen their goalkeeping ranks, however they opted to go for a senior goalkeeper.
Within a matter of weeks, an injury to Cam Mason opened the door to a move and for the Seals, it was a no-brainer who was on the agenda. McIntyre said: “He more than hit the ground running. Goalkeepers at this level, talented ones, can be hard to find - we pride ourselves on it.
“I have to pay testament to Neil (Ebbrell) and the goalkeeping department that he runs with the youth team boys.”
Elyh Harrison during his loan spell at Chester from Manchester United. (Image: Rick Matthews/ChesterFC)
Ebbrell was instrumental in the acquisition of Stanway and has a wealth of experience, deemed to exceed the current level that Chester look to progress from. The coach leant on his contacts book and wealth of experience developing goalkeepers to do the due diligence on Harrison.
In doing so, he spoke to United goalkeeper coach Tommy Lee. Ebbrell added: “He had a good reputation.
“When he came in to train, he hit the ground running. There were areas to improve on, there always will be for a ‘keeper of such a young age.
“He’s got a good personality first and foremost, although he was a quiet lad, he didn’t come in with a big ego, he was prepared to learn and listened.”
Harrison continued to train at Carrington, as well as three stints with Chester a week during his time. He arrived on the back of winning the national Premier League Cup title and becoming the second goalkeeper to win the Denzil Haroun Reserve-Team Player of the Year.
One-time Manchester United-linked goalkeeper Jordan Pickford cut his teeth in the lower reaches of the football pyramid after loan spells with Darlington and Alfreton Town. Arsenal star David Raya had a bruising temporary stint with Southport before establishing himself as Blackburn Rovers’ first-choice goalkeeper shortly after.
Elyh Harrison in action against Scunthorpe United for Chester. (Image: Rick Matthews/ChesterFC)
“The opportunity to play games of men’s football hugely improves," says Ebbrell. "There’s a lot of goalkeepers who are good trainers but you need to go play football against different opposition, different styles, different grounds or crowds.
“It’s huge, it can only be positive. Young ‘keepers tend to wear armbands, sometimes you’ve got to take their armbands off to see if they sink or swim.
“You get to find out about your people, he could deal with the crowd - he loved the crowd. They buzz off it, it should take them to the next level, don’t satisfy yourself with two-and-a-half to three thousand (supporters) - play in front of 17,000 to 20,000 week in, week out.
“That’s when they need to test themselves. For his benefit, I think he has to go out on loan, that’s the next step which will probably be next season.”
Harrison has 'unbelievable pedigree' at United
One hundred and three league places in the English football pyramid separate Chester and Manchester United. However, the move to the sixth tier of English football provided Harrison with a new and different dynamic.
The polished version of under-18s or under-21s was replaced by the rough, rugged edition of non-league - where young players can earn their stripes and feathers in their caps with jobs and livelihoods on the line, plus the desperation for three points. The 18-year-old’s development at the Deva Stadium clearly caught the eye of those within the Old Trafford ranks after he was awarded a place on the bench for the Premier League clash with Crystal Palace.
His quality was clear to see from the beginning and the opportunity to be around the first-team picture comes as no surprise to those figures within Chester. McIntyre says: “He more than hit the ground running, he quite rightly has been back in the building at Man United to be on the bench.
Elyh Harrison was named on the bench for the first time for Man United's Premier League clash with Crystal Palace. (Image: PA)
“Elyh’s attributes are very obvious, he’s a talented goalkeeper so the first thing they need to do is keep the ball out of the net. Very composed, very calm, unbelievable with his feet which is important in the modern game.
"Equally, he deals with the other side of the game for a goalkeeper that isn’t 6ft5, 6ft6, he commands his box really well. The biggest thing I picked up on is that there’s a real maturity about him.
“He had an unbelievable run of clean sheets at home, it took a long time for the ball to go in the net at the Deva. He made big saves consistently, played in front of big crowds against the likes of Scunthorpe, he was excellent on a Tuesday night at Kidderminster and made a number of important saves in what was a good point for us.
“He did well against Alfreton, really direct for the level and acquitted himself brilliantly. We were pleased to give him the opportunity and I’m sure his career will be very, very exciting.
“It will be really useful for him in the future if he has played for a team when we have been up against it. Whether we should’ve been or shouldn’t have been is another conversation but he’s played in a team that has played, in their own context, high-pressure moments that have had to deliver.”
There were nine clean sheets to accompany Harrison’s 23 appearances for the club and in doing so, etched his name in the history books as the youngest goalkeeper to represent the club. Throughout the conversations with Ebbrell and McIntyre, the 18-year-old’s impact stretched far beyond the shot-stopping and distribution on the pitch - but also the mental fortitude for a player beyond his years.
Elyh Harrison is embraced by Chester manager Calum McIntyre following their 3-1 win. (Image: Rick Matthews/ChesterFC)
“He’s got an unbelievable pedigree at Manchester United and played in big games for their youth teams but this was senior football,” McIntyre recalls.
“This is three points, it’s people’s clubs, it’s people’s jobs on the line, the bits that matter, that’s why these clubs put the players in these environments and he always relished that. If you look at anyone familiar with the first half of our season, he was there, big moments, big games where we might’ve been under pressure or where we needed to turn a bit of form and he stepped up for us, always.
“That is the reflection of how he embraced the loan but a bit of mental toughness that you have got or haven’t got, if you’re trying to bring that out, it’s difficult to replicate that pressure at under-18s or under-21s football because it is age-specific.
“Developing players isn’t a straight line, you need to expose them to experiences, there’s ups, downs, and we exposed Elyh to that.
“What I hope is he’ll reflect when 2,500 becomes 10,000 and that becomes 40,000, it was a really good grounding to introduce him to the rigours and pressures of senior football because it isn’t just about ability, there’s bumps, hurdles that you’ve got to overcome.
“We’re pleased to give Elyh his introduction to senior football in terms of a loan, I hope the future holds what he hopes for.”