David Cooper Templeton (born 7 January 1989) is a Scottish professional footballer who plays as a winger for Glasgow United.
Templeton played for Stenhousemuir, Raith Rovers, Heart of Midlothian, Hamilton Academical, Rangers, Burton Albion and Drumchapel United. He has represented Scotland at under-19 and under-21 levels.
Club career Stenhousemuir Templeton started his senior career with Third Division side Stenhousemuir after a successful trial. He was previously at the Celtic youth system. At aged 16, Templeton made his debut for the club against East Fife on as a 62nd-minute substitute on 12 November 2005 and scored his first professional goal in the 89th minute, which turned out to be a winning goal, in a 3–2 win. In a follow–up match against Montrose, he scored twice for Stenhousemuir, in a 6–2 win. Since breaking into the club’s first team, Templeton then received more playing time for the side, playing in the winger position. He scored on 2 January 2006 and 21 January 2006 against East Stirlingshire and East Fife (twice) respectively. On 21 March 2006, Templeton scored twice, in a 7–0 win against East Stirlingshire. At the end of the 2005–06 season, he made twenty appearances and scoring eight goals in all competitions.
In the 2006–07 season, Templeton continued to remain in Stenhousemuir’s first team. In doing so, his performances attracted clubs from the Scottish Premier League, with Falkirk had their £20,000 bid turned down for him. He also went on a trial with Premier League side Newcastle United. On 3 September 2006, Templeton scored his first goal of the season, in a 2–0 win against Elgin City. Four weeks later on 30 September 2006, he scored his second goal of the season, in a 5–2 win against Albion Rovers. On 4 November 2006, Templeton scored his third goal of the season, in a 2–0 win against East Stirlingshire. He continued to be linked a move away from the club, with Celtic interested in signing him. By the time that Templeton departed Stenhousemuir, he made 36 first team appearances for the club, scoring 11 goals all of which were in league fixtures.
Heart of Midlothian
On 9 January 2007, Templeton signed for Scottish Premier League side Heart of Midlothian for £30,000.
He spent the first two seasons at Hearts, playing for the club’s reserve side. Templeton made his first team debut as a substitute against Aberdeen in a goalless draw at Pittodrie on 12 May 2009. His first start came against Celtic at Parkhead on the final day of the 2008–09 season. At the end of the 2008–09 season, he made three appearances in all competitions.
The first half of the 2009–10 season saw Templeton a period out of action due to foot injuries. He made his first appearance of the 2009–10 season on 20 December 2009 against Celtic, setting up the winning goal in a 2–1 victory, crossing the ball for Ismael Bouzid to score. On 21 February 2010, Templeton scored his first goal for Hearts, the second in a 2–0 defeat of Hamilton Academical. Since returning from injury, he received a handful of first team football for the rest of the 2009–10 season. On 13 March 2010, Templeton scored his second goal of the season, in a 3–1 loss against Motherwell. On 24 March 2010, he signed a three-year contract with Hearts, keeping him until 2013. At the end of the 2009–10 season, Templeton made seventeen appearances and scoring two times in all competitions.
In the 2010–11 season, Templeton’s playing time at Hearts increased further, though at times, he found himself in and out of the starting eleven. Templeton scored in the league on 21 August 2010 and 29 August 2010 against Hamilton Academical and Dundee United respectively. Since then, Templeton frequently found himself on the scoresheet, scoring a number of memorable efforts, none more so than a spectacular dribble and finish in the first Edinburgh derby of the 2010–11 season. His performance also received high praise from Terry Butcher after Hearts drew 1–1 with Inverness Caledonian Thistle on 18 December 2010. As a result, he was named both November’s Young Player of the Month and December’s Young Player of the Month. The January transfer window saw Templeton being linked with a move away from the club, with clubs from England interested in signing him, but he ended up staying at the club. However, his form in the second-half of the 2010–11 season suffered a dip when Templeton struggled to score goals and his own injury concerns. At the end of the 2010–11 season, he made thirty–six appearances and scoring seven times in all competitions. For his performances, Templeton was nominated for PFA Player of the Year for the 2010–11 season. He also won the Hearts Fans Player of the year.JJ wants £15m for starlet , TeamTalk, 20 December 2010 (Archived)
At the start of the 2011–12 season, Templeton continued to be a first team regular, playing in the winger position under the management of Paulo Sérgio. He made his European debut, starting a match and played 82 minutes before being substituted, in a 1–1 draw against Paksi FC in the third qualifying round of the UEFA Europa League. In the return leg, Templeton set up one of the goals, in a 4–1 win to advance to the next round. However, throughout August saw Templeton placed on the substitute bench, due to a knock he sustained earlier this month. On 2 October 2011, Templeton provided two assists, in a 2–0 win against Celtic. He set up another goal in a follow–up match, in a 2–0 win against Dunfermline Athletic. Templeton soon won his first team place back, playing in the winger position. On 17 December 2011, he scored his first goal of the season, in a 4–0 win against Dunfermline Athletic. In a follow–up match against Motherwell, Templeton provided two assists, in a 2–0 win. His performances attracted interests from English club in the January transfer window, but he ended up staying at Hearts after the club placed a £1 million price tag on him. On 5 February 2012, Templeton scored his second goal of the season, in a 1–1 draw against St Johnstone in the fifth round of Scottish Cup. However in the second half of the 2011–12 season, he faced a setback on facing his own injury concerns, including one against Motherwell on 18 February 2012 that saw him suffer a groin injury, resulting in his substitution. On 21 April 2012, Templeton returned from injury, coming on as a 68th-minute substitute, in a 3–0 loss against Rangers. However, he was left out of the Hearts’ squad for the Scottish Cup final, as the club won 5–1 against local rivals, Hibernian. At the end of the 2011–12 season, Templeton made thirty–five appearances and scoring two times in all competitions.
Ahead of the 2012–13 season, Templeton underwent a surgery on his hernia. He continued to be linked a move away from Hearts throughout the summer transfer window. Amid the transfer speculation, Templeton scored his first goal of the season, and won a penalty, in a 2–0 win against St Johnstone in the opening of the 2012–13 season. In a follow–up match against Hibernian, however, he kicked James McPake and went unpunished, as the match ended in a 1–1 draw. Templeton was banned for two matches. After serving a two match ban, he returned to the starting line–up and played 79 minutes before being substituted, in a 1–0 loss against Liverpool in the 2012–13 UEFA Europa League play-off round first leg. Templeton's final goal for Hearts came in the 2012–13 UEFA Europa League play-off round second leg against Liverpool at Anfield on 28 August 2012, in what turned out to be his last appearance for the club. By the time he left Hearts, Templeton made four appearances and scoring two times in all competitions.
Loan spell to Raith Rovers During the second half of the 2007–08 season, Templeton was loaned out to Second Division side Raith Rovers.
He scored his debut for the club, starting the whole game, in a 4–1 win against Cowdenbeath on 2 January 2008. Two weeks later on 19 January 2008, Templeton scored his second goal for Raith Rovers, in a 1–0 win against Queen's Park. On 16 February 2008, he scored his third goal for the club, in a 2–1 loss against Ayr United. A month later on 22 March 2008, Templeton scored his fourth goal for Raith Rovers, in a 3–2 win against Ross County. Having become a first team regular for the club, he made seventeen appearances and scoring four times in all competitions.
Rangers On 31 August 2012, Templeton signed a four-year contract for Third Division club Rangers for an undisclosed fee (reported to be approximately £700,000). Manager Ally McCoist, have been interested in signing him for over a year, believed that Templeton can be a hero for the club.
He made his debut for Rangers against Elgin City on 2 September 2012, starting a match and played 76 minutes before being substituted, and scored twice and setting up one of the goals, in a 5–1 win. In a follow–up match against Annan Athletic, however, Templeton suffered ankle injury just ten minutes to the match and was substituted, as the match ended up in a 0–0 draw. After the match, he was out for three months following a surgery. On 2 December 2012, Templeton made his return from injury, coming on as a 73rd-minute substitute, in a 3–0 win against Elgin City. In a follow–up match against Stirling Albion, he scored his third goal of the season, in a 2–0 win. Templeton scored three more goals later in December, including a brace against Annan Athletic on 18 December 2012. Following his return from injury, he regained his first team place, playing in the winger position. His performance was praised by local newspaper, The Herald and Glasgow Times. The following January saw Templeton score four goals, including another brace against Annan Athletic on 2 January 2013. On 16 February 2013, he scored twice for the club, and set up one of the goals, in a 4–1 win against Clyde. However, Templeton suffered an Achilles injury that saw him out for three matches. On 30 March 2013, he returned to the starting line–up and played the whole game, in a 0–0 draw against Montrose, a draw that saw Rangers promoted to Scottish League One. In a follow–up match against Queen's Park, Templeton scored twice and set up one of the goals, in a 4–1 win. In a follow–up match against Clyde, he set up two goals, in a 2–0 win. Two weeks later on 27 April 2013, he scored twice for the club, in a 4–2 win against East Stirlingshire. At the end of the 2012–13 season, Templeton made twenty–six appearances and scored 15 goals in his first season at Rangers. For his performances, he was nominated for PFA Scotland Third Division Player of the Year, along with teammate Lee Wallace but lost out to him. Templeton was voted onto the PFA Scotland Team of the Year for the Third Division, alongside teammates Lee McCulloch, Wallace and Andrew Little. His performance at Rangers was praised by The Herald and Glasgow Times, due to "having the ability to excite and be creative", as "he is a real crowd pleaser".