John Terence Harkin (born 14 September 1941) is a Northern Irish former professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

who played as a

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. He scored 125 goals in 260 league games in nine seasons in the

Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional association football, football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, it is the oldest football league in Association football around the world, the w ...

. He also scored 66 goals in 142 games in the

League of Ireland The League of Ireland is a national association football Sports league, league consisting of professional clubs in the Republic of Ireland and Derry, Derry City in Northern Ireland. It is governed by the Football Association of Ireland. It was ...

and scored five goals in 11

North American Soccer League The North American Soccer League (NASL) was the top-level major professional soccer league in the United States and Canada that operated from 1968 to 1984. It is considered the first soccer league to be successful on a national scale in the ...

games. At the international level, he made five appearances, scoring two goals for the Northern Ireland national team. He began his career with Derry City and

Coleraine Coleraine ( ; from , 'nook of the ferns'Flanaghan, Deirdre & Laurence; ''Irish Place Names'', page 194. Gill & Macmillan, 2002. ) is a town and Civil parishes in Ireland, civil parish near the mouth of the River Bann in County Londonderry, No ...

, before winning a £2,000 move to

Port Vale Port Vale Football Club are a professional football club based in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, England, which compete in , the third tier of the English football league system. Vale are named after the valley of ports on the Trent and Mersey Canal ...

in September 1962. He was sold on to

Crewe Alexandra Crewe Alexandra Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Crewe, Cheshire, England. Its first team competes in League Two, the fourth level of the English football league system. Nicknamed 'The Railwaymen' ...

for £3,000 in June 1964 and scored a club record 35 goals in 1964–65. He moved on to

Cardiff City Cardiff City Football Club () is a professional association football club based in Cardiff, Wales. It currently competes in , the third tier of the English football league system in the 2025–26 season following relegation. Founded in 1899 a ...

in August 1965 before switching to

Notts County Notts County Football Club is a professional association football, football club in Nottingham, England, which competes in EFL League Two, the fourth tier of Football in England, English football, following promotion and relegation, promotion ...

the following year. He was sold on to

Southport Southport is a seaside resort, seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England. It lies on the West Lancashire Coastal Plain, West Lancashire coastal plain and the east coast of the Irish Sea, approximately north of ...

for £2,000 the next year before being

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red to

Shrewsbury Town Shrewsbury Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England. The team currently competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1886, the club were inaugur ...

in March 1969. He returned to Ireland in 1971 to play for

Finn Harps Finn Harps Football Club is an Irish football club that play in the First Division of the League of Ireland, as of 2023. The club was founded in 1954 and elected to the league in 1969. They hail from Ballybofey, County Donegal and play their ho ...

. He spent eight years with the club and won the

FAI Cup The Football Association of Ireland Senior Challenge Cup (FAI Cup), known as the Sports Direct FAI Cup for sponsorship reasons, is a knock-out association football competition contested annually by teams from the Republic of Ireland (as well as D ...

in 1974, and helped the "Harps" to finish second in the

in 1972–73, 1975–76, and 1977–78. In summer 1973, he played on

loan In finance, a loan is the tender of money by one party to another with an agreement to pay it back. The recipient, or borrower, incurs a debt and is usually required to pay interest for the use of the money. The document evidencing the deb ...

for Canadian club

Toronto Metros Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

. He ended his career in 1980, following a brief spell at

Dundalk Dundalk ( ; ) is the county town of County Louth, Ireland. The town is situated on the Castletown River, which flows into Dundalk Bay on the north-east coast of Ireland, and is halfway between Dublin and Belfast, close to and south of the bor ...

Club career

A prolific goalscorer throughout his career, Harkin started as a youth with Derry City before making his name with

Bertie Peacock John Robert 'Bertie' Peacock MBE (29 September 1928 – 22 July 2004) was a Northern Ireland international footballer and manager who played for Celtic. Playing career After starting his career with local side Coleraine F.C., Peacock moved on ...

. He

red to

Norman Low Norman Harvey Low (23 March 1914 – 21 May 1994) was a Scottish football player and manager. He was the son of Scottish international footballer, Wilf Low. A central defender, he played for Newcastle United between 1931 and 1933, before three ...

for a £2,000 fee in September 1962. He opened his account for the "Valiants" with a brace in a 5–1 win over

Southend United Southend United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England, which competes in the National League, the fifth level of English football. The team are known as "The Shrimpers", a reference ...

Vale Park Vale Park is a football stadium in the area of Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England, and it has been the home ground of Port Vale Football Club since its opening in 1950. It has a current capacity of 15,695, and was renovated durin ...

on 24 September. He finished the 1962–63 season with 10 goals in 17 Third Division, as new boss Freddie Steele took the club to within one place of automatic

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. In 1963–64, Harkin managed only two goals in eleven games, both against Southend. A close-season £3,000 transfer to Jimmy McGuigan's

in June 1964 brought an improvement to Harkin's league opportunities. He scored 35 times (a seasonal record for a Crewe player) in the Fourth Division in 1964–65, including a four-goal performance in a 6–2 win over Barrow. This form brought the attention of higher-league clubs, and new Port Vale

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of organizations, whether businesses, nonprofit organizations, or a government bodies through business administration, nonprofit management, or the political science sub-field of public administra ...

Jackie Mudie John Knight Mudie (10 April 1930 – 2 March 1992) was a Scottish international footballer who played as a forward. He won 17 caps for his country, helping the Scotland national team to qualify for the 1958 FIFA World Cup. Starting his ...

tried to re-sign Harkin towards the end of the season, but he remained at

Gresty Road Gresty Road or the Alexandra Stadium, currently known as the Mornflake Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is a football stadium in Crewe, Cheshire, England. The home ground of Crewe Alexandra, it has an all-seated capacity of 10,153. History C ...

. In August 1965,

manager

Jimmy Scoular James Scoular (11 January 1925 – 19 March 1998) was a Scottish football player and manager. Known as a tough, combative player with precise passing skills, Scoular made over 600 appearances in the Football League with Portsmouth, Newcastle Un ...

took Harkin into the Second Division. An explosive start to his

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career saw a debut goal in a 2–1 defeat by

Derby County Derby County Football Club () is a professional association football club in Derby, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English football league system. One of the 12 founder members of the English Football ...

and a total of seven in his first eight games before his form dipped and goals dried up. The "Bluebirds" narrowly avoided relegation in 1965–66. Thereafter, Harkin's first-team opportunities were sporadic, and in September 1966, both club and player decided to part ways. A "no-nonsense" striker, strong in the air and possessing a powerful

shot Shot may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Shot'' (album), by The Jesus Lizard *''Shot, Illusion, New God'', an EP by Gruntruck *'' Shot Rev 2.0'', a video album by The Sisters of Mercy * "Shot" (song), by The Rasmus * ''Shot'' (2017 ...

with either foot, Harkin found himself back in the Fourth Division with

. An explosive start at

Meadow Lane Meadow Lane is a football (soccer), football stadium in Nottingham, England. It is the home ground of Notts County F.C., Notts County, who have played there since it opened in 1910. The stadium was also home to Notts County Ladies F.C. from 201 ...

brought Harkin seven goals by mid-November before his form slightly dipped. At the end of 1966–67, the "Magpies" finished just above the re-election positions and accepted a £2,000 bid for Harkin from

, newly promoted to the Third Division. At that time, Southport were managed by

Billy Bingham William Laurence Bingham (5 August 1931 – 9 June 2022) was a Northern Ireland international footballer and manager. As a player, his first professional club was Glentoran, for whom he played between 1948 and 1950. Making a move to England, ...

, and although he left mid-season to manage

Plymouth Argyle Plymouth Argyle Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Plymouth, Devon, England. The team currently competes in EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system. The club has played ...

, he clearly remembered Harkin for the other post he had also taken that season, part-time manager of Northern Ireland. His 21 league goals in 1967–68 helped the "Sandgrounders" to mid-table respectability and an appearance in the

FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...

third round, where they lost narrowly, 1–0, to

First Division 1st Division or First Division may refer to: Military Airborne divisions *1st Parachute Division (Germany) *1st Airborne Division (United Kingdom) * 1st Airmobile Division (Ukraine) * 1st Guards Airborne Division Armoured divisions *1st Armoure ...

giants, Everton. In March 1969, cash-strapped Southport manager Don McEvoy was forced to sell one of his prize assets as Harkin joined struggling Third Division rivals,

. Harkin's eight goals in 17 appearances helped drag the "Shrews" to safety in 1968–69. Harkin remained a regular goalscorer at

Gay Meadow Gay Meadow was a football ground in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England, serving as the home ground of Shrewsbury Town. Located on the banks of the River Severn, it opened in 1910. The ground closed at the end of the 2006-07 Football League seas ...

in 1969–70 through to the end of the 1970–71 season, when he moved back home to sign for

County Donegal County Donegal ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county of the Republic of Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster and is the northernmost county of Ireland. The county mostly borders Northern Ireland, sharing only a small b ...

club,

. Harkin helped the "Harps" to the most successful period in their history when he tied (with

Waterford Waterford ( ) is a City status in Ireland, city in County Waterford in the South-East Region, Ireland, south-east of Ireland. It is located within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster. The city is situated at the head of Waterford H ...

Alfie Hale Alfred Hale (born 28 August 1939) is an Irish former football player and coach who played for several clubs in both the League of Ireland and the English League, most notably, Waterford, Aston Villa, Doncaster Rovers and Cork Celtic. During hi ...

) in the

1972–73 Year 197 ( CXCVII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Magius and Rufinus (or, less frequently, year 950 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 197 for this y ...

on a league-leading tally of 20 goals. He claimed an

winners' medal the following year (the club's only ever major trophy win). The "Harps" did regularly challenge for the League championship and finished as runners-up in 1972–73, 1975–76, and 1977–78. They also competed in Europe regularly, and Harkin scored in two legs against

Aberdeen Aberdeen ( ; ; ) is a port city in North East Scotland, and is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, third most populous Cities of Scotland, Scottish city. Historically, Aberdeen was within the historic county of Aberdeensh ...

in the

1973–74 UEFA Cup The 1973–74 UEFA Cup was the third season of the UEFA Cup, the third-tier club football competition organised by UEFA. The final was played over two legs at White Hart Lane, London, England, and at De Kuip, Rotterdam, the Netherlands. It was wo ...

. He finished as the League of Ireland's joint top-scorer (with

) in the 1972–73 season, with 20 goals. Harkin's 82 league and cup goals leaves him in the club's top-five all-time goalscorers. Harkin spent the summer of 1973 playing in the

, helping the

to the play-offs with nine goals and five assists (15 points in MVP terms) in eleven games. He finished his senior career as a 38-year-old with

, later becoming a director at Derry City.

International career

It was during his debut season in England that Harkin won his first senior representative honour, leading the line for Northern Ireland under-23's in a 5–1 defeat by

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

Vetch Field The Vetch Field was a football stadium in Swansea, Wales, and was the home ground of Swansea City A.F.C. from the club’s founding until 2005. Following its closure, the club relocated to a newly constructed stadium, originally named the Libert ...

Swansea Swansea ( ; ) is a coastal City status in the United Kingdom, city and the List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, second-largest city of Wales. It forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area, officially known as the City and County of ...

, in February 1963. His first full

cap A cap is a flat headgear, usually with a visor. Caps have crowns that fit very close to the head. They made their first appearance as early as 3200 BC. The origin of the word "cap" comes from the Old French word "chapeau" which means "head co ...

for Northern Ireland senior team came in 1968. On 11 December 1968, they faced

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

BJK İnönü Stadium İnönü Stadium () was a football stadium in Istanbul, Turkey and the home ground of the football club Beşiktaş. Previously, the ground had also been shared with Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe. The ground was located in Dolmabahçe, close to D ...

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

qualification Qualification may refer to: Processes * Qualifications-Based Selection (QBS), a competitive contract procurement process established by the United States Congress * Process qualification, ensures that manufacturing and production processes can ...

for the

1970 FIFA World Cup The 1970 FIFA World Cup was the 9th edition of the FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international Association football, football championship for List of men's national association football teams, men's senior national teams. Held from 31 May to ...

, and Harkin bagged a brace in a 3–0 win. The final two

s of Harkin's international career were won in Moscow and

Seville Seville ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Spain, Spanish autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the Guadalquivir, River Guadalquivir, ...

, both games resulting in defeats.

Career statistics

Club

International

Honours

Finn Harps *

: 1974

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Harkin, Terry 1941 births Living people Association footballers from Derry (city) Men's association footballers from Northern Ireland Northern Ireland men's international footballers Men's association football forwards Derry City F.C. players Coleraine F.C. players Port Vale F.C. players Crewe Alexandra F.C. players Cardiff City F.C. players Notts County F.C. players Southport F.C. players Shrewsbury Town F.C. players Expatriate men's association footballers from Northern Ireland Expatriate men's association footballers in the Republic of Ireland Expatriates from Northern Ireland in the Republic of Ireland Finn Harps F.C. players Expatriate men's soccer players in Canada Expatriate sportspeople from Northern Ireland in Canada Toronto Blizzard (1971–1984) players Dundalk F.C. players NIFL Premiership players English Football League players League of Ireland players North American Soccer League (1968–1984) players Northern Ireland men's under-23 international footballers 20th-century sportsmen from Northern Ireland