Jeff Hopkins

Jeff Hopkins
Personal information
Full name Jeffrey Hopkins
Date of birth 14 April 1964 (1964-04-14) (age 47)
Place of birth Swansea, Wales
Height 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Playing position Defender
Youth career
Fulham
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1981–1988 Fulham 219 (4)
1988–1992 Crystal Palace 70 (2)
1991 Plymouth Argyle (loan) 8 (0)
1992 Bristol Rovers 6 (0)
1992–1997 Reading 131 (3)
1997?–1999 Selangor ? (?)
1999–2000? Gippsland Falcons 23 (0)
National team
1981?–1983? Wales U21 5 (?)
1983–1990 Wales 16 (0)
Teams managed
2008– Brisbane Roar
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.
† Appearances (Goals).

Jeffrey "Jeff" Hopkins (born 14 April 1964) is a former Welsh international football defender, who most notably played club football for Fulham and Reading in the Football League.[1]

Club career

Hopkins started his career as a trainee with Fulham, going on to make over 200 first team appearances for the club.[1] This was followed by a four year spell at Crystal Palace, including a loan to Plymouth Argyle in 1991–92.[2] He spent a few months at Bristol Rovers in 1992, before spending the remaining five years of his Football League career with Reading.[2]

While at Reading, he was part of the team that narrowly missed out on promotion to the Premier League in the 1994-95 season, losing 4-3 after extra time in the playoff final against Bolton Wanderers.

After a move to Malaysian football with Selangor where he was made captain, Hopkins moved to Australia in October 1999 as a player-coach with Gippsland Falcons in the National Soccer League.[3]

International career

Hopkins made his debut for the Wales national under-21 football team during the 1981/82 season against France. He made a total of 5 under-21 appearances during that season and the next.[4]

He made his debut for the senior Welsh team on 31 May 1983 against Northern Ireland, and he made 16 appearances for Wales over the next seven years, with his final game coming against Costa Rica on 20 May 1990.[4]

References

  1. ^ a b Football League Career Stats at Neil Brown
  2. ^ a b "Jeff Hopkins". Soccerbase. Racing Post. http://www.soccerbase.com/players/player.sd?player_id=3612. Retrieved 3 August 2011. 
  3. ^ "Brits make it big Down Under". BBC. 19 August 1999. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sport/football/422740.stm. Retrieved 2 September 2010. 
  4. ^ a b Rollin (eds), Glenda & Jack (2004). Sky Sports Football Yearbook 2004–05. Headline. ISBN 0-7553-1311-9.