Adrian Cooper was a young midfielder from Reading, who failed to progress past the Youth team at Tottenham.
Adrian was a good all-round sportsman, who played for England, Berkshire and Reading Boys at football and also played rugby for Berkshire at fly-half.
Having been spotted by Spurs, Cooper was made as an apprentice January 1973. He had two younger brothers – Leigh and Paul – playing for Reading Boys and soon returned to his home-town club as an apprentice.
He made it to the first team at Elm Park and played 14 matches, but moved on after three years to play for non-league Basingstoke Town.