James Coppinger
Coppinger playing for Doncaster Rovers in 2007
Personal information
Full name James Coppinger[1]
Date of birth (1981-01-18) 18 January 1981[2]
Place of birth Guisborough, England
Height 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)[3]
Position(s) Attacking midfielder
Youth career
1994–1995[4] Middlesbrough
1995–1996[5] Marton Juniors
1996–1997[4] Woodgarth
1997–1998 Darlington
1998–1999 Newcastle United
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1999–2002 Newcastle United 1 (0)
1999–2000 → Hartlepool United (loan) 10 (3)
2001 → Queens Park Rangers (loan) 0 (0)
2001–2002 → Hartlepool United (loan) 14 (2)
2002–2004 Exeter City 82 (13)
2004–2021 Doncaster Rovers 614 (67)
2012 → Nottingham Forest (loan) 6 (0)
Total 727 (85)
International career
1997–1998[4] England U16 2 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

James Coppinger (born 18 January 1981) is an English former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder. He began his career at Newcastle United, making one appearance in the Premier League, and later spent two years at Exeter City, but is best known for his association with Doncaster Rovers, whom he represented over seventeen seasons between 2004 and his retirement in 2021.

The only player ever to make over 600 appearances for Doncaster, he currently serves the club in a mentorship role. He is a former England under-16 international.

Career

Early career

Born in Guisborough, Cleveland, Coppinger started his career as a trainee for Darlington in 1997,[4][5] though he was signed by fellow north-east side Newcastle United before he even made an appearance. Aged 17, he moved to Newcastle in a £500,000 joint deal with 19-year-old Paul Robinson in March 1998 when Kenny Dalglish was manager.[6][7]

Coppinger later stated that as a teenager from a small town he was not fully prepared for life as a top-level professional player[4][5][7] and he struggled to make any impact while coming through the Newcastle ranks, playing just once in the Premier League as a substitute against Tottenham Hotspur in August 2000.[8]

After two loan spells at Hartlepool United and Queens Park Rangers, Coppinger's contract at Newcastle was ended by mutual consent and in July 2002 he moved to Exeter City in search of regular first team football.[6][4]

Exeter City

He made his debut at Shrewsbury Town on 10 August 2002, netting his first goal two weeks later against Torquay United.[9]

Coppinger has since stated that the move to the other end of England was a poor career choice at that stage of his development,[4][7] and he admitted in 2015 that when Exeter were relegated from the Third Division at the end of the 2002–03 season, he was very close to quitting football. He said: "I had a lot of negative things going on in my life. I had a fear of failing – and also a fear of success. The way I was going and the way I was thinking, before I met Terry [Gormley, a motivational speaker], it was only a matter of time before I came out of football."[10] He was persuaded to return to the club by manager Eamonn Dolan, and in his second season with Exeter he was involved in the England C (non-league select) squad,[4][5] though records suggest he did not gain any official caps at that level.[11]

Doncaster Rovers

Coppinger was bought by Doncaster manager Dave Penney for a reported £30,000[12][4] in May 2004[13] as he looked to strengthen the squad following promotion to League One. He was a constant feature in the side from the start, though in that first season, he failed to score in his 38 appearances.[14] He scored an average of five goals in future seasons, his first goal eventually coming on 26 November 2005 in a 2–0 victory over Bristol City at Belle Vue.[14]

He scored a hat-trick, described as "three goals of the highest quality" by the TV commentary,[15] in the 2008 play-off semi-final against Southend United in a 5–1 victory which secured a place in the League One play-off final at Wembley against Leeds United.[16][5] He was in Doncaster's starting eleven for the final, which Doncaster won, gaining promotion to the Championship.[17]

On 14 September 2010, Coppinger scored a hat-trick against Norwich in a 3–1 victory.[18]

On 21 July 2011, he signed a new contract at Doncaster which would keep him at the Keepmoat until 2014.[19] Doncaster were relegated at the end of the 2011–12 season and needed to offload players to reduce the wage bill. As a result, he became a subject of interest from several Championship clubs including Barnsley, who he rejected a move to.[20] After a few games, on 31 August, he was loaned to Nottingham Forest until January 2013 where he joined ex-Rovers players Simon Gillett and Billy Sharp under his former manager, Sean O'Driscoll.[21] Dissatisfaction with the lack of games at Forest[22] led him to return to Rovers after the loan spell.[23]

Coming on as substitute in the 2–1 win over Stevenage on 12 January 2013, Coppinger reached the milestone of 300 league appearances for Doncaster, one of only ten players to do so at the club.[24][25] On 27 April 2013, in an incredible final match of the season at Griffin Park, Coppinger scored the winning goal in a 1–0 away victory over Brentford in the final seconds of five minutes of added time just moments after Brentford's Marcello Trotta had hit a penalty against the crossbar.[5] If Brentford had won, they would have been promoted and Doncaster would have had to compete in the play-offs. As it was, his goal put Doncaster one point above AFC Bournemouth and they were crowned champions.[26]

Coppinger became only the fifth Rovers player to reach 350 league appearances when he turned out to play right wing-back against Nottingham Forest in a 0–0 draw at the City Ground on 15 March 2014. Doncaster were relegated back to League One on the final day of the 2013–14 season following a 1–0 defeat at Leicester City.[27]

On 9 September 2016, Coppinger won the Football League Two Player of the Month for the month of August.[28] The following day, he celebrated the remarkable milestone of reaching 500 Doncaster appearances by scoring in a 5–1 away victory over Morecambe.[29] On 31 January 2017, Coppinger extended his contract until the end of the 2017–18 season.[30]

In May 2019, he signed a new one-year contract with the club.[31] In July 2020, Coppinger signed another one-year deal. He also confirmed that after 16 years at the club, this would be his final season as a professional footballer.[4][7]

In commemoration of his seventeen-year career with Doncaster, Coppinger was commissioned to design the club's third kit in support of the CALM charity. The team wore this for the first time in a home match against Hull City on 20 February 2021. Coppinger came on as a second-half substitute and scored a direct free kick to equalise in stoppage time. On 6 March 2021, Coppinger became the first player to reach 600 league appearances for Doncaster Rovers, setting up both goals in a 2–1 win against Plymouth Argyle at the Keepmoat Stadium. He is the 21st player in Football League history to reach this milestone. On 29 April 2021, in the EFL End of Season awards, Coppinger was awarded the Sir Tom Finney award, presented to a player who has contributed an enormous amount to the EFL during their career.[32] On 9 May 2021, Coppinger announced his retirement after club record of 695 games.[33]

Personal life

Doncaster Rovers have worked with the NSPCC since the beginning of 2009. In June 2011, Coppinger, along with Mark Wilson, James O'Connor, other Rovers staff and local Doncaster businessmen David Plant and Brian Butcher walked the 62-mile Inca Trek raising almost £50,000 for the charity.[34] He has also set up 'Pro Mindset', a mentoring and support service for footballers,[5] and 'Kixx Middlesbrough', a local youth coaching academy.[7]

In January 2013, along with several other people, including fellow footballers, Coppinger faced a race-fixing inquiry with allegations of corruption in gambling on horses to lose on Betting exchanges in nine races between 1 November 2010 and 31 March 2011. He strongly denied the charges,[35][36] though was found guilty of corrupt and fraudulent practices by the British Horseracing Authority and given a three-year ban from any dealings with registered racing individuals.[37][38]

He received the Freedom of the Borough of Doncaster on 21 May 2022.[39][40][41]

Career statistics

As of match played 9 May 2021[3]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National Cup League Cup Continental Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Newcastle United 1999–2000 Premier League 00000000—00
2000–01 Premier League 100000——10
2001–02 Premier League 00000000—00
Total 10000000—10
Hartlepool United (Loan) 1999–2000 Third Division 1030000—1[lower-alpha 1]0113
2001–02 Third Division 1420000—00142
Total 2450000—10255
Exeter City 2002–03 Third Division 4353010—2[lower-alpha 2]0495
2003–04 Football Conference 398———1[lower-alpha 3]1409
Total 82133010—318914
Doncaster Rovers 2004–05 League One 3102030—2[lower-alpha 2]0380
2005–06 League One 3652050—00435
2006–07 League One 3943021—4[lower-alpha 2]0485
2007–08 League One 3932010—4[lower-alpha 4]3466
2008–09 Championship 3254010——375
2009–10 Championship 3942011——425
2010–11 Championship 4072000——427
2011–12 Championship 3821010——402
2012–13 League One 2520020—00272
2013–14 Championship 4140020——434
2014–15 League One 3444131—2[lower-alpha 2]0436
2015–16 League One 3932020—1[lower-alpha 2]0443
2016–17 League Two 39100000—003910
2017–18 League One 3833210—00425
2018–19 League One 4345010—2[lower-alpha 2]0514
2019–20 League One 2933100—1[lower-alpha 2]0334
2020–21 League One 3241110—3[lower-alpha 2]0375
Total 61467365263—19369578
Nottingham Forest (loan) 2012–13 Championship 600000——60
Career total 727853952730023481697
  1. ↑ Includes match in the Third Division play-offs
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Includes matches in the EFL Trophy
  3. ↑ Includes match in the FA Trophy
  4. ↑ Includes 1 match in the EFL Trophy and 3 matches in the League One play-offs

Honours

Doncaster Rovers

Individual

References

  1. ↑ "Notification of shirt numbers: Doncaster Rovers" (PDF). English Football League. p. 27. Retrieved 21 September 2020.
  2. ↑ Hugman, Barry J., ed. (2008). The PFA Footballers' Who's Who 2008–09. Mainstream. ISBN 978-1-84596-324-8.
  3. 1 2 "James Coppinger". Soccerbase. Archived from the original on 29 January 2011. Retrieved 5 April 2014.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 The impossible dream?, Chris Bevan, BBC Sport, 29 March 2021
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 The Unforeseen Evergreen: James Coppinger, English Football League, 14 April 2020
  6. 1 2 "Exeter's Coppinger swoop". BBC Sport. 3 July 2002. Retrieved 13 January 2013.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 Meet the ex-Newcastle youngster once compared to Gianfranco Zola who went on to become an EFL legend, Sean McCormick, Chronicle Live,6 September 2020
  8. ↑ "Newcastle United v Tottenham Hotspur, 26 August 2000". 11v11. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  9. ↑ "James Coppinger season details 2002/2003". Footy Mad. Archived from the original on 20 April 2013. Retrieved 13 January 2013.
  10. ↑ Goodwin, Paul (5 February 2015). "James Coppinger: James Coppinger: 'I almost quit football'". Doncaster Free Press. Retrieved 8 February 2015.
  11. ↑ Match Results | The C Team, England Football Online
  12. ↑ "Coca Cola League 1". The Daily Telegraph. London. 5 August 2004. Retrieved 13 January 2013.
  13. ↑ "Transfers – May 2004". BBC Sport. 5 August 2004. Retrieved 13 January 2013.
  14. 1 2 "James Coppinger appearances". Footy Mad. Archived from the original on 20 April 2013. Retrieved 14 January 2013.
  15. ↑ James Coppinger – Best Hat-trick Ever!. YourRoversFC. Retrieved 14 January 2013 – via YouTube.
  16. ↑ Edwards, Ian (16 May 2008). "Coppinger's hat-trick keeps Doncaster dreaming". The Times. Retrieved 17 May 2008.
  17. 1 2 Lewis, Aimee (25 May 2008). "Doncaster 1–0 Leeds". BBC Sport. Retrieved 22 January 2017.
  18. ↑ "Doncaster 3–1 Norwich". BBC Sport. 14 September 2010. Retrieved 18 September 2016.
  19. ↑ "Doncaster Rovers extend James Coppinger's contract". BBC Sport. 21 July 2011. Retrieved 22 January 2017.
  20. ↑ "Doncaster Rovers' James Coppinger rejects Barnsley". BBC Sport. 23 August 2012. Retrieved 23 August 2012.
  21. ↑ "Nottingham Forest sign Billy Sharp and James Coppinger on loan". BBC Sport. Retrieved 13 January 2013.
  22. ↑ "James Coppinger reveals Nottingham Forest frustration". BBC Sport. Retrieved 13 January 2013.
  23. ↑ "James Coppinger returns to Doncaster Rovers from Forest". BBC Sport. Retrieved 13 January 2013.
  24. ↑ "Report: Stevenage 1–2 Rovers". Doncaster Rovers F.C. 12 January 2013. Retrieved 13 January 2013.
  25. ↑ "Coppinger Closing in on 300!". Doncaster Rovers F.C. 8 January 2013. Retrieved 13 January 2013.
  26. ↑ "Brentford 0–1 Doncaster". BBC Sport. Retrieved 27 April 2013.
  27. ↑ "Leicester City 1–0 Doncaster Rovers". BBC Sport. 3 May 2014. Retrieved 18 September 2016.
  28. 1 2 "Doncaster Rovers: James Coppinger wins League Two Player of the Month". Epworth Bells. 9 September 2016. Retrieved 12 September 2016.
  29. ↑ "Morecambe 1 Rovers 5". Doncaster Rovers F.C. 10 September 2016. Retrieved 18 September 2016.
  30. ↑ "James Coppinger and Andy Butler sign contract extensions". The Star. 31 January 2017. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
  31. ↑ "Doncaster Rovers: James Coppinger agrees new deal for next season". BBC Sport. 6 May 2019. Retrieved 8 May 2019.
  32. 1 2 "James Coppinger to be presented with Sir Tom Finney Award at 2021 EFL Awards". efl.com. 29 April 2021.
  33. ↑ "James Coppinger: Doncaster Rovers legend retires after club record 695 games". BBC Sport. 9 May 2021.
  34. ↑ "Doncaster Rovers is fundraising for the NSPCC". Justgiving.com. Retrieved 13 August 2012.
  35. ↑ "Footballers Chopra, Coppinger & Wilson face race-fixing inquiry". BBC Sport. 14 January 2013. Retrieved 14 January 2013.
  36. ↑ "James Coppinger denies horse racing betting charge by BHA". BBC Sport. 5 October 2012. Retrieved 14 January 2013.
  37. ↑ Wood, Greg (25 January 2013). "Michael Chopra given 10-year ban following corruption case". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 January 2013.
  38. ↑ McGrath, Jim (25 January 2013). "Michael Chopra and James Coppinger found guilty following investigation into alleged corruption". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 25 January 2013.
  39. ↑ "Coppinger to be presented with Freedom of the Borough on May 21". www.doncasterroversfc.co.uk. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
  40. ↑ Goodwin, Paul (22 March 2022). "Doncaster Rovers legend James Coppinger receives Freedom of the Borough". The Doncaster Free Press. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
  41. ↑ "James Coppinger presented with Freedom of the Borough". Doncaster Borough Council. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
  42. 1 2 "J. Coppinger". Soccerway. Retrieved 22 January 2017.
  43. ↑ "PFA teams of the year: Chelsea and Tottenham dominate Premier League XI". BBC Sport. 20 April 2017. Retrieved 7 May 2018.
  44. ↑ "James Coppinger: 'If I felt like I couldn't give anything to the team then I wouldn't be here'". Doncaster Free Press. 1 June 2018. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
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