Worksop Town have pulled off one of the signings of their summer, confirming striker Kian Harratt on a permanent deal ahead of the club's first season in National League North.
Harratt arrives as a free agent following the expiry of his contract at Oldham Athletic, and he brings with him a story that reads like a tour of the lower reaches of English football - one littered with promotions, big moments on the biggest stages, and the kind of goalscoring pedigree that should excite Worksop supporters heading into a step up in level.
The 24-year-old cut his teeth in the academies at Barnsley and Leeds United before finding a home at Huddersfield Town, where he signed his first professional contract after catching the eye on trial. He was a prolific finisher even then, banging in 32 goals across 47 youth games in a single season, and he was rewarded with a first-team debut against Leeds as a 17-year-old back in December 2019.
What came next was a familiar tale for a young striker trying to find his level - a string of loans that took him around the lower leagues in search of regular football. There was a productive month at Harrogate Town, a spell at Guiseley in National League North, and then, most memorably, a loan at Port Vale that saw him score in the League Two play-off final at Wembley as the Valiants won promotion to League One. A stint at Bradford City followed before he eventually left Huddersfield behind for good, moving to Fleetwood Town in 2024.
His time on the Fylde coast didn't last long, but the next chapter proved to be the making of him. Harratt dropped into the National League in March 2025 to join Oldham Athletic, and within a matter of months he'd etched his name into the club's history - scoring the extra-time winner in the National League play-off final that same year, a 3-2 win over Southend United in front of a record Wembley crowd that sent the Latics back into the Football League. He stuck around for the following League Two campaign, before a January loan move took him back into non-league with Brackley Town for the rest of 2025/26.
Harratt's career has not been without its off-field problems. He was convicted of hare coursing in 2022 and fined, and received a further conviction and fine in late 2024 for trespassing with poaching equipment. In February 2024, he was also handed a four-month ban and fine by the FA after admitting to breaching betting regulations, having placed hundreds of bets on football matches - including some involving his own clubs - over a three-year period. More recently, footage emerged in the summer of 2025 showing him throwing a chair during an altercation at a holiday resort in Ibiza, which struck a woman; Harratt later apologised publicly, saying the incident wasn't intentional. Worksop will be hoping the striker's focus now stays firmly on football as he embarks on this next chapter.
A forward who has scored winning goals at Wembley in front of tens of thousands, and who has proven himself capable of finding the net a level above where Worksop currently sit, is exactly the sort of statement addition Worksop need. Expect him to lead the line with real purpose as the Tigers look to make an immediate mark in their new surroundings.
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