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KEVIN COOPER
"Coops", perhaps the ultimate fans favourite in recent seasons, first joined the club in 2001. He had scored a hatful of goals for Elliott Star in the Herts County League, and played a few games for the Blues at the end of sason 2000-2001. In these brief appearances, Coops showed that he had great goalscoring potential, and in his first full season, 2001-2002 his impact was sensational, being second highest goalscorer in all Ryman divisions with 36 league goals, and 38 senior goals in all.
After starting 2002/2003 with Hertford, Kevin moved to Ware. He scored over 20 goals in all competitions that season before returning to Hertingfordbury Park, much to the delight of Blues supporters.
Narrowly missed topping the Ryman Div 2 goalscoring chart in 2003-2004, but became leading scorer in Div2 in 2004-1005, with 29 league and cup goals, and received the "Golden Boot". Kevin decided to leave Hertingfordbury Park at the end of that season, and moved on to Enfield. His work commitments rather got in the way that season and he eventually moved on to St Margaretsbury, although he always kept in touch and I knew that one day he'd be back!
He did return, at the start of season 2006/7 to continue his quest to overtake Dave Whitehead as Hertford's all time leading scorers. He needed 95 goals to do this, and I for one had a quiet chuckle to myself when he told me that he aimed to do it. But his fabulous partnership with Ryan Redford got me believing that he could! 48 more goals in 2006/7 got the remaining job half done and he started the final game of 2007-8 needing 2 more to beat the record. Despite a fine 4-0 win over runners-up Chalfont St Peter, Coops couldn't find the net and 2008/9 starts with him one behind Dave Whitehead's total of 216!
Kev wears his heart on his sleeve, and absolutely hates to lose a game - the picture below was taken at 10.40pm on a freezing December night in 2003 at Keynsham, when we had just been put out of the FA Vase on penalties.
Career record (to 18 Aug 2007): P255 + 13 sub, goals 214
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