Mark Harris (Welsh footballer)


Mark Thomas Harris is a Welsh professional footballer who plays for club Cardiff City. A versatile forward, he is able to play as a winger or as a striker.
He has 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.

Club career

Harris began his career at Cardiff City and was offered his first professional contract at the club in December 2016. 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. 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. 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". He made one further appearance in the 2016–17 season, though did not feature in the "Bluebirds" 2017–18 promotion campaign.
On 2 August 2018, Harris joined League Two side Newport County on an initial six-month loan deal. He made his debut for the "Exiles" on 11 August, in a 1–0 victory over Crewe Alexandra at Rodney Parade. He scored his first goal for the club seven days later, in a 1–1 draw at Exeter City. 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 due to the form of fellow forwards Jamille Matt and Pádraig Amond. 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.
On 23 January 2019, he signed for struggling League Two side Port Vale on loan for the remainder of the 2018–19 season. 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.
On 24 June 2019, Harris signed for National League club Wrexham on a season-long loan. "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". Harris scored his first goal in his second game for Wrexham, in their 2–2 draw at Boreham Wood on 6 August. 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. However he lost his first-team place under new manager Dean Keates and his loan was terminated early on 7 January.

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. 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. In May 2017, Rob Page named Harris in the Wales under-20 squad for the 2017 Toulon Tournament. After making his debut for the side in the tournament opener against Ivory Coast as a substitute in place of Tyler Roberts, 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. He made a total of two appearances for the under-17s, five appearances for the under-19s and three appearances for the under-20s. 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.

Style of play

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

Career statistics