Kevin Harper

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Kevin Harper
Personal information
Full name Kevin Patrick Harper
Date of birth January 15, 1976 (1976-01-15) (age 32)
Place of birth    Oldham, England
Playing position Winger
Club information
Current club Dunfermline
Senior clubs1
Years Club App (Gls)*
1992–1998
1998–2000
1999–2000
2000–2005
2003
2004
2005–2007
2006–2007
2007
2007–		 Hibernian
Derby County
→Walsall (loan)
Portsmouth
→Norwich City (loan)
→Leicester City (loan)
Stoke City
→Carlisle United (loan)
→Walsall (loan)
Dunfermline		 094 (15)
032 0(1)
009 0(1)
119 0(9)
009 0(0)
002 0(0)
026 0(1)
007 0(0)
010 0(4)
012 0(4)   

1 Senior club appearances and goals
counted for the domestic league only and
correct as of 21:27, 9 September 2007 (UTC).
* Appearances (Goals)

Kevin Patrick Harper (born January 15, 1976, in Oldham, Lancashire) is a Scottish football player. He is currently playing for Dunfermline Athletic in the Scottish First Division.

Contents

[edit] Career

[edit] Early Career

Harper began his career with non-league Hutchison Vale as a youth. However, it was not long before the talented midfielder was snapped up by Hibernian. Harper soon impressed for the Edinburgh club, and was courted by several other British clubs. In the end it was Derby County who landed the player, with manager Jim Smith paying £300,000 in September 1998.

[edit] England

Despite clear potential, Harper failed to impress at Derby, and he was loaned out to Walsall in December 1999 for the remainder of the season. However his spell at Walsall was cut short when Portsmouth made an offer of £300,000 for his services in March 2000. Harper moved to Fratton Park having started only seven games for Derby.

The Scottish Under-21 international soon settled into the team at Portsmouth, but missed much of the 2000-01 season with a shin splints problem. In 2001-02 he faced the brunt of fan frustration after a disappointing season, finishing the campaign with the dubious honour of having been sent off (twice) more times than he scored (once). However, he was a crucial member of the side that won the First Division title in 2002-03, and his excellent performances down either wing for Portsmouth earned him two monthly 'Swan d'Or' awards from the Norwegian Press Club and a place in the full Scotland squad.

Despite his impressive part in Portsmouth's promotion, Harper was loaned out to Norwich in September 2003. His loan spell at Carrow Road was initially for one month but was extended to three months. He played well at Norwich, but was also sent off for a two-footed tackle on an opposing player in a match against Derby County. On his return to Fratton Park he made only nine appearances for Portsmouth in the 2003-04 season.

After failing to regain his place at the start of the 2004-05 season he was loaned to Leicester City, and in January 2005 was sold to Stoke City. Despite starting his Stoke career impressively, Harper was dogged by injuries that prevented him challenging for a first team place.

On October 20, 2006 Harper joined Carlisle United on loan and then followed this with another loan move, joining League 2 side Walsall whom he had played on loan for earlier in his career. He was released by Stoke City in May 2007[1].

[edit] Return to Scotland

On 7 July 2007, Harper opted to join Dunfermline Athletic, of the Scottish First Division.[2] He scored the winning goal against Stirling Albion on 25 August 2007 and played in Dunfermline's UEFA Cup matches at home 16 August and away 30 August against BK Hacken FC of Sweden. Harper's season was rather inconsitent, though on March 25, 2008, he scored a hat-trick in the re-arranged fixture against First Division strugglers Stirling Albion,[3] whom he had scored his only other goal of the season against a few months earlier.

[edit] Personal Life

Just a month after joining "The Pars", Harper was banned from driving for 4 months and fined £300 for driving over 100mph near Lockerbie.[4]

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ "Trio released by Stoke boss Pulis", BBC Sport, 2007-05-18. Retrieved on 2007-05-18. 
  2. ^ "Dunfermline pick up winger Harper", BBC Sport, 2007-07-07. Retrieved on 2007-07-07. 
  3. ^ "Stirling Albion v Dunfermline", BBC Sport, 25 March. Retrieved on 2008. 
  4. ^ "Driving ban for Pars midfielder", BBC Sport, 2007-08-21. Retrieved on 2007-08-21. 

[edit] External links

v • d • e
Dunfermline Athletic F.C. – current squad

GK Gallacher • GK Paterson • DF Bamba • DF McCann • DF Ross • DF Shields • DF Thomson • DF Wilson • DF Woods • MF Bell • MF Burke • MF Glass • MF Harper • MF Holmes • MF McBride • MF Muirhead • MF Phinn • MF Williamson • MF Willis • FW McIntyre • Manager: McIntyre
Persondata
NAME Harper, Kevin Patrick
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Harper, Kevin
SHORT DESCRIPTION Football (soccer) player
DATE OF BIRTH January 15, 1976
PLACE OF BIRTH Oldham, Greater Manchester, England
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH