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Jamie Harris Interview

Jamie ready to step into the breech in Bucharest - by Fintan Cassidy

A stalwart in the centre of defence for the last two years in Shelbourne’s league–winning teams, Jamie Harris has been limited to just 6 starts (plus 7 substitute appearances) out of 29 so far this season due to a difficult-to-detect wrist injury. But the big Welshman is now back playing again and after two brief cameo run-outs against Bray Wanderers and Steaua Bucharest and now a full game under his belt playing for the reserves on Saturday, he couldn’t have timed it better.

Colin Hawkins is suspended for the second leg Champions League match in Bucharest next Wednesday and Jamie is on standby to step into his place. Talking to ShelsWeb after the U/21 cup win in the AUL, Harris said: “It was nice to get out there and play, I felt I was O.K and got through it no problems , I probably just need to sharpen up on one or two things. Overall I was quiet happy, it was nice to get a goal as well. With Colin out now, I think I’ve a chance of getting a game hopefully or even coming on as a sub.”

Jamie has had a varied career playing both as a centre forward or centre-half for different clubs: “I’d prefer to play at the back if I had the preference, but I’ve said to a lot of people that I’m happy to play up front and I feel comfortable up there as well. I don’t mind once I’m getting a game.”

Taking about the injury which has kept him sidelined for much of this year, he explained: “I fell awkwardly in training about 3 months and I broke a bone in the wrist called the scaphoid which controls the blood supply to the hand. I had an X-ray and it came back clear so I played on for a month., but it was still quite sore, so I went for a scan and the result showed that it was actually broken. So I had to have an operation on it and it’s one those injuries where you can be out up to 3 months, but I came back after 6 weeks which is the earliest that you can and while it’s still a bit tender it’s not too bad and I’ll have to wear a semi-cast and bandage on it for a couple of months.”

He is positive in the run-up to the game in Romania as the squad prepare to travel out early on Sunday: “The mood is good in the camp. Steaua are a classy outfit, but with them not into their season yet it gives us a chance, I think. We’ve drawn 0-0 with them and we had a few chances, but while we’re not afraid of them we do respect them. If we can hold them off for a while in the second leg and then get a breakaway, we could pull it off. If we score an away goal, they then have to score two.”

Asked about the draw for the third qualifying round of the CL he responded: “It’s a great draw, while some people say you might be better off with a money-spinner game against the likes of Inter Milan, Liverpool or Manchester United, I disagree with that . It’s far better to have a chance of getting through to the group stages, if we do make it as far as Rosenborg”

And still on an upbeat note, the league is far from over yet as far as he is concerned: “I never say never, until it’s mathematically impossible to do so. Cork haven’t had a bad patch yet in the league and they’re due one. I think they will hit a sticky patch and it’s a matter of us just keeping our heads, to keep on playing and to get back to taking our chances, keeping clean sheets and to get back to basics. We’re definitely still in there with a chance of winning the league again.”