Harry_Panayiotou

Harry Panayiotou

Harry Panayiotou

British footballer (born 1994)


Harrison Andreas Panayiotou (Greek: Χάρρισον Ανδρέας Παναγιώτου; born 28 October 1994) is a professional footballer who plays as a forward for Sirens. He represents the Saint Kitts and Nevis national team, having made his international debut in 2014.[4][5][6][7][8][9]

Quick Facts Personal information, Full name ...

Born in Leicester, Panayiotou joined his hometown club Leicester City as a youngster, making his first-team debut in April 2012. After loan spells at Port Vale in October 2014 and Raith Rovers in the second half of the 2015–16 season, he was released by Leicester. He joined Barrow in September 2016, and was loaned out to Salford City in March 2017. He signed with Nuneaton Borough in June 2018, before moving on to Greek side Aittitos Spata in January 2019 and then returned to the English National League with Aldershot Town in July 2019. After two seasons there, he joined Scottish Premiership side Livingston for a short spell, but returned to Aldershot Town in January 2022. He joined Maidenhead United on loan in February 2023. He joined Gibraltar club Bruno's Magpies in August 2023.

Club career

Leicester City

Panayiotou was born in Leicester, to a Greek Cypriot father, Andreas, who was involved in youth football, and a Kittian mother.[10] He started his career at the youth academy of local club Leicester City, alongside subsequent first-team teammates Andy King, Jeffrey Schlupp, Liam Moore, Tom Parkes and Cian Bolger. His performances for the under-18 side earned him the Fans' Academy Player of the Year award for the 2011–12 season. He was part of the youth squad which won the HKFC Soccer Sevens cup in May 2013, where he scored five goals, including one in the 2–0 win over Newcastle United in the final; he was subsequently named Player of the Tournament.[11]

After impressing in games for Leicester City Under-21 he was named as the under-21 Premier League Player of the Month for March.[12] On 18 May 2015, Panayiotou was named Leicester City Under-21 Player of the Year, reward for an impressive season including scoring 11 goals in his last 13 games.[13] He made his senior debut for the "Foxes" against Leeds United on the final day of the 2011–12 season at Elland Road; he replaced Lloyd Dyer in the 73rd minute and scored the winning goal in added time.[14] He signed his first professional contract in September 2012,[15] and in July 2014 he extended it by a further two years.[16] On 20 October 2014, Panayioutou joined League One side Port Vale on a one-month loan.[17] However, he did not make a first-team appearance for the "Valiants" during his time at Vale Park.[18]

On 29 January 2016, Panayiotou joined Scottish Championship club Raith Rovers on a loan until the end of the 2015–16 season.[19] He made his league debut for Raith against Rangers on 2 February, coming on as a second-half substitute.[20] He scored his first goal for Rovers in a 3–3 draw against with Rangers on 2 April.[21] His next goal came in the Scottish Championship semi-final first leg play-off against Hibernian at Stark's Park on 4 May 2016; Rovers went on to lose 2–0 (2–1 on aggregate) in the return leg three days later.[22][23] He was released by Leicester City at the end of the 2015–16 season.[24]

Barrow

Panayiotou cut short a trial at Borussia Dortmund's under-23 team to sign a two-year contract with National League side Barrow in September 2016; "Bluebirds" manager Paul Cox said that "he had offers from Yeovil and Coventry and even from Salt Lake City in America, but he wanted to play here for us".[25] He made his debut for Barrow in an FA Trophy replay against Harrogate Town on 13 December 2016.[26] On 23 March 2017, he joined National League North side Salford City on loan until the end of the 2016–17 season.[27] He played three games for the "Ammies".

Back with Barrow for the 2017–18 season he chose to turn down his country so as to help Adrian Pennock's side battle against relegation.[28] The battle proved successful as Barrow finished one place and one point above the relegation zone.

Nuneaton Borough

On 25 June 2018, Panayiotou signed with National League North side Nuneaton Borough in a move that reunited him with former Leicester City youth coach Nicky Eaden.[29] He made 20 appearances for "Boro" in the first half of the 2018–19 season, before he departed Liberty Way on 23 January 2019.[30]

Aittitos Spata

In January 2019, Panayiotou signed for Greek Football League side Aittitos Spata.[31] The "Invincible" were relegated at the end of the 2018–19 season after being expelled for financial problems.[32]

Aldershot Town

On 12 July 2019, Panayiotou joined National League side Aldershot Town after a successful trial spell.[33] He scored four goals in 30 appearances for the "Shots" in the 2019–20 season, which was permanently suspended on 26 March due to the COVID-19 pandemic in England, with Aldershot in 16th-place.[34] He scored 12 goals from 37 appearances in the 2020–21 season, finishing as the "Shots" joint-top goalscorer.[35][36]

Livingston

On 12 August 2021, Panayiotou signed a two-year deal with an option for a third year with Scottish Premiership club Livingston.[37] He made his debut at the Almondvale Stadium in the Scottish League Cup on 14 August, coming on as a 67th-minute substitute only to be substituted himself eleven minutes later in what ended as a 1–1 draw with St Mirren; manager David Martindale said after the game that it was a mistake to play Panayiotou as he was not fit.[38] He made his Premiership debut in a 0–0 draw with Celtic on 30 October.[39] He made just four substitute appearances in the league for the "Lions" and his contract was mutually terminated in January 2022.[36][40] Panayiotou said there was a "toxic" environment at the club.[41]

Return to Aldershot

On 5 January 2022, Panayiotou returned to Aldershot Town on a free transfer, signing an eighteen-month deal.[42] He said it was a "no-brainer" to return to the Recreation Ground and said manager Mark Molesley had "amazing" tactical awareness and knowledge.[36] He scored one goal in fifteen appearances in the second half of the 2021–22 season.[35] On 17 February 2023, Panayiotou joined league rivals Maidenhead United on a one-month loan.[43] This deal was then extended until the end of the season.[44] He featured seventeen times for Aldershot and six times for Maidenhead during the 2022–23 season, with both clubs successfully avoiding relegation.[35] He was released by Aldershot at the end of the season.[45]

After a spell playing in Gibraltar for Bruno's Magpies, Panayiotou joined Maltese Premier League side Sirens in January 2024, making his debut in a defeat to Valletta.[46]

International career

On 8 October 2014, Panayiotou scored on his debut for Saint Kitts and Nevis in their Caribbean Cup qualifying defeat to Barbados at Stade Sylvio Cator in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.[47]

On 26 March 2015, he scored a hat-trick beginning with a penalty in the second leg of a World Cup first qualifying round tie against the Turks and Caicos Islands at the TCIFA National Academy in Providenciales; Saint Kitts and Nevis won the match 6–2 for a 12–4 aggregate victory.[48] On 26 March 2016, he scored in a 2–0 win over Aruba which secured passage into the Second Round of qualification for the 2017 Caribbean Cup.[49] This also meant he broke an 85-year Leicester City club record previously held by England's Ernie Hine – the Foxes' all-time leading goalscorer at international level.[50]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 15 April 2023
More information Club, Season ...
  1. Appearance/s and goal/s in the play-offs.
  2. Appearance/s and goal/s in the FA Trophy.
  3. Appearance/s in the Birmingham Senior Cup.

International

As of match played 24 March 2024.[59]
More information National team, Year ...

International goals

Scores and results list Saint Kitts and Nevis' goal tally first.[59]
More information #, Date ...

References

  1. "Harry Panayiotou". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 9 March 2017.
  2. Harry Panayiotou at Soccerbase
  3. "FootballSquads - Port Vale - 2014/2015". www.footballsquads.co.uk. Archived from the original on 4 February 2021. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  4. "ACES tournament attracts country's best players". Leicester Mercury. 27 June 2013. Archived from the original on 23 November 2015. Retrieved 23 October 2014.
  5. "Foxes Secure Hong Kong Sevens Crown". lcfc.com. 26 May 2013. Archived from the original on 16 June 2013. Retrieved 26 May 2013.
  6. "Panayiotou Named Barclays U21 Player Of The Month". www.lcfc.com. 10 April 2015. Retrieved 24 October 2016.
  7. "Esteban Cambiasso Named Leicester City Player Of The Year". Leicester City. 18 May 2015. Retrieved 18 May 2015.
  8. "Leeds 1 -2 Leicester". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 28 April 2012. Retrieved 28 April 2012.
  9. "Three Moore Years For Liam". LCFC.com. Retrieved 21 September 2012.
  10. "New Deal for Striker". Leicester City. 12 July 2014.
  11. "Port Vale sign Leicester City striker on loan". BBC Sport. 21 October 2014. Retrieved 21 October 2014.
  12. Baggaley, Mike (17 November 2014). "Harry Panayiotou returns to Leicester City". The Sentinel. Retrieved 18 November 2014.
  13. "Rovers Sign Leicester City Starlet". Raith Rovers F.C. 29 January 2016. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
  14. "Premier League free transfers" (PDF). premierleague.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 June 2016. Retrieved 10 June 2016.
  15. "Barrow AFC land Leicester City striker on two-year deal". North-West Evening Mail. 22 September 2016. Retrieved 22 September 2016.
  16. "Akil double seals Trophy fightback win for Barrow AFC over Harrogate Town". NorthWest Evening Mail. Retrieved 14 December 2016.
  17. "Harry Panayiotou pledges commitment to Barrow's relegation battle over Saint Kitts & Nevis". The Non League Football Paper – Daily football news. 19 December 2017. Retrieved 13 May 2018.
  18. Etheridge, Adam. "Harry Panayiotou joins the Boro' - News - Nuneaton Borough FC". www.pitchero.com. Retrieved 25 June 2018.
  19. Etheridge, Adam (23 January 2019). "SQUAD NEWS: Harry Panayiotou Departs". Nuneaton Borough FC. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
  20. "Leicester academy graduate Harry Panayiotou to continue football career in Greece". Luke Pawley. 26 January 2019. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
  21. TEAM, ΦΩΣ. "Football League: Αποβλήθηκε ο Αήττητος Σπάτων". Fosonline.gr (in Greek). Retrieved 30 April 2019.
  22. "Aldershot bring in duo". The Non League Football Paper - Daily football news. 12 July 2019. Retrieved 13 July 2019.
  23. "Harry: no brainer to return to Shots | liphookherald.com". Liphook Herald. 3 February 2022. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
  24. "Welcome Harrison Panayiotou". livingstonfc.co.uk. 12 August 2021. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  25. Carson, Callum (16 August 2021). "Livingston boss explains decision to sub striker just 11 minutes into his debut". Daily Record. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
  26. Watt, Martin (30 October 2021). "Celtic fail to go top in draw with Livi". BBC Sport. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
  27. Black, Dave (1 January 2022). "Harrison Panayiotou released". Livingston FC. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
  28. Collin, Iain (6 January 2022). "Harrison Panayiotou claims 'toxic environment' led to Livingston exit". HeraldScotland. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
  29. "NEW SIGNING: Shots Re-Sign Panayiotou! | Aldershot Town FC". theshots.co.uk. 5 January 2022. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
  30. @MUFCYorkRoad (17 February 2023). "Harry Panayiotou is a Magpie" (Tweet) via Twitter.
  31. "LOAN UPDATE: KAROY ANDERSON AND HARRISON PANAYIOTOU". www.theshots.co.uk. 23 March 2023. Retrieved 23 March 2023.
  32. "2023 RETAINED LIST". www.theshots.co.uk. 7 May 2023. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
  33. "Late win for Hibernians as Valletta beat Sirens". sport.timesofmalta.com. 28 January 2024. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
  34. "CFU Men's Caribbean Cup Second Round Updates". cfufootball.org. Archived from the original on 7 April 2016. Retrieved 23 October 2014.
  35. "Barbados advance in CONCACAF World Cup qualifying". ESPN FC. 27 March 2015. Retrieved 28 March 2015.
  36. "Scotiabank CFU Caribbean Cup Day 4 Results". cfufootball.org. Archived from the original on 7 April 2016. Retrieved 27 March 2016.
  37. Young-Myles, Oliver. "Leicester City youngster breaks 85 year international record". squawka.com. Retrieved 29 March 2016.
  38. "Games played by Harry Panayiotou in 2011/2012". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
  39. "Games played by Harry Panayiotou in 2012/2013". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
  40. "Games played by Harry Panayiotou in 2013/2014". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
  41. "Games played by Harry Panayiotou in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
  42. "Games played by Harry Panayiotou in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
  43. "Games played by Harry Panayiotou in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
  44. "Games played by Harry Panayiotou in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
  45. "Panayiotou, Harry". National-Football-Teams.com. Retrieved 10 October 2016.

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