Harris reaching the destination of a battling journey

A stretch of injury misfortune going back to September was brought to an end with his involvement against Sutton United’s youngsters.

Dislocating his knee in a Hampshire Senior Cup clash with Folland Sports in September was then followed by a quad issue from December.

With several months sidelined and a gruelling recovery behind him, Harris spoke on his journey following his comeback match.

“It’s been really tough mentally,” he told afcb.co.uk. “I’ve had to look after myself in that regard, and make sure my head is on it.

“I’ve always tried to keep myself motivated and it’s been hard sometimes but that’s part of the battle.

“Obviously, since getting back on the pitch there have been ups and there have been downs.”

Harris continued: “I went off to St George’s Park to get some more eyes on my injury as well, so that was a good experience.

“Now, I’m just happy to finally be back out on the pitch and feeling fresh again, I’m looking to push on for next season.”

The defender went on to explain more about visiting the home of the England national team up in the midlands, describing the experience.

He said: “They run a little rehab programme up there, so I got out of Canford for a bit and got some new eyes on me.

“That gave me some more rehab methods and other stuff to help get me back to my best.

“It was a really good trip away to get my head back on it and to get my motivation back up, it came at a good time for me just before coming back.

“They’re some of the best facilities in England, so that was great.”

On his road to recovery, aside from working with Tom Shineton and the academy medical team, the youngster has found his motivation from multiple sources.

A real positive for Harris is the football family which he has behind him, with dad Andy and sister Charlotte both enjoying careers.

Having come through with Liverpool, Andy Harris enjoyed a near-15-year career across the Football League and non-league, as well as becoming a member of Mensa International during his playing days.

“My dad’s been the main supporter of me throughout my whole journey, and obviously, he had a lot of recurring injuries in his career,” Harris said.

“It’s really good to have that knowledge and he doesn’t put too much pressure on me.

“He pushes me on to go further and he wants me to do better than him in my career, but that knowledge behind him is always pushing me on.

“It’s so good to have that support behind me.”

Archie’s sister, meanwhile, spent time with Manchester City during her youth career and now plays her football in America, which provides healthy competition between the two.

“We try to speak every now and then but it’s tough with the time zones,” Harris explained.

“There’s definitely competition between us, especially when I see her, and that’s really good to have as well.

“Just someone to really push you on when we’re running together and when we’re training together.

“I’d say I’m better now, though! Maybe she’d pip me when I was younger but not anymore!”

With a long road now looking behind him after plenty of support along the way, Archie is keen to keep his eyes firmly fixed forward.

A dangling carrot may well have been booked in by the development squad, too, having recently secured a spot in a final in May.

He explained: “The Hampshire Senior Cup final is a great target to have, maybe for the bench!

“I spoke to Alan Connell regularly throughout my injury and he’s happy to see me back, so we’ll see what happens there.

“The coaches have been really good with me. They’ve pushed me at the right times and they’ve settled off at the right times, and just let me do me, if that makes sense.

“That’s helped me come back to fitness and they’re looking after me even now, not pushing me too hard with my minutes.

“There’s no pressure on me, I’ve just got to get myself fit first and then we can push on from there.”

The next minutes for Harris are likely to come today, when the under-18s face off with Gillingham away from home in a 1pm kick-off.