The Peterborough Evening Telegraph
From a Posh fan in the stands to Wembley hero
It was a story that would almost be too unbelievable for the pages of Roy of the Rovers. The local youngster who sat in the stands supporting the team as a kid scores two goals, including the stoppage time winner, to lift the cup at Wembley as captain.
But for Harrison Burrows, the dream came true in spectacular fashion on Sunday.
But for those who have known the 22-year-old, the story was far from unbelievable, as they watched with pride as he lifted the EFL Trophy for Posh.
The Peterborough Telegraph has spoken to two of the key figures in Harrison’s journey – his dad, Chris and John Rowe, who coached him as a child at Wisbech St Mary’s FC – and neither were surprised by the outcome.
Proud father, Chris, said: “When he was about four years-old I put a bet on him to play for England at odds of 1,000 to 1.
“Even as his father, I knew he was something special – he had something about him as a footballer.
“You could see he was going to make it.”
John added: “I had a bet on him to win the final and to score a goal from outside the area. He is that sort of player.”
The pair were sat together, along with 50 other friends and family, at Wembley, with great celebrations in the stands as the goals flew in.
“He said it was his dream to play at Wembley.
I told him that one day, he would play there"
When Harrison was just 12, Chris took him to Wembley for the EFL Trophy final won by Posh – and he said he had given his son an important message.
Chris said: “We were there in 2014, and it was an amazing day. He said it was his dream to play at Wembley.
“I told him that one day, he would play there. For his dream to come true like this is fantastic.
“I spoke to him briefly after the final, and then on Monday. He said it still hadn’t sunk in yet. It still hasn’t sunk in for us yet!”
As Chris said, Harrison’s love affair with football had started at a young age, at the family home in Murrow, near Peterborough.
Harrison’s brother, Josh, plays semi-pro football for March FC.
Chris said: “As soon as he could walk, he was kicking a football.
“We had a big pitch at the bottom of the garden, and he wanted to play all the time. Come rain or shine, he was out there.
“When he was aged five, he was playing with children aged seven or eight. He was such an amazing talent.
“He was also born to be a captain. He attitude has always been spot on.
“He is one of the nicest people you can meet, and has been a good mentor to others.
“It is very rare to be a captain at 22-years-old, which shows you how he is thought of.”
His talent was spotted by Posh when he was a teenager, with Chris getting the phone call from Barry Fry that the club would offer him a contract when he was just 15.
By the age of 11, he could strike a ball with more power than some adults and press cuttings from the Peterborough Telegraph showed he was standing out in youth football.
He wasn’t always a left back. He also played on the wing, and on one occasion, scored an incredible nine goals in one match.
Harrison was not the only former Wisbech St Mary player on the Wembley turf on Sunday, with Kieran Sadlier (who himself had a very brief spell at Posh) lining up for Wycombe.
But John said Harrison was always something special. He said: “He joined the club when he was four-anda-half. He went to school with my lad.
“He played a year up in the first season and stayed with me until the under nines. We won a lot of matches, a lot of trophies, with him in the team.
“You could always see he had ‘it.’ He had a lot of intel
ligence.
“We played at a lot of big tournaments across the country, and people would always ask ‘who is that lad?’ He always stood out.
“There were a lot of other clubs interested in him, but his dad kept him at Posh.
“He was always really grounded as a person and he was my captain from a young age.
“You could see he would be a captain when he made it.
“He would score a lot of goals, and also got a lot of assists.
“Sometimes if he shot rather than passed, I would have a word. But he was always brilliant at using the ball.
“I am not surprised to see where he is now.
“I always expected big things from him. I haven’t seen anyone like him before or since. This is just the start – there is so much more to come.”
The big question following the match was whether Harrison had taken a shot for the final goal – or whether it had been a cross.
John said: “He has always had a sweet left foot, and
he was great at crossing the ball. I think that was a cross.”
Dad Chris added: “I always say that it was a shot when I’m asked – and it is the question I’ve been asked
a lot.
“People have been getting in touch who we haven’t spoken to for ages to speak about him.
“We’ll have a proper family celebration at the end of the season – there is still a lot of work to come!”
• See pages 22-25 for more coverage from Wembley