Hopper rues his lack of football at Bluebirds

10:04am Thursday 14th August 2008

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Luke Hopper feels he wasn't given a fair chance to prove his worth at Chippenham Town after signing for rivals Swindon Supermarine this week.

The 19-year-old striker was plagued by injuries after joining from Swindon Town last summer and spent most of the season out on loan.

But Hopper has vowed to put his year of frustration at Hardenhuish Park behind him and make up for lost time at his new club.

He said: "I had lots of injuries when I was at Chippenham and I didn't have time to gel with the other lads because I was out on loan a lot as well.

"I never got a chance to show what I could do in a run of five games.

"They never found out what I could do but hopefully I can show what I'm capable of at Supermarine."

Hopper comes with a glowing reference from some of Supermarine's experienced players.

Supermarine manager Mark Collier said: "We played against Luke a couple of years ago and they were all very impressed with him and he left a lasting impression on all of us. I also coached Luke at Swindon for a bit and the lad has lots of ability."

Chippenham Town assistant manager Tommy Callinan believes Hopper could return to haunt the Bluebirds in the Southern League Premier Division.

He said: " Luke is a nice lad and he did well for us -he was very unlucky with injuries.

"He needs first team football and that is something we cannot give him. I would not be surprised if he comes back and puts a few past us."