The jet-heeled right winger was born in Oldham but moved to Edinburgh for his first chance at first-team action with Hibernian, and made a real name for himself thanks to his performances with Hibs.

He was already a Scottish U21 international when Derby County brought him south of the border for a fee of £300,000 with the hope that he'd have a similar impact on English football as he did in Scotland. But he spent much of the time at Pride Park on the bench.

He moved on-loan to Walsall before getting a permanent switch to Portsmouth and being part of the Pompey squad that won promotion to the Premier League in 2003. But with Portsmouth's rise up the ladder, Harper's outings for the Fratton Park club were more sporadic and he had two loan spells away from the club, with Norwich and City, in search of regular action.

He only managed two appearances for Leicester, however, when Micky Adams brought him to the club. His time as a Fox wasn't helped by the fact that he was injured in a warm-up before one match. His month-loan spell was extended for a second month but he managed just one more match before returning to Portsmouth.

Moves to Stoke City, permanently, and Carlisle United and Walsall, both on-loan, followed before he returned full circle to finish his career back in Scotland with Dunfermline.