Bill Hooper

Football career Hooper played for Cockfield and for Darlington club Rise Carr before the First World War interrupted his progress. After the war, he played five times for First Division club Oldham Athletic, where his older brother Danny was also on the books. He then returned home and signed for Darlington.

On the opening day of the season, 27 August 1921, Darlington played Halifax Town at home, and beat them 2–0. After "barely a minute", Winship crossed for Hooper to score Darlington's first goal in the Football League; the goal came so quickly that the Northern Echo reported how Hooper could "in all probability, lay claim to the honour of being the first player to score a goal in the Northern Section of the Third Division". He finished the season as Darlington's top scorer, with 18 goals from 31 games,

Three seasons later, playing alongside younger brother Mark, Hooper contributed to Darlington's Third Division North title and promotion to the Second Division. He played 20 League matches, his only goal coming in a 3–1 defeat of Wrexham, in 1926–27, which was his final season in the Football League.