Committed to Coops

YOUNG goalkeeper Michael Cooper has committed his future to Argyle, signing a deal that will keep him at the club until the end of the 2021-22 season.

The highly regarded shot-stopper was handed the number one shirt at the start of the season and has now been given a new contract as an early Christmas present.

“I’m delighted to get the deal through, very happy to be continuing my journey with Argyle,” said Coops. “I’ve been here since I was nine, so to get a new deal and look to the future is all good signs.

“It’s nice to know the gaffer backs me. It shows by the length of the deal that he backs me and that he thinks highly of me. I’d like to repay him in the future through game-time and good performances.”

The 20-year-old made a name for himself when earning his first-team debut at the age of 18, coming off the bench for the injured Kyle Letheren against Blackburn Rovers in League One.

“I still remember that whole day very vividly,” he said. “I don’t think anyone knows this but on the pre-game walk we had, Cam Sangster said I’ve got a feeling you’ll come on tonight, and I did. It’s just gone on from there really.”

Cooper has played in some special games for a 20-year-old, including matches against Chelsea in the Football League Trophy and in the final game of last season against Scunthorpe. The youngster feels like he’s now getting to grips with the rollercoaster life as a professional footballer.

“No matter how low it gets, there’s always massive highs to go with it,” said Coops. “The leap into professional football is massive and I feel like I’ve grasped it now. It took about a season or two to really get used to it, but I feel like I’m developing well.”

The Academy graduate confessed it was very difficult to keep the deal quiet.

“I obviously told my family straight away, made sure they kept their mouth shut,” he said. “It’s been hard not telling anyone. Now it’s done, it will be a lot easier to spread the word.”

Despite some great performances, Cooper is currently playing understudy to Alex Palmer, which he thinks is a positive for the team.

“Obviously, I’ve tried getting myself into the team and that’s also led to Alex having good performances, which is what keepers want for each other,” said Coops.

“We want to be keeping clean sheets, we want to be getting wins and Al keeps doing that, so it’s brilliant to see. I just hope I can keep my training and match performances to a good standard.”

The aim for the ‘keeper now is to break into the first team and get as many games under his belt as possible.

“That will be my aim even now going into next season, the season after, I always aim to get as many games as I can,” he said.