James Coppinger

Doncaster Rovers Coppinger was bought by Doncaster manager Dave Penney for a reported £30,000 as he looked to strengthen the squad following promotion to League One. He was a constant feature in the side from the start, though in that first season, he failed to score in his 38 appearances. He scored an average of five goals in future seasons, his first goal eventually coming on 26 November 2005 in a 2–0 victory over Bristol City at Belle Vue. in the 2008 play-off semi-final against Southend United in a 5–1 victory which secured a place in the League One play-off final at Wembley against Leeds United.

On 14 September 2010, Coppinger scored a hat-trick against Norwich in a 3–1 victory.

On 21 July 2011, he signed a new contract at Doncaster which would keep him at the Keepmoat until 2014. Doncaster were relegated at the end of the 2011–12 season and needed to offload players to reduce the wage bill. As a result, he became a subject of interest from several Championship clubs including Barnsley, who he rejected a move to. After a few games, on 31 August, he was loaned to Nottingham Forest until January 2013 where he joined ex-Rovers players Simon Gillett and Billy Sharp under his former manager, Sean O'Driscoll. Dissatisfaction with the lack of games at Forest led him to return to Rovers after the loan spell.

Coming on as substitute in the 2–1 win over Stevenage on 12 January 2013, Coppinger reached the milestone of 300 league appearances for Doncaster, one of only ten players to do so at the club. On 27 April 2013, in an incredible final match of the season at Griffin Park, Coppinger scored the winning goal in a 1–0 away victory over Brentford in the final seconds of five minutes of added time just moments after Brentford's Marcello Trotta had hit a penalty against the crossbar.

Coppinger became only the fifth Rovers player to reach 350 league appearances when he turned out to play right wing-back against Nottingham Forest in a 0–0 draw at the City Ground on 15 March 2014. Doncaster were relegated back to League One on the final day of the 2013–14 season following a 1–0 defeat at Leicester City.

On 9 September 2016, Coppinger won the Football League Two Player of the Month for the month of August. The following day, he celebrated the remarkable milestone of reaching 500 Doncaster appearances by scoring in a 5–1 away victory over Morecambe. On 31 January 2017, Coppinger extended his contract until the end of the 2017–18 season.

In May 2019, he signed a new one-year contract with the club. In July 2020, Coppinger signed another one-year deal. He also confirmed that after 16 years at the club, this would be his final season as a professional footballer. On 9 May 2021, Coppinger announced his retirement after club record of 695 games.

Post-playing career In April 2022, Coppinger returned to Doncaster Rovers in the role of head of football operations. Following the 2022–23 season in the role, he became head of recruitment in June 2023. In May 2025, he transitioned into the role of first-team coach on a full-time basis.

Personal life Doncaster Rovers have worked with the NSPCC since the beginning of 2009. In June 2011, Coppinger, along with Mark Wilson, James O'Connor, other Rovers staff and local Doncaster businessmen David Plant and Brian Butcher walked the 62-mile Inca Trek raising almost £50,000 for the charity. He has also set up 'Pro Mindset', a mentoring and support service for footballers, though was found guilty of corrupt and fraudulent practices by the British Horseracing Authority and given a three-year ban from any dealings with registered racing individuals.

He received the Freedom of the Borough of Doncaster on 21 May 2022.

Career statistics play-offs: 2008

Individual EFL League Two Player of the Month: August 2016 Doncaster Rovers Player of the Year: 2017–18 Sir Tom Finney Award: 2021