According to journalist Jon Palmer and the Sunderland Echo, Gloucester-born 22-year-old Harrison Sohna has been on trial with League Two club Cheltenham Town for the last few weeks.
The midfielder has featured in three pre-season friendlies for the Robins so far, with a view of earning himself a contract with one of his home town clubs. He first featured for the club against Bishops Cleeve, where he and another six trialists were given a chance to impress.
Sohna was one of the three then kept on for the mid-week friendly against Bath City, and the only one of the original seven to be kept on further, playing for the third time against Evesham United last night.
He progressed through the Aston Villa academy and, after a successful trial, moved north to join Sunderland’s academy in 2021. He did get the chance to make his debut for the Premier League side, coming on as a substitute in the FA Cup, in a 4-1 defeat to Liverpool. Since then, he has made several appearances in cup competitions for Sunderland but has never been given the chance to make his Championship debut for the Black Cats.
The midfielder was then released at the end of the 2022/23 season and has now been given the chance to impress new manager Micheal Flynn as Cheltenham look to rebuild from the disappointment of last season’s relegation back to the fourth tier.
When asked about Sohna in an interview with Gloucestershire Live, Flynn responded:
“He’s done very well and he has a good future ahead of him, technically he is a very, very good player and he’s a good age, for the football club, so let’s have a look at it.”
Writer’s view
Although the young midfielder has been out of professional football for a year, he looks to have caught the eye in the three matches he has featured in for Cheltenham. With manager Flynn hinting that a deal may prove to benefit the football club, it looks very likely that Sohna has done enough to earn himself a contract with the Robins.
The Robins are looking to add more depth to the midfield after the departures of the likes of Greg Sloggett, Josh Harrop, Dan Adshead, Elliot Bonds and top-scorer Liam Sercombe leaving a big hole in the squad. So far, the Gloucestershire-based outfit has already added experience of ex-Wexham captain Luke Young, fan favourite Harry Pell and former Newport County player Scot Bennett, alongside a more youthful option in 21-year-old Ethon Archer.
Adding Sohna to the ranks could further bolster Flynn’s midfield options as he looks to steady the ship at the club going into the 2024/25 season.