Background
Harper was born in Wednesbury, Staffordshire.
Harper was born in Wednesbury, Staffordshire.
He played as an inside forward. He started his football career with Darlaston before joining Birmingham City, initially as an amateur, in 1955. Awarded a professional contract in the 1956 close season, he was not even a regular in the reserve team when given his First Division debut at the age of 20, when Noel Kinsey, Bryan Orritt, Bill Finney and Bert Linnecor were all injured at the same time.
The game, a 3–1 defeat at Bolton Wanderers on 20 February 1957, proved to be the only appearance that Harper made in the Football League.
He went on to play non-league football for Romford, Burton Albion and Nuneaton Borough.