Kevin Harper

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to navigation Jump to search

Kevin Harper
Personal information
Full name Kevin Patrick Harper[1]
Date of birth (1976-01-15) 15 January 1976 (age 50)
Place of birth Oldham, England
Position Winger
Youth career
1992 Hutchison Vale
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1992–1998 Hibernian 94 (15)
1998–2000 Derby County 32 (1)
1999–2000 → Walsall (loan) 9 (1)
2000–2005 Portsmouth 119 (9)
2003 → Norwich City (loan) 9 (0)
2004 → Leicester City (loan) 2 (0)
2005–2007 Stoke City 26 (1)
2006–2007 → Carlisle United (loan) 7 (0)
2007 → Walsall (loan) 10 (4)
2007–2009 Dunfermline Athletic 29 (5)
2015–2016 Thorniewood United 7 (0)
Total 337 (36)
International career
1995–1997 Scotland U21[2] 7 (4)
2003 Scotland B 1 (0)
Managerial career
2018–2020 Albion Rovers
* Club domestic league appearances and goals

Kevin Patrick Harper (born 15 January 1976) is a football coach and former player. He played as a winger for Hibernian, Derby County, Walsall, Portsmouth, Norwich City, Leicester City, Stoke City, Carlisle United and Dunfermline Athletic. Born in England, played for the Scotland U21 national team and Scotland national football B team, He managed Scottish League Two side Albion Rovers from November 2018 to May 2020.

Personal life

[edit | edit source]

Harper was born in Oldham and raised in Glasgow's Possilpark area,[3] attending St. Theresa's Primary and St. Augustine's Secondary School.[4]

Playing career

[edit | edit source]

Hibernian

[edit | edit source]

Harper played for youth club Hutchison Vale in Edinburgh before he was signed by Hibernian and made his professional debut aged just 17.[5] As a black footballer, Harper was in a small minority within Scottish football.[5] He was unhappy that having claimed Gary Mackay had racially abused him during an Edinburgh derby game in November 1996, the SFA did not take action in response to his complaint.[5][6]

England

[edit | edit source]

Derby County manager Jim Smith signed Harper for £300,000 in September 1998.[5] Harper scored two goals for Derby; one against Liverpool in the league[7] and one against Swansea City in the FA Cup.[8] He was loaned out to Walsall in December 1999 for the remainder of the season.

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 had 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.

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 Luciano Zavagno in a match against Derby County.[9] He contributed nine league appearances during Norwich's 2003/04 season after which they were promoted to the Premier League as First Division champions in his absence.[10] 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.

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. He scored once for Stoke, in a 3–1 win over Norwich City.[11] Harper was loaned to Carlisle United in October 2006 and then Walsall, whom he had played for on loan earlier in his career. He was released by Stoke manager Tony Pulis in May 2007.[12]

Return to Scotland

[edit | edit source]

On 7 July 2007, Harper opted to join Dunfermline Athletic, of the Scottish First Division.[13] 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 inconsistent, though on 25 March 2008 he scored a hat-trick in a re-arranged fixture against First Division strugglers Stirling Albion.[14]

Coaching career

[edit | edit source]

Following the departure of their Under 20s coach, SPFL side Airdrieonians appointed Harper as the replacement in July 2015. He left this post in September 2015.[15] Harper has also set up his own football academy based in Stepps.[16]

In November 2015, Thorniewood United manager and former Hibernian team-mate Andy Frame, persuaded Harper to come out of retirement and join the club in a player-coach role.[17]

Harper was appointed Albion Rovers manager in November 2018.[18][19] He became the first black, Asian or minority ethnic manager of a Scottish club since Márcio Máximo in 2003.[20] A struggling Rovers side won none of their first 12 matches under Harper, but then won five of their last nine fixtures in 2018–19 Scottish League Two to avoid relegation.[21] In May 2019, Harper extended his contract with the club to the end of the 2019–20 season.[21] Albion again avoided relegation by finishing ninth in that season, but Harper decided to leave the club at the end of his contract in May 2020.[22] Harper later revealed that, despite having avoided relegation again with a very poor 9th-place finish, he had been offered reduced terms, in line with a greatly reduced club budget due to prevailing circumstances, to stay and believed the board could match the ambition he had for the club.[23]

In June 2020, Harper appeared in a special podcast panel discussing his experiences of racism in football with A View from the Terrace host Craig Fowler.[24]

On 15 November 2022, Lochee United appoint Hibs first team scout Kevin Harper as new manager.[25]

On 4 June 2023 Kevin Harper join Thorniewood United as player-coach.[26]

Career statistics

[edit | edit source]

Club

[edit | edit source]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition[27]
Club Season League FA Cup League Cup Europe Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Hibernian 1993–94 Scottish Premier Division 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0
1994–95 Scottish Premier Division 23 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 23 5
1995–96 Scottish Premier Division 16 3 1 0 2 0 0 0 19 3
1996–97 Scottish Premier Division 27 5 4 0 1 0 0 0 32 5
1997–98 Scottish Premier Division 27 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 29 1
1998–99 Scottish First Division 2 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 3 1
Total 97 15 6 0 5 0 0 0 108 15
Derby County 1998–99 Premier League 27 1 3 1 3 0 0 0 33 2
1999–2000 Premier League 5 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 8 0
Total 32 1 3 1 6 0 0 0 41 2
Walsall (loan) 1999–2000 First Division 9 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 9 1
Portsmouth 1999–2000 First Division 12 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 12 2
2000–01 First Division 24 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 25 2
2001–02 First Division 39 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 41 1
2002–03 First Division 37 4 1 0 2 0 0 0 40 4
2003–04 Premier League 7 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 9 4
2004–05 Premier League 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0
Total 119 9 5 0 4 0 0 0 128 9
Norwich City (loan) 2003–04 First Division 9 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 9 0
Leicester City (loan) 2004–05 Championship 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0
Stoke City 2004–05 Championship 9 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 9 0
2005–06 Championship 14 1 2 0 1 0 0 0 17 1
2006–07 Championship 3 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 4 0
Total 26 1 2 0 2 0 0 0 30 1
Carlisle United (loan) 2006–07 League One 7 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 8 0
Walsall (loan) 2006–07 League One 10 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 10 4
Dunfermline Athletic 2007–08 Scottish First Division 15 4 1 0 0 0 2 0 18 4
2008–09 Scottish First Division 14 1 0 0 4 0 0 0 18 1
Total 29 5 1 0 4 0 2 0 36 5
Career total 340 36 17 1 22 0 2 0 381 37

Managerial statistics

[edit | edit source]
As of match played 7 March 2020
Team Nat From To Record
G W D L GF GA GD Win %
Albion Rovers Scotland November 2018 May 2020 58 14 13 31 68 112 −44 024.14
Total 58 14 13 31 68 112 −44 024.14

References

[edit | edit source]
  1. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  2. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  3. ^ Kevin Harper on his past and building a football academy
  4. ^ Ideally suited to face up to racism Why the boy from Possil is mystified over Scots game
  5. ^ a b c d Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  6. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  7. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  8. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  9. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  10. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  11. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  12. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  13. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  14. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  15. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  16. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  17. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  18. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  19. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  20. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  21. ^ a b Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  22. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  23. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  24. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  25. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  26. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  27. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
[edit | edit source]
  • Kevin Harper at SoccerbaseLua error in Module:EditAtWikidata at line 29: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).Lua error in Module:WikidataCheck at line 29: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
Retrieved from "http://70.231.62.181/index.php?title=Kevin_Harper&oldid=3173911"