Signed from: Brakes Youth Team (1st spell), VS Rugby (2nd spell)
Brakes Debut: (1st spell) 20/10/84 v Gravesend & Northfleet - Southern League Premier Divsion scored in a 2-1 defeat
(2nd spell) 28/02/87 v Halesowen Town - Southern League Midland Division - Lost 6-1
(3rd spell) 12/04/03 v West Midlands Police - Midland Combination Premier Division - Scored in a 5-1 win
Appearances: (3rd spell) 2002/03 - 3 sub appearances, 1 goal
Dave Draper followed his father Bill in playing for his hometown football club. He grew up just down the road from the Windmill Ground, and originally came through the successful Youth Team of the early 1980's at the Windmill Ground, playing up front with another local non league legend in Mark Rosegreen when Graham Allner was manager and also in the following season under future joint manager Barry Proctor. Dave was handed his debut by Jim Watson in October 1984 against Gravesend & Northfleet at the Windmill Ground, scoring in a 2-1 defeat. He also scored in the following game, at Oldswinford in the Birmingham Senior Cup. It was unfortunate that Dave emerged at a time when the club was on its downward spiral, and the turnover of players was high. After leaving the club and turning out for Southam United he was signed up by former Brakes boss Jimmy Knox at VS Rugby.
Dave returned to Leamington early in 1987 for the last two months of the season as they slipped out of the Southern League.
After a stint managing Racing Club Warwick in the Southern League, with a certain Jason Cadden as his assistant, in 1999 Dave was appointed Director of Football at Leamington as the club prepared for a return to playing, and he played a large part in helping to assemble the management and playing staff that would set Brakes back on the road to where they are today. He also fought our corner regularly on local radio, presenting the Non League show on BBC Coventry & Warwickshire with Dave Sharpe.
Dave laced up his boots once more and made a comeback for Brakes towards the end of our first season back in the Midland Combination Premier Divsion, scoring on his second debut for the club in a 5-1 win over our future director and Chairman Jim Scott's West Midlands Police side.
*We will be adding more detail to Dave's profile as our statistics datebase is compiled.
