Don Roper
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Donald George Beaumont Roper | ||
| Date of birth | 14 December 1922 | ||
| Place of birth | Botley, Hampshire, England | ||
| Date of death | 8 June 2001 (aged 78) | ||
| Place of death | Southampton, England | ||
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) | ||
| Playing position | Centre forward / Winger | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Bitterne Nomads | |||
| Eastleigh | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1940–1947 | Southampton | 40 | (8) |
| 1947–1957 | Arsenal | 297 | (88) |
| 1957–1959 | Southampton | 80 | (32) |
| 1959–1960 | Weymouth | 33 | (10) |
| 1960–1963 | Dorchester Town | 103 | (31) |
| National team | |||
| 1953 | England B | 1 | (0) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. |
|||
Donald George Beaumont "Don" Roper (14 December 1922 – 8 June 2001) was an English footballer.
Born in Botley, Hampshire, Roper was a prolific scorer as a schoolboy. He was spotted playing parks football by Toby Keleher, assistant manager to Tom Parker, and in July 1940 was persuaded to sign for his local club, Southampton, making his debut for them during wartime matches. By the resumption of competitive football in 1946, Roper had established himself as a "two-footed powerful (right) winger".
After impressing in the Second Division in 1946–47 he was signed by Arsenal in the close season for £10,000, with George Curtis and Tom Rudkin moving in the opposite direction. Arsenal had been so keen to secure Roper's signature that their manager Tom Whittaker had made eleven visits to The Dell.
Roper immediately became a regular for the Gunners, playing 40 times and scoring ten goals in 1947–48, as Arsenal won the First Division. He switched to the left wing in 1949–50 but was displaced by Denis Compton in Arsenal's FA Cup-winning side of 1950. He regained his place the following season, and continued to be a near ever-present for Arsenal for the next five. He played in Arsenal's 1952 FA Cup Final defeat to Newcastle United, although in that match he was forced to deputise for full back Walley Barnes after Barnes was stretchered off with an injury.
...
Wikipedia