Burnley v Luton Town - Pete Oliver's big match preview

THE last time Gerry Harrison played at Turf Moor, he was carried off having given everything to the claret and blue cause as Burnley survived relegation to the Third Division by the skin of their teeth.

Harrison was hurt as he threw himself into a last-ditch tackle against Plymouth Argyle as the Pilgrims strove for the equaliser that would have sent Burnley down in their place in what turned out to be Chris Waddle's final game in charge.

That kind of commitment endeared him to the Clarets' fans and suggested that he would become a fixture at Burnley.

But the fortunes of football are such that his next appearance at Turf Moor will come tomorrow in a Luton Town shirt.

It has been a circuitous route for Harrison, who left Burnley in the summer for the glare of Sunderland's Stadium of Light.

The chance to join Peter Reid's resurgent red and whites was too much to refuse, although I believe Harrison may still have been a Burnley player if contract talks hadn't dragged on through last summer.

The former Watford and Bristol City player, who became a free agent at the end of last season, wasn't happy with what was initally offered. If the deal had been right he may well have signed, but by the time his terms had been improved, with a new manager in place, Sunderland were on the scene.

"The manager Stan Ternent did everything to try and sign me and it was no fault of his.

"But then the Sunderland opportunity came up and it was an opportunity that was too good to miss.

"I didn't not want to go to Sunderland and then later in my career think what might have happened if I hadn't gone," said Harrison.

Few could blame him for taking the chance of joining a club that looked odds-on to be challenging for promotion to the Premiership in a new ground regularly housing 40,000-plus crowds.

Sadly for Harrison it didn't work out as illness blighted his pre-season work and he never became part of the first-team set-up.

"I had one game and didn't do too much and the team was just unstoppable," he said.

"Unfortunately I got the illness. I have got fit now but to be honest they could play anybody in that Sunderland team and they would do a job. It's just getting the opportunity and I think my opportunities are limited.

"They could take anybody from the under-17s all the way through the teams and they wouldn't look out of place.

"But I consider I have been at one of the biggest clubs in the country and seen what it's like.

"They don't really need me there and I haven't really contributed to what they've done in the five months I was there but I have learned a lot in terms of how to act and on the playing side. I feel I am a better player and I just want to express that now and try and do what I have been taught over the last five months." Harrison is indebted to Adrian Heath, his former manager at Burnley and now coach at Sunderland, for getting his career back on track.

"He gave me a lot of confidence. I was struggling a bit but he helped me through it and gave me my confidence back," Harrison admitted.

And Luton, rivals for his signature in the summer, are set to benefit.

"I am just enjoying playing football on a Saturday. That was no fault of Sunderland but I just want to play.

"I played a few reserve games, got myself fit and came to Luton and I have enjoyed every minute of it," he said.

Harrison, currently playing at right-back and winning rave reviews at Kenilworth Road, initially joined the Hatters on loan.

But Luton have been trying this week to make the move permanent before tomorrow's game when Harrison will be bidding to put one over a club that holds special memories.

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