With the transfer agreement for Huddersfield, Port Vale struck gold.

Despite being at Huddersfield Town, Kian Harratt had only made one appearance for the Terriers, coming off the bench in a December 2019 match against Leeds United when he was just 17 years old.

But with 16 goals in 15 starts for the Huddersfield B team, he was making an impression and David Flitcroft, Port Vale’s director of football, noticed.

The Terriers staff was evidently delighted by Flitcroft’s understanding and scouting of the youngster during his first January transfer window. Leigh Bromby, the head of football operations at Huddersfield, stated on the club’s website, “We’re really excited about this loan for Kian.”

“It was evident from our conversations that Port Vale was very interested in the player and the role they saw for him, and they invested a lot of time and energy into making this loan happen. That makes a big difference since you are entrusting the Club with his development if we send any of our brilliant young players away.”

After just one day at Vale Park, Harratt saw action as a member of the first team for the first time in almost two years, starting from the bench in an FA Cup third-round match against Premier League outfit Brentford.

Although Vale put in a brave display, they were behind 2-0 at the half. However, the arrival of Harratt brightened the atmosphere at Vale Park, and the young player soon had the crowd in stitches with a brilliant diving header to cut the deficit.

In one of the most exciting home crowds at Vale Park in years, Vale kept up the pressure but ultimately ran out of steam and lost 4-1 to Brentford, led by Bryan Mbuemo.

Harratt was clearly a success, even if Vale had a period of mediocrity following the January transfer window’s closure—a pattern they would continue for the next two seasons.

In the Valiants’ 3-1 league loss to Swindon Town, he scored the game’s winning goal, which was awarded Vale’s Goal of the Month. He also won Player of the Month.

The BBC referred to Harratt’s introduction as “the turning point” when he came off the bench against Mansfield Town and scored twice in the closing minutes to give Port Vale a 3-1 victory over their rivals vying for promotion.

When Port Vale faced Mansfield in the League Two play-off final, their greatest game in years, Harratt had more than justified his spot in the squad, and he performed admirably.

Firstly, he sent an effort crashing off the post, before another diving header put Vale in front, sending thousands of Valiants delirious. He was unlucky to have another ruled out for offside.

In his match review, The Sentinel’s Mike Baggaley said of Harratt: “He never gave the Mansfield defence a moment’s peace…the Stags defence couldn’t handle him.”

But unfortunately for Port Vale fans, Harratt’s Wembley date would be the last time they would see him in a Vale shirt.

Five days after assisting in the promotion to League One, Harratt returned to League Two, taking a loan position with Bradford City.

Many Vale supporters had anticipated that Harratt would stay longer, therefore many were taken aback by this transfer. In fact, the team struggled to find strikers even after being promoted to League One; Tommy McDermott, a 17-year-old offensive midfielder, and Jamie Proctor led the line at the beginning of the season.

Harratt had little success at Bradford, receiving a sending-off on debut, and then receiving a criminal conviction for hare-coursing which resulted in his loan being instantly terminated.

His next achievement came in April 2023 when he helped his parent team Huddersfield escape the relegation zone by scoring a pivotal goal against Watford. BBC Radio Leeds spoke with manager Neil Warnock, who stated: “You see the young kid (Kian Harratt) come in.” I was eager to put him on the bench because he had performed so admirably in training. Being a true child, he will have fantasized of days such as this. It was a beautiful header, and he’s feeling ten feet tall going home tonight.”

In February of this year, though, Harratt got into even more trouble when he admitted to putting 484 bets on football games—some of which included his team, though not when he was playing—and was given a four-month ban from all football activities.

As they prepare for a return to League Two, some Vale supporters may be wondering if the team may make another bid for the popular forward—a rare transfer success story—now that Harratt’s suspension is likely to expire this summer.