Steve Harper

1.1. Childhood and education

Harper received his early education at Easington Comprehensive School. He further pursued his academic interests by studying Sport at the East Durham College and was offered a place at Liverpool John Moores University. Demonstrating a commitment to education beyond his football career, Harper also earned a social sciences degree from the Open University, undertaking his studies while playing for Newcastle's reserve team. His interests outside football extend to reading, and he enjoys playing golf with former Newcastle United teammate Alan Shearer. He also briefly played cricket for Murton Cricket Club in the Durham Cricket League in July 2013, a stint that lasted two games before he returned to football.

2.1. Newcastle United

Harper began his professional career in 1993 when he joined Newcastle United from his local club, Seaham Red Star, for a nominal fee. Initially, he served as a backup goalkeeper, first to Pavel Srníček, then Shaka Hislop, and subsequently Shay Given. During his early years at Newcastle, Harper was sent on several loan spells to gain experience, including to Bradford City in 1995-96 (1 appearance), Gateshead in 1996-97 (12 appearances), Stockport County in 1996-97 (0 appearances), Hartlepool United in 1997-98 (15 appearances), and Huddersfield Town in 1997-98 (24 league appearances, 2 FA Cup appearances).

He made his first-team debut for Newcastle as a half-time substitute against Wimbledon in 1998, a significant moment that saw him achieve the rare feat of appearing in each of the top five divisions of English football. Harper frequently came close to dislodging Shay Given as the first-choice goalkeeper, most notably during the 1998-99 season. He featured in the 1999 FA Cup Final, where Newcastle suffered a 2-0 defeat to Manchester United. Then-manager Ruud Gullit notably appeared to favor Harper over Given. However, with Gullit's resignation at the start of the 1999-2000 season, Harper reverted to being second choice, although he did enjoy a brief return to first-team action when Given was injured.

In 2002, Harper made several notable appearances in the UEFA Champions League, most famously against Juventus at St James' Park. He kept a clean sheet in a crucial 1-0 victory over the Italian champions, a result that helped Newcastle advance from the group stages. Recalling the experience, Harper stated, "I hadn't played for a while... you're walking along shaking hands and you're thinking 'That's Pavel Nedvěd and that's Del Piero' and there's the Champions League music blaring."

Throughout his tenure, Harper expressed a desire for more consistent first-team football, submitting transfer requests and being linked with moves to clubs such as West Bromwich Albion, Celtic, Watford, Rangers, and Liverpool. However, none of these potential transfers materialized. In June 2006, after Harper again articulated his frustration over a lack of playing time, manager Glenn Roeder successfully persuaded him to stay, leading to a new contract that kept him at St James' Park until June 2009.

An injury to Given early in the 2006-07 season provided Harper with another opportunity in the first team. His first league start in 15 months, a 2-0 loss to Liverpool on 20 September 2006, saw him slip while trying to reach Xabi Alonso's 65-yard lob. Despite this setback, Harper delivered excellent performances throughout the season, including a vital save against Manchester City in November. He also had another run in the first team after Given's third injury of the season, notably keeping a clean sheet against Chelsea, a feat matched by only two other goalkeepers that season. This marked Harper's first season playing consecutive league matches since 2001.

On 26 July 2007, Harper even came on as a substitute and played as a striker in a friendly match against Celtic, a testament to his versatility that occasionally featured throughout his career. He began the 2007-08 season as Newcastle's starting goalkeeper under new boss Sam Allardyce, due to Given's groin injury and Tim Krul being on loan. Harper kept two clean sheets in his first six league games before Given's return. Later in the season, under the returning manager Kevin Keegan, another injury to Given allowed Harper more first-team appearances. Following a series of strong performances, Liverpool again expressed interest in Harper as a backup for Pepe Reina. Keegan responded by reaffirming his intention to keep Harper, highlighting his impressive record of conceding only once in seven and a half hours of play.

In January 2009, Harper signed a new contract, extending his stay at Newcastle until 2012, marking his nineteenth year at the club. With Given's transfer to Manchester City in the same transfer window, Harper, at 33 years old, finally became the undisputed first-choice goalkeeper. He justified this faith by delivering exceptional performances, including numerous world-class saves. In the Football League Championship during the 2009-10 season, he was recognized as the best goalkeeper, achieving a club record 21 clean sheets in 37 matches and conceding only 35 goals, averaging less than one goal per game. On 6 March 2010, Harper made his 50th consecutive league start for Newcastle in a 6-1 victory over Barnsley, his longest consecutive run of starts in his career. On 23 March 2010, he further cemented his place in club history by recording his nineteenth clean sheet of the season in a 1-0 win over Doncaster Rovers at the Keepmoat Stadium, breaking the club's clean sheet record that had stood since Newcastle's last promotion in the 1992-93 season. Newcastle achieved promotion and won the division title after a 2-0 away win at Plymouth Argyle, a victory Harper considers the pinnacle of his career.

On 18 September 2010, Harper sustained an injury in a challenge by Jermaine Beckford during a 1-0 win at Everton, necessitating his substitution in the first half. It was confirmed on 22 September that he would be sidelined for at least three months. By late October 2010, then-manager Chris Hughton indicated that Harper was making a "very good recovery" and could return to contention within three weeks. Harper resumed training in December 2010 and was on the bench for new manager Alan Pardew's first game, a 3-1 victory over Liverpool. Although Krul retained his place for a 2-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur on 28 December, Harper returned as first-choice goalkeeper against Wigan Athletic in a 1-0 away win, maintaining his position through January and February. However, in the 2011-12 season, Harper once again lost his starting place to Krul and often did not even make the bench.

On 24 October 2011, Harper joined Football League Championship side Brighton & Hove Albion on a one-month loan. He made his debut on the same day in a 1-0 defeat to West Ham United. He played 5 league matches during this loan spell.

Before the 2012-13 season, Tim Krul was assigned the number 1 shirt, previously worn by Harper, who then took the number 37. On 23 August 2012, Harper made his first Newcastle appearance in 15 months against Atromitos in a UEFA Europa League play-off match, which ended in a 1-1 draw. Demonstrating remarkable sportsmanship on 17 September 2012, during a match against Everton, Harper famously told referee Mike Jones not to book Victor Anichebe for a late challenge on him. On 22 March 2013, Newcastle announced that Harper would be leaving the club at the end of the 2012-13 season, concluding his two decades of service. On 12 May 2013, Harper was substituted on after Rob Elliot received a second yellow card against Queens Park Rangers. He played the final 10 minutes without conceding a goal, ensuring Newcastle's safety from relegation. His final game for Newcastle was on 19 May 2013, a 1-0 defeat to Arsenal, in which he captained the team. Harper subsequently retired from professional football following the expiration of his contract at Newcastle.

2.2. Hull City

On 11 July 2013, it was reported that newly promoted Premier League side Hull City intended to offer Harper a one-year contract, providing backup for their new goalkeeper Allan McGregor. Hull City had previously approached Newcastle to take Harper on loan in January 2012 under then-manager Nick Barmby. Harper underwent a medical examination on 15 July, and on the same day, Hull City confirmed his signing on a free transfer with a one-year deal. On 23 May 2014, Harper signed a new one-year deal with the club.

On 11 September 2013, Newcastle United honored Harper's 20 years of service with a testimonial match against an A.C. Milan XI. The match featured many former Newcastle players, including Alan Shearer, Nolberto Solano, John Beresford, Darren Peacock, Nikos Dabizas, Lee Bowyer, Rob Lee, Ruel Fox, David Ginola, Peter Beardsley, Faustino Asprilla, Joey Barton, Shay Given, and Andy Cole, as well as former Sunderland manager Paolo Di Canio. Milan won the game 2-1 on penalties, and the event successfully raised 300.00 K GBP for charity.

At the beginning of the 2014-15 season, Harper suffered a pulled calf injury during training, which sidelined him for a period. On 28 May 2015, Hull City released Harper along with five other players whose contracts expired at the end of the 2014-15 season.

2.3. Sunderland

On 22 January 2016, Harper signed for his boyhood club, Premier League side Sunderland, until the end of the 2015-16 season. His role was to provide cover for goalkeepers Jordan Pickford and Vito Mannone. However, on 10 June, it was announced that Sunderland would not offer Harper a new contract, leading to his departure from the team.