Matt Harrold

Matthew James Harrold (born 25 July 1984) is a former English professional footballer who played as a forward and is currently first team coach for League Two club Leyton Orient.

Matt Harrold
Harrold playing for Bristol Rovers in 2014
Personal information
Full name Matthew James Harrold[1]
Date of birth (1984-07-25) 25 July 1984
Place of birth Leyton, London, England
Height 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)[2]
Position(s) Forward
Club information
Current team
 Leyton Orient (coach)
Youth career
0000–2001 Southend United
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2001–2002 Southend United 0 (0)
2001 → Grays Athletic (loan) 2 (0)
2001 → Wingate & Finchley (loan) 20 (9)
2002–2003 Harlow Town 18 (5)
2003–2005 Brentford 32 (2)
2004–2005 → Dagenham & Redbridge (loan) 4 (1)
2005 → Grimsby Town (loan) 6 (2)
2005–2006 Yeovil Town 47 (9)
2006–2008 Southend United 52 (3)
2008–2010 Wycombe Wanderers 73 (17)
2010–2011 Shrewsbury Town 41 (8)
2011–2014 Bristol Rovers 76 (24)
2014–2017 Crawley Town 70 (9)
2015 → Cambridge United (loan) 7 (1)
2017–2020 Leyton Orient 75 (9)
Total 523 (99)
Teams managed
2017 Crawley Town (caretaker)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 17:30, 28 March 2020 (UTC)

Harrold has had numerous previous clubs including Wycombe Wanderers, Southend United, Grays Athletic, Harlow Town, Brentford, Yeovil Town, Shrewsbury Town, Crawley Town and Leyton Orient as well as loan spells at Grimsby Town, Dagenham & Redbridge and Cambridge United.

Playing career

Early career

He is a former pupil of Trinity Catholic High School, Woodford Green, he was initially a product of Southend United's youth set-up, although he departed for non-league football and played at Grays Athletic, Wingate & Finchley and Harlow Town.

2003–04 season

Brentford signed Harrold from Harlow Town in July 2003.[3] He showed early promise in the 2003–04 season when he scored a hat-trick against non-league Gainsborough Trinity in the FA Cup,[4] which made him the youngest-ever Brentford player to score a hat-trick.[5] Later that season he also scored crucial goals in the league against Colchester United and future club Wycombe Wanderers to help Brentford to safety.[6][7]

2004–05 season

The following season, 2004–05. he was loaned out twice. His first loan was to Dagenham & Redbridge in the Conference. He scored on his debut against Accrington Stanley[8] but didn't score again in 3 more appearances for the club. Upon his return to Brentford he played as a substitute in their memorable 2–2 draw at Premier League side Southampton in the FA Cup fifth round.[9] However shortly afterwards he was sent out on loan again, to Grimsby Town. He again scored on his debut, this time against Oxford United,[10] and scored again in his second appearance against Boston United.[11] However these would be his only 2 goals for the club and he returned to Brentford again to help in their promotion push. Brentford made it into the play offs but lost in the semi-finals to Sheffield Wednesday.

Yeovil Town

Harrold signed for Yeovil in 2005 for an undisclosed small fee.[12] He was signed by manager Gary Johnson, but within months Johnson had left to become manager of Bristol City. However, Harrold went on to score 9 league goals in his only full season at the club. Highlights included a brace in a 4–3 win at Scunthorpe United[13] and a goal against former club Brentford.[14]

Southend United

Harrold joined Southend after a long-running summer transfer saga which ended with him being signed an hour before the transfer deadline on 31 August 2006. He scored his first goal for Southend against West Bromwich Albion on 16 September 2006.[15] Over the next two seasons he only managed 5 further goals in all competitions.

2008–09 season
Harrold playing for Wycombe Wanderers in 2009

Harrold joined Wycombe on 1 September 2008 on a free transfer on a two-year contract after being released by Southend.[16] On 4 October 2008, he scored his first goal in a Wycombe shirt in a 3–1 home win over Bournemouth. On 10 November 2008, he went on to score his first hat trick for the club on 10 November in an FA Cup first round match against AFC Wimbledon, which Wycombe went on to win 4–1.[17] 2 weeks later he netted 2 goals, which led to a 4–2 win over Port Vale. He added another goal to his tally a week later in a 2–0 win away at Notts County. On 20 December 2008, he scored the match winning goal for Wycombe away at Shrewsbury. 6 days later he netted Wycombes only goal in a 1–1 draw with Exeter City. 15-day later on 3 January 2009, he scored for Wycombe in 2–0 win over Bury. On 31 January 2009, he scored Wycombe's only goal of the match in a 3–1 loss away at Bournemouth. 7 Days later he scored an 80th-minute goal which won Wycombe's match against Accrington Stanley; this was the last goal Matt Harrold scored for Wycombe in the 2008–09 season.

2009–10 season

He scored his first goal for Wycombe in 2009–10 season in 1–1 draw against his former club Southend, on 18 August 2009. 4 days later he scored in Wycombe's 5–2 loss at Carrow Road. Harrold was released by Wycombe on 11 May 2010, after the club's relegation to League Two.

2010–11 season

In July 2010, Harrold was on trial at Swedish Superettan club Örgryte IS, before joining Shrewsbury Town.[18] On 10 August 2010, he scored his first goal for Shrewsbury in a 4–3 win over Charlton Athletic. On 21 August 2010, he was red carded in 1–1 draw against Aldershot after receiving his second yellow card.[19] On 28 August 2010, Harrold scored a goal in the 4–0 rout against Stockport County.[20]

2011–12 season

Harrold signed for Bristol Rovers in June 2011, for an undisclosed fee on a two-year contract.[21] He scored his first goal for the club on his debut against Wimbledon, in which they won 3–2. He scored his second goal of the season against in the 2–2 draw on 10 September 2011 against Bradford City.[22] His first home goal won the game for Bristol Rovers against Northampton Town. He converted his first penalty in a 2–0 home win against Dagenham & Redbridge, on 29 October 2011. On 26 December 2011, he scored 2 first half goals in a home match against West Country rivals Plymouth Argyle, which rovers went on to lose 3–2 after leading 2–0 at half time. 5 days later he scored a goal in Bristol Rovers 5–2 loss against Crewe Alexandra at the Memorial Stadium. He went on a 5-game goal drought before scoring his next goal, which was scored against local rivals Torquay United. 10 days later he scored another goal against Plymouth Argyle at Home Park on 20 March 2012, which Rovers drew 1–1. On 14 April 2012, he added two more goals to his tally in 7–1 rout against Burton Albion, and another two in a 5–1 victory for Bristol Rovers at home to Accrington Stanley.

In his first season at Bristol Rovers, he went on to score 18 goals and finished as the club's leading scorer for the season.

2012–13 season

Harrold started the season with goals against Royal Marines, Tamworth, Paulton Rovers and Coventry City in pre-season friendly matches.

On 21 August 2012, Harrold scored his first goal in the 2012–13 season for Bristol Rovers, in a 1–1 draw away at Barnet.[23] On 15 September 2012 in a 4–0 loss against Gillingham, Harrold sustained a severe knee injury and was unlikely to feature in any more games in 2012–13 season for Bristol Rovers.[24] However, Harrold made a substitute appearance in the final game of the season against Torquay, scoring in the last minute, to the delight of Rovers fans, players and staff.[25]

Crawley Town

On 27 June 2014, Harrold joined League One side Crawley Town after impressing manager John Gregory while playing for Rovers against Crawley in the FA Cup the previous season.[26]

2014–15 season

Harrold made his first appearance for the club on 30 August 2014, coming on as a 77th minute substitute for Gwion Edwards away at Milton Keynes Dons.[27] He scored his first goal for Crawley on 18 October 2014; a 55th minute strike in a 5–3 defeat at Notts County.[28][29] In a 2–2 draw at home to Milton Keynes Dons on 10 January 2015, Harrold played 50 minutes in goal following Crawley goalkeeper Brian Jensen dislocating his finger.[30] Despite conceding a last-minute equaliser, Harrold won the Man of the Match award.[31] After the match, Harrold told BBC Surrey "I've never played in goal before. Not even in training. I got pressured into it because everyone just looked at me and said 'you're big'. It's a bit embarrassing because it's my first man of the match for the club."[30][31]

In his first season at Crawley, he made 23 appearances for the club, scoring once.[32]

Cambridge United (loan)

On 23 February 2015, Harrold joined League Two side Cambridge United on a loan until the end of the season.[33] He scored once in 7 appearances for Cambridge.[32]

2015–16 season

Harrold scored his first goal of the 2015–16 for Crawley on 29 September 2015, scoring Crawley's third of the match in a 3–0 win at Newport County.[34]He suffered a knee injury in April 2016, ruling him out for the rest of the season.[35] Harrold made 39 appearances in all competitions, scoring 9 times.[36] Harrold signed a new one-year contract in June 2016, keeping him at the club until the summer of 2017.[37]

2016–17 season

Following a long recovery from his knee injury, Harrold suffered an Achilles tendon injury in September 2016.[38] Harrold suffered a second Achilles tendon injury in December 2016, ruling him out for the following three months.[39][40] Following the sacking of Dermot Drummy in May 2017, Harold was placed in caretaker charge of Crawley for their final game of the season.[41] In the 2016–17, Harrold made 15 appearances, scoring once.[42] He signed a one-year contract extension in June 2017.[43]

2017–18 season

Harrold made two league appearances for Crawley prior to his transfer to Leyton Orient.[44] Upon signing for Leyton Orient, Harrold told the club's website "I would just like to thank everyone at Crawley Town for the past three seasons, I have loved playing for the club."[45]

Leyton Orient

On 31 August 2017, Harrold signed for Leyton Orient on a two-year deal following three seasons at Crawley.[46] He made his debut for the club 2 days later in a 4–1 home victory over Guiseley in which Harrold headed in the third for Orient with Macauley Bonne grabbing a hat-trick.[47]

Coaching career

In August 2020, Harrold joined the coaching staff at Leyton Orient, putting an end to his playing career.[48]

Style of play

Former manager Paul Buckle said "He is strong, and solid target man but he is also good with the ball into his feet - he is a class act",[21] whilst his manager at Crawley, Dermot Drummy, stated that Harrold could 'handle himself physically', and that his touch and positional and team play is 'excellent'.[37]

Career statistics
As of match played 24 March 2018.
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League FA Cup League Cup Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Brentford 2003–04[49] Second Division 13213001[lower-alpha 1]0155
2004–05[50] League One 19040001[lower-alpha 1]0240
Total 322530020395
Dagenham & Redbridge (loan) 2004–05[50] Conference Premier 4100—0041
Grimsby Town (loan) 2004–05[50] League Two 6200000062
Yeovil Town 2005–06[51] League One 42930201[lower-alpha 1]0489
2006–07[52] League One 5000110061
Total 4793031105410
Southend United 2006–07[52] Championship 3632000—383
2007–08[53] League One 16021221[lower-alpha 1]0213
Total 523412210596
Wycombe Wanderers 2008–09[54] League Two 3792300003912
2009–10[55] League One 3682200003810
Total 73174500007722
Shrewsbury Town 2010–11[56] League Two 41810114[lower-alpha 2]0479
Bristol Rovers 2011–12[57] League Two 401620111[lower-alpha 1]14418
2012–13[58] League Two 6200100072
2013–14[59] League Two 30651001[lower-alpha 1]0367
Total 76247121218727
Crawley Town 2014–15[32] League One 20110002[lower-alpha 1]0231
2015–16[36] League Two 378111000399
2016–17[42] League Two 11021101[lower-alpha 3]0151
2017–18[44] League Two 2000100030
Total 7094230308011
Cambridge United (loan) 2014–15[32] League Two 7100000071
Leyton Orient 2017–18[60] National League 24310—5[lower-alpha 4]2305
2018–19[60] National League 27410—7[lower-alpha 4]3357
2019–20[61] League Two 24210002[lower-alpha 3]0272
Total 75930001459214
Career total 483853112115276552108
  1. Appearance(s) in Football League Trophy
  2. 2 Appearances each in Football League Trophy and League Two play-offs
  3. Appearance(s) in EFL Trophy
  4. Appearance(s) in FA Trophy

Honours

Leyton Orient

References
  1. "Notification of shirt numbers: Leyton Orient" (PDF). English Football League. p. 37. Retrieved 21 October 2019.
  2. Barnes, Stuart (2016). Nationwide football annual : soccer's pocket encyclopedia 2016. York: Sportsbooks Ltd. p. 505. ISBN 978-1-907524-52-3. OCLC 950638023.CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  3. "Brentford | News | Latest News | Latest News | DOWNES SWOOPS FOR HARROLD". world.brentfordfc.co.uk. 23 July 2003. Archived from the original on 12 February 2018. Retrieved 19 February 2018.
  4. "Brentford 7–1 Gainsborough". BBC Sport. 8 November 2003. Retrieved 1 December 2013.
  5. "Harrold the youngest hat-trick scorer in Bees history". This Is Local London. Retrieved 5 January 2018.
  6. "Brentford 3–2 Colchester". BBC Sport. 12 April 2004. Retrieved 1 December 2013.
  7. "Brentford 1–1 Wycombe". BBC Sport. 24 April 2004. Retrieved 1 December 2013.
  8. "Accrington 0–3 Dag & Red". BBC Sport. 18 December 2004. Retrieved 1 December 2013.
  9. "Southampton 2–2 Brentford". BBC Sport. 19 February 2005. Retrieved 1 December 2013.
  10. "Oxford Utd 1–2 Grimsby". BBC Sport. 5 March 2005. Retrieved 1 December 2013.
  11. "Boston 1–1 Grimsby". BBC Sport. 11 March 2005. Retrieved 1 December 2013.
  12. "Yeovil sign Bees striker Harrold". BBC Sport. 30 June 2005. Retrieved 1 December 2013.
  13. "Scunthorpe 3–4 Yeovil". BBC Sport. 1 October 2005. Retrieved 1 December 2013.
  14. "Brentford 3–2 Yeovil". BBC Sport. 6 December 2005. Retrieved 1 December 2013.
  15. "West Brom 1–1 Southend". BBC Sport. 16 September 2006. Retrieved 1 December 2013.
  16. "Wycombe pounce for Harrold". Sky Sports. 1 September 2008. Retrieved 11 November 2008.
  17. "Harrold stars in Wycombe win". Sky Sports. 10 November 2008. Archived from the original on 13 November 2008. Retrieved 11 November 2008.
  18. "Shrewsbury Town sign Wycombe's Matt Harrold". Shropshire Star. 14 July 2010. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
  19. "Shrewsbury 1–1 Aldershot". BBC Sport. 21 August 2010. Retrieved 2 September 2012.
  20. "Stockport 0–4 Shrewsbury Town". BBC Sport. 28 August 2010. Retrieved 2 September 2012.
  21. "Bristol Rovers sign Shrewsbury Town's Matt Harrold". BBC Sport. 16 June 2011. Retrieved 16 June 2011.
  22. "Bradford 2–2 Bristol Rovers". BBC Sport. 10 September 2011. Retrieved 1 September 2012.
  23. "Barnet 1–1 Bristol Rovers". BBC Sport. 21 August 2012. Retrieved 1 September 2012.
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  25. "Torquay 3–3 Bristol Rovers".
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  28. Talbot, Bruce (18 October 2014). "Report: Notts County 5 Crawley Town 3". Crawley Town F.C. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
  29. "Notts County 5–3 Crawley Town". BBC Sport. 18 October 2014. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
  30. "Crawley Town 2–2 Milton Keynes Dons". BBC Sport. 10 January 2015. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
  31. Flanagan, Aaron (11 January 2015). "Crawley striker Matt Harrold plays 50 minutes in net, concedes last minute AND wins MOTM". The Mirror. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
  32. "Games played by Matt Harrold in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
  33. "Matt Harrold joins Cambridge United from Crawley on loan". BBC Sport. 23 February 2015. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
  34. "League Two: Newport County 0–3 Crawley Town". BBC Sport. 29 September 2015. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
  35. Hollis, Steve (12 April 2016). "Crawley striker to miss rest of the season". The Argus. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
  36. "Games played by Matt Harrold in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
  37. Hollis, Steve (9 June 2016). "Striker agrees new one-year deal at Crawley Town". The Argus. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
  38. Carter, Graham (16 September 2016). "Harrold injury set-back is 'Devastating'". Crawley & Horley Observer. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
  39. "Matt Harrold: Crawley Town striker out with Achilles injury". BBC Sport. 2 December 2016. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
  40. Talbot, Bruce (2 December 2016). "Injury blow for Matt". Crawley Town F.C. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
  41. "Matt Harrold in temporary charge as Crawley Town seek quick appointment". The Argus. 5 May 2017. Retrieved 23 May 2017.
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  43. Carter, Graham (29 June 2017). "Former Bristol Rovers striker Matt Harrold signs new contract at Crawley Town". Crawley & Horley Observer. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
  44. "Games played by Matt Harrold in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
  45. Dunford, Mark (31 August 2017). "'I have loved playing for the club' - Harrold says goodbye to Crawley Town". Crawley & Horley Observer. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
  46. "NEWS: Harrold joins the O's in Deadline Day deal". Leyton Orient F.C. 31 August 2017. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
  47. "Leyton Orient 4–1 Guiseley". BBC Sport. 2 September 2017. Retrieved 3 September 2017.
  48. "Matt Harrold joins first team coaching staff". Leyton Orient. 6 August 2020. Retrieved 6 August 2020.
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  57. "Games played by Matt Harrold in 2011/2012". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
  58. "Games played by Matt Harrold in 2012/2013". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
  59. "Games played by Matt Harrold in 2013/2014". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
  60. Matt Harrold at Soccerway. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
  61. "Games played by Matt Harrold in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
  62. "National League: 2018/19: Current table". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 6 May 2019.
    "Leyton Orient FC: Squad". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 6 May 2019.
  63. Stevens, Rob (19 May 2019). "AFC Fylde 1–0 Leyton Orient". BBC Sport. Retrieved 26 May 2019.
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