Steve Harper Bio Send To Friend  

Harper will always be associated with being in the shadows of Shay Given and his loyalty to his hometown heroes has seen lose out to first-team opportunities he surely would have been granted elsewhere.

Harper has spent his entire career with Newcastle United after joining them as a professional from Seaham Red Star in the summer of 1993.

The stopper has spent that time almost exclusively as an understudy, but few would doubt he has always had the ability to play at a high level as first choice.

He had to rely on loan spells to get his early experience - spending time with Bradford City, Gateshead, Stockport County, Hartlepool United and Huddersfield Town between 1995 and 1998.

The goalkeeper eventually made his debut for the Magpies in November 1998 in a 3-1 Premiership victory over Wimbledon.

It would be the following season that Harper finally got a run in the side, being the club's first choice goalkeeper until February, when injury cost him his place. He played in the 1999 FA Cup Final for the Toon, who were on the receiving end from a Treble-chasing Manchester United

He didn't play another Premier League game from the end of the 2000/1 season until November 2004, and had only added one more to his tally before injuries to Given thrust him into the action.

Harper turned in 18 Premiership appearances in 2006/07 in Given's absence and the following year saw more action after a Given groin operation saw him play 19 games.