Background
Cropley was born in Aldershot, Hampshire. His father is Jack Cropley, who was playing for Aldershot at the time.
Cropley was born in Aldershot, Hampshire. His father is Jack Cropley, who was playing for Aldershot at the time.
Cropley junior began his career with Hibernian, where he featured in the side of the early 1970s known as "Turnbull"s Tornadoes". Despite being born in the south of England, Cropley was eligible for Scotland and he was selected for the matches against Belgium and Portugal in 1971. Late in 1974, Cropley was transferred to Arsenal for £150,000.
He struggled to make an impact at Arsenal, largely due to injuries.
He made his debut against Carlisle United on 7 December 1974, but broke his leg in a match away to Middlesbrough in January 1975 and broke it again soon after his comeback. He returned to make 22 appearances in 1975-1976, but could not secure a regular place in the Arsenal first team
He was transferred to Aston Villa in September 1976, having played in 30 league games and scored five goals for Arsenal. Cropley finished his career with spells at Newcastle (on loan), Toronto Blizzard and Portsmouth.
He retired from professional football in 1982 at the relatively young age of 31.
He has subsequently played for Berwick Rangers, Arniston Rangers and Haddington Athletic.