SCORING on your debut for your hometown club is something that every player dreams of doing, and Aldershot Town striker Harry Panayiotou was able to live that dream.

Born in Leicester, he joined the Foxes at the age of 13, and he credits his time there as helping him become the player he is today.

“My manager at the time, Steve Beaglehole, prepped us for men’s football from the day I got to him. Then obviously being under Nigel Pearson, who’s a great manager, helped a lot.

“Training with Premier League players and a lot of big names, it helped me become who I am today.”

Although Panayiotou only made one appearance for Leicester’s first team, it was a moment he would never forget.

After coming on as a substitute at just 17 years old, he scored an injury time winner against Leeds at Elland Road on the final day of the 2011-12 campaign. He says that it is his favourite moment in his career.

“I’m from Leicester, I lived two minutes from the training ground and used to walk to and from training. It was such a sweet feeling, to score for my own city at 17 was crazy. No matter what I do, nothing can ever top that moment.”

Panayiotou was Aldershot Town’s joint-top goalscorer last season, and scored an impressive eight goals in the final 14 games, which earned him a move to Scottish Premiership side Livingston.

However, he only managed to make four league appearances, all off the bench, and mutually terminated his contract with the Lions in January, before returning to the Shots on an 18-month deal. He said that this was an easy decision for him.

“I wouldn’t have gone to Livingston if I knew I wasn’t going to play as much as I would have liked,” he said.

“At the end of the day, you have to go and try these things. I’m not going to say no to a SPFL club and have the chance to play the likes of Rangers and Celtic, and thankfully I did play against Celtic and a few other teams.

“Sometimes you just have to accept that you’re just not the manager’s sort of player and just move on. Some people will say this is a step back returning to Aldershot Town, but I didn’t see it as that. When the new gaffer came in, and Mikey (Koopowitz) was calling me everyday, it was a no brainer.”

The former Barrow man originally joined Aldershot Town in 2019, and was managed by Danny Searle in both of his previous seasons at the club. His return meant a new manager, coming in the form of Mark Molesley, and the 27-year-old said that they have very different ways of how they want to play.

“Danny Searle’s a great manager, I’ve only got good things to say about him.

“But under the gaffer now, Mark Molesley, he just wants to ensure the defence doesn’t leak as many goals, and to be fair it is working. Obviously at the moment in the games, it’s just me up top and then a lot of the team are quite far away from me, but I understand that’s how he wants to play this season, and it’s working so you can’t complain. I just have to accept that I’m not going to get as many goals as I would like, but that’s fine and I’ve got to make that sacrifice for the team.

“With this gaffer as well, his tactical awareness is amazing, and I’m sure that whether or not he’s at the club for a few years, he will definitely go higher, because his knowledge of football is amazing.”

Panayiotou is also one of just a few Aldershot Town players that plays international football.

He represents St Kitts and Nevis, and has scored ten goals for the Sugar Boyz, including a hat-trick against Turks and Caicos in 2015, which he said was one of a number of big achievements for him and his country.

“Getting an international hat-trick in the World Cup qualifiers, not many people can say they’ve done that, so that was a big thing for me.

“We also came over to Europe and played Andorra, and we were the first Carribean side ever to win in Europe after we beat them 1-0. It was huge for us as a country.”

The forward is in what most would call the prime of his career, and he has high ambitions in both his club and international career. “I do want to do a lot of things with St Kitts and Nevis, getting to the Gold Cup would be a massive achievement for us,” he said.

“I know it sounds cliche saying that I want to play as high as possible, but I know where I can get to. As long as I get my head down and score goals here, I’m sure I’ll get there. As long as I don’t cheat myself, I’ll get to where I know I can.”