Marcus Harness interview: Republic of Ireland hopes, Portsmouth promotion ambitions and more
Sky Sports exclusive: Marcus Harness discusses his hopes of representing the Republic of Ireland, his ambitions for promotion with Portsmouth and scoring a hat-trick against his old side Burton Albion.
Tuesday 24 November 2020 09:22, UK
It has been a momentous couple of weeks for Marcus Harness.
An impressive series of performances for Portsmouth this season caught the eye of the Republic of Ireland, who brought him into the fold for the first time during the last international break.
Harness didn't get the opportunity to train with the squad, but was watching on as they drew 0-0 with Bulgaria in their Nations League clash at the Aviva Stadium. To say it provided him with an incentive to keep up his current momentum would be an understatement.
"It was an incredible experience to be involved, to meet all the lads and get a taste of that stage," Harness tells Sky Sports after winning the Sky Bet League One Goal of the Month award for October. "It was an amazing few days. I was so proud to get my foot in the door and be around it.
"It has made me so hungry to do well here at Portsmouth and meet up with them again in the future. I'm desperate to get some caps and do well for my country. It's something I've always wanted, and now I want it even more."
Ireland missed out on qualification for Euro 2020, but World Cup qualifying is just around the corner, and Harness is already desperate to play his part.
In that game against Bulgaria he also saw his Portsmouth team-mate Ronan Curtis make a first competitive start. Something that helped make the dream seem more within touching distance for one of the stars of League One this season.
"He did really well," Harness says of his friend and team-mate. "It shows you what's possible and it definitely gives me something to work towards. Hopefully, I can do the same things that he is doing now in the future.
"Of course there are dreams of playing in a major tournament, but it's one step at a time. I would just love to get out there on the pitch for now.
"That would be a win for me and I would love to experience that."
Harness joined Portsmouth in the summer of 2019 and played a useful, if sometimes occasional, role in helping Kenny Jackett's side get to the League One play-offs last season.
A heartbreaking defeat on penalties to Oxford in the semi-finals, however, condemned the club to a second-straight defeat in the play-offs and another season in the third tier.
"It was a tough one to take and losing on penalties is never nice," says Harness. "To be honest we all think we shouldn't have even got to that point. We gave away two very soft goals in the games and it was so disappointing. A tough end to a tough season.
"The last two seasons we've got to the play-offs - the first year I wasn't here but last season I was - so we are clearly doing something right, but it's not quite there. It's about trying to keep doing the right things, but there are certain areas that we've noticed and we know we need to work and improve upon."
It appeared there may have been a hangover as Portsmouth picked up just two points in their first three games, but a 4-2 win at his former club Burton in early October - inspired by a Harness hat-trick and his Goal of the Month - kickstarted their season and now they are right up and challenging again.
"It was a strange day in a way," says Harness - who spent nine years at Burton as he came through the youth ranks. "I was obviously buzzing and really happy to score a hat-trick, but it was strange to do it there.
"In a way it was disappointing there were no fans, because it would have been nice to go back and see some more familiar faces. But it was also a great day for me, and it was a great result for me really helped us build some momentum."
Harness is now a regular fixture in the Portsmouth side, and knows the better he plays the more likely he is to achieve his dream of playing for Ireland, and winning promotion the Championship.
There is work to do to achieve both, but it is going well so far.
"I've been playing more consistently this year, while last season I was more in and out," he says. "Playing more games has maybe helped me be a bit more effective, and it's good to be a regular in the team because I've been able to build some momentum, and it looks to be paying off.
"The goal of everyone is to get into the Championship, that is what we are working towards. It's only early days in the season but we've made a good start and we're confident that by the end of the season we can be there or thereabouts. But there is a lot of work to do.
"Hopefully it will be the top two so we don't have to go through the play-offs again. We've started better this year and hopefully we can push on to the next step and make that leap."
You certainly wouldn't back against him.
