WEYMOUTH ace Jordan Copp is looking forward to facing up to the side he grew up with as a boy, as Plymouth Argyle take on the Terras at the Bob Lucas Stadium today (3pm).
The versatile youngster was part of the set-up with the Pilgrims as a player from the age of eight and now still works as part of the youth development structure with the League Two outfit.
Speaking ahead of the contest, Copp, who featured as a trialist for Weymouth as the sides played out a 2-2 draw in a friendly two years ago, told Echosport: “I am really looking forward to it.
“It’s against a club I grew up with and I was kind of in love with from the age of eight, because that’s all I ever knew.
“I am really looking forward to getting some minutes.
“There is a lot of stuff we (Weymouth) need to work on but there have been some good performances in pre-season. We just have to make sure it continues with Argyle and then Poole and Truro next week.
“They (Argyle) will always have a place in my heart. I hope they do well and go up.”
Copp, who was also called up for an England Under-16s training camp while with Plymouth in July 2008, made his first-team debut for the Pilgrims after coming off the bench in place of Ladjie Soukouna in a League Cup defeat against Millwall, in August 2011.
“For any lad, as a 17-year-old growing up in your hometown, to make your debut in front of thousands of people, it was just phenomenal,” he recalled
“I was in the squad all year and on the bench multiple times. It was an amazing experience and something I will never forget, it is something that will stay with me for as long as I live really.”
Explaining his present day duties with the club, he added: “I have kind of built my way up working in schools and doing all that side of stuff. From August 1 now I am going to be a full-time youth college coordinator and a part-time tutor with them.
“I really enjoy it, it is really good.”