He led us out at Villa Park.

What a moment that must have been for 22-year-old Leigh Cooper. An FA Cup semi-final, with half of Plymouth in the stands and one game away from Wembley.

At the time he was one of the youngster captains in the Football League and although that day didn’t go his or Argyle’s way, Leigh was able to re-build his career after falling out of favour with fans and managers.

Converted to a full back, he was an integral part of the 1986 promotion winning side and was almost an ever present the following season when Argyle achieved their highest ever league finish.

A career cut short by injury and without much luck, it’s testament to the man that he managed 387 Argyle appearances, which puts him 11th on our all-time list.

This is the story of Leigh Cooper.

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