Grandson of Portsmouth promotion-winner bouncing back in style after heart-breaking Fratton Park exit
It was a heart-breaking Fratton Park exit when the grandson of Pompey royalty was released 10 months ago.
Yet Harvey Laidlaw has bounced back from the agony of leaving his home-town club to now earn a fresh 18-month deal with the Hawks.
Initially handed non-contract terms and a dual-registration, he was regarded as a development player after joining in July 2024 following his Blues departure, the youngster has subsequently hugely impressed at Westleigh Park.
With 33 appearances this season, including 26 starts, such has been his rapid development, Laidlaw has now been handed a permanent contract until the end of next season.
For Shaun North it’s just reward for the talented Southsea lad, who made his Pompey debut aged 16 and, in the same year, was named Academy Player of the Season.
And the Hawks boss is backing the 19-year-old to maintain his encouraging development as he attempts to return to the Football League.
North told The News: ‘Harvey has played a lot of games. At the beginning of the season we had him on a non-contract, now he has done well enough to be offered a contract - which he has signed.
‘He’s come in leaps and bounds and I’m really pleased with him. He has now signed until the end of next season.
‘Harvey and Mitch (Aston) were released from Pompey last season, we’ve just given them another opportunity. We took them as development players, put them on non-contract and gave them a wage each week.
‘We thought they needed to play men’s football and get beat up a bit, so they’ve been out to Baffins (on a dual-registration).
‘Harvey got beat up, got stronger, got wiser and came back in - and he’s done a good job. We trust him to play, we’ve got two very good left-backs at the moment in Harvey and Reuben Austin.
‘Technically he’s very, very good, has good delivery from set-pieces, looks to get forward and he does that well.
‘What he’s got better at is his defending, so he’s a lot more reliable as a defender now.’
Pompey promotion-winning granddad
The former Miltoncross Academy pupil is the grandson of Joe Laidlaw, the late midfielder who skippered Pompey to promotion in 1979-80 under Frank Burrows.
It was a proud moment for the Laidlaw family when Harvey, at the age of 16 years, eight months and 12 days, made his Blues debut against Aston Villa Under-21s in October 2022.
The left-back appeared as a substitute in the Papa John’s Trophy clash, featuring in the last eight minutes of the 5-0 victory at Fratton Park.
Last season, as a second-year scholar, he was loaned out to Gosport and Horndean for first-team experience.
However, he was among 10 youngsters released last summer after graduating, with none from his crop handed professional terms by Pompey.
Laidlaw’s links with Shaun North, who coached him in the Academy and then took over the Hawks last summer as head coach, brought him to the Southern League Premier South club in July.
Initially on non-contract terms, he spent time at Baffins, before returning to establish himself in the Hawks’ first-team squad.
He now has 33 appearances and three goals, while was shortlisted for January’s Player of the Month, finishing second behind Ryan Seager.
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