Whilst at Avondale, his talent progressed, and a number of clubs were interested in signing him.

English sides Crystal Palace and Coventry City came calling, circumstances and Davies lack of enthusiasm to play outside of Hamilton put an end to there enquires.

Indeed, such was Coopers affection for his hometown that the two short train journeys to Clydebank’s ground were enough to put him off signing for them!

Unbelievable as it may seem now, frustrated with not being able to find a suitable club in the right location, at the age of 18 Cooper threw in the towel and stopped playing altogether.

On hearing this, the owners of Avondale contacted Clydebank to warn them that the talented youngster was in danger of falling out the game.

Jack Steedman, chairman of Clydebank, had already tried to sign Cooper and failed.

However, he was persistent in his endeavours to sign the talented winger and in a story that has now become legendary he got his man.

Steedamn pulled up, in his flash Jaguar, outside the printing works in which Davie was working.

He asked to speak to Davie and Cooper made his way out to the car for a chat.

Steedman laid it on thick trying to persuade Davie to join the club; offering a good basic wage and the prospect of regular first team football if he played well.

To clinch the deal he pulled out an envelope containing £300 in grubby, used bank notes (according to popular myth the previous nights takings from the social club's fruit machine)

and offered it as a signing on fee! Keen to get back into the game and encouraged by Steedmans desire to sign him Cooper agreed to join the “Bankies”:

From an early age, Davie Cooper was hooked on football and spent most of his spare time with a ball at his feet.

When he wasn’t playing he would go to watch Rangers at Ibrox and he was soon emersed in the beautiful game.

By his early teens he was picking up silverware and playing for local side Udston United, before joining Hamilton Avondale a few years later.

Davie Cooper made his debut for Clydebank, as a substitute, against Airdrie in the League Cup,

The game took place on Saturday 10 August 1974 at Broomfield and it proved to be a rather inauspicious debut for the youngster as the home team won after leading 1-0 at the break, 4-0. Cooper came on to replace Phil McGovern.

Cooper's full debut came also against Airdrie and again in the Scottish League Cup on Wednesday 28 August, but again Airdrie won,  this time 2-1.

The game was also his first appearance at New Kilbowie Park. The 'Bankies' finished bottom of the section.

Davie's Scottish League debut came in the Second Division, in the last season before League re-construction, on Saturday, 31 August.

The game was against Queen of the South at Palmerston Park, with the 'Bankies' going down 3-0 at the hands of the 'Doonhamers'.

After that he drifted out of the team and it was not until the end of October that he became an almost permanent fixture in the Clydebank line-up.

Davie first played on the winning side for the Bankies on 30 November, when Clydebank beat Cowdenbeath at Kilbowie by 2-1.

His first goal for the Bankies came two games later when, again at Kilbowie, he scored the third goal in the 4-1 defeat of Alloa Athletic.

Davie ended the season with 29 starts, 2 as a sub, and scored 5 goals.

In the 1975-1976 League, the Bankies led from the off in the 26 game Second Division and Cooper was one of four ever-presents that season,

He was amongst the goals that season too, finishing top of the Clydebank list with 13 in the League, three of which were penalties.

His first hat-trick in Senior football included two penalties on a dark and cold Saturday, as the Bankies defeated Alloa Athletic 3-1.

Cooper played in all of the Bankies 49 games that season, scoring 22 goals and seeing the club promoted to the First Division.

The 1976-1977 season saw Cooper make his international debut for Scotland's under-21s.

It came in the Czech town of Pilsen. in a 0-0 draw.

His cap that October night meant that he missed the Clydebank game at Brockville the only match he missed all season.

He secured another three caps that season - against Wales, Switzerland and England.

In the League, the Bankies were the only real rivals to a superbly talented young St. Mirren side,

steered by an inexperienced and fiery manager by the name of Alex Ferguson.

The season involved a 6-0 win at Bayview and the Bankies record victory of  8-1 over Arbroath at New Kilbowie when Cooper scored his second and final hat-trick for the Bankies.

The Bankies eventually sealed promotion to the Premier Division in the fourth last game of the season with a memorable win over Dundee.

Clydebank finished runners-up to St. Mirren and became the first Scottish team to be promoted in successive seasons.

One match proved pivotal in his move to the Ibrox giants.

Clydebank drew Rangers on the quarter finals of the league cup.

An epic tussle ensued with 2 replays, Rangers eventually winning the fourth match 2-1 at Firhill.

Cooper recalls his first encounter with fiery Rangers captain John Greig at Ibrox:

“He waded in with the kind of challenge Jack the Ripper would have been proud of…

and then he growled “If I get another chance, I’ll break your leg.”

Cooper played brilliantly and scored in three of the four matches.

His performances caught the eye of Rangers boss Jock Wallace and soon after the Ibrox team put in an offer for the player.

Davie Cooper's last goal for the Bankies was against Raith Rovers in a 2-0 win at New Kilbowie on 23 April 1977.

His last game was at Brockville in a 4-2 win, a week later.

Davie was included in the Scotland squad for the Home International Championship and the trip to South America,

but immediately before he left for Chile, he signed for Rangers to the dismay of the Clydebank support.

The fee involved was £100,000 and it was reported that he received a signing on fee of £10,000 and was on a wage of £150 per week.

To say that Davie made a dream start to his Ibrox career would be an understatement,

as he appeared in 52 of Rangers 53 major matches in the 1977-1978 season, as Jock Wallace's side won the domestic treble.

Most commentators agreed that Davie Cooper's Rangers career placed him amongst the club's most celebrated players.

Although he did not want to leave Rangers, the lure of regular first team football persuaded him to sign for former team-mate Tommy McLean at Motherwell in August 1989.

In his four and a half seasons at Fir Park, Davie played over 150 times for the "Steelmen" and was instrumental in the club winning its first major trophy in 39 years,

in the epic Scottish Cup Final of 1991 which saw Dundee United defeated 4-3 after extra-time.

The move also revived Cooper's Scotland career and he earned another four caps before injury put paid to his chances of going to the 1990 World Cup Finals in Italy.

While with Motherwell, Davie had been working in a coaching capacity with the reserve and youth sides.

In December 1993 he returned to Clydebank as a player, but also to assist in coaching duties.

As in his first period at the club, Davie began on the losing side as Clydebank lost 0-2 to Ayr United at New Kilbowie on 4 January 1994.

In 1993-1994 he played in a total of 20 games, including sixteen starts and four as a substitute.

In 1994-1995 he was almost an ever-present in the side,

Until the start of February when he played against Hearts in the Scottish Cup Third Round Replay at Tynecastle on 7 February 1995.

But despite the Bankies best efforts they were unable to overcome the Edinburgh team.

That was Davie's last First XI appearance. The last goal he scored was against Airdrie in the B&Q Cup Semi-Final - typically it was a first class strike.

Davie Cooper made his last appearance in a Clydebank jersey in a Reserve fixture at New Kilbowie on 21 February 1995 against Hamilton Academical.

A month later, on 22 March 1995, Cooper suffered a brain haemorrhage at Broadwood Stadium,

Where he and the former Celtic, Arsenal and Aberdeen Scottish international Charlie Nicholas were recording a coaching film for youngsters.

He died in hospital the next day. He was 39 years old.

His funeral took place at Hillhouse Parish Church, Hamilton on Monday 27 March 1995, and he was buried in the town's Bent cemetery.

Davie Cooper is remembered as one of the most significant players in the histories of Clydebank, Rangers and Motherwell football clubs.

In his tribute to Cooper, the then Rangers manager, Walter Smith, said that