Jake Cooper on playing on despite double shoulder problem, closing in on Millwall milestone and huge respect for team-mate Hutch

BY RICHARD CAWLEY
richard@slpmedia.co.uk

It’s a sign of Jake Cooper’s toughness and desire to play football that he has dislocated his shoulder twice this season and still only missed four matches.

The 26-year-old had played every minute in 136 consecutive matches for Millwall before sustaining damage after an awkward landing against Birmingham in November.

And there were fears that Cooper would miss the rest of the campaign when there was another issue with his right shoulder in the reverse fixture against the Blues at The Den three months later.

But Cooper has played the full 90 minutes in the last five Championship matches.

“I never met with the surgeon after my first injury because I was so desperate to play,” Cooper told the South London Press. “I completely went against his word – which was a bit awkward when I met him!

“There was a bit of panic after it happened the second time but I was all good once we realised it was a totally different injury. I didn’t have full strength in the arm but you don’t need that a whole lot in a football match.

“The surgeon said that with the work I had done it had progressed things well and that there was no point having surgery, because it would not put me in a better place than I am now.

“The fact it is now nearly five months since I did the original injury puts me in a much healthier place – the percentages of redislocating it are a lot lower.

“I’m quite positive about it. I’ve worked really hard on it and the shoulder feels really good and really strong.

“The guys at the club – Paul [Tanner, head of medical services] and Bloomy [Laurence Bloom, head of performance] have been excellent with me, unbelievable.

“I started off by working on my mobility. Most people take two weeks to get mobile after it happens but I was there after four or five days, just moving it and doing certain exercises.

“Then it was about strengthening my scapula at the top of my back, being able to take the pressure off the shoulder joint by using the muscles around it. After two or three weeks I couldn’t lift a seven kilograms dumbell for a bench press. I think I probably benched 100kg before that.”

Cooper’s second shoulder issue involved the AC joint.

While Tanner was able to pop the shoulder back in the first time Cooper had a problem – he went on to complete the match – it was not so straightforward on the second occasion.

“The pain was really bad when I did it initially but Paul came on and put it back in,” said the Millwall man. “It was probably no more than 45 seconds that it was out of the socket. But the second time there was just this real stiffness. I couldn’t move my arm. It couldn’t function the way I needed it to. I knew I was done.

“A couple of days later I spoke to someone who did their AC joint and played not long afterwards. When I started reading up I could see it wasn’t as serious as what I thought. Because it was the same shoulder it had made me feel it was 10 times worse than it actually was. The specialist just said I was really unlucky that I had two separate injuries to the shoulder over the course of a few months.”

Cooper is just two matches away from 200 in a Lions shirt.

He should hit the milestone if, as expected, he plays in both matches over the Easter period.

“There have been quite a few of the lads who have recently hit that number,” he said.“It’s great – it shows that the club is moving forward. There is me, Jed [Wallace], Mahlon [Romeo], Shane [Ferguson], Willo [Shaun Williams] and Hutch [Shaun Hutchinson] who all have around that amount of appearances.

“It shows that there is something great about playing for the club. To play so many games is an honour, especially in the league we’re in now.

“It is about finishing this season off as well as we can. It is going to be a big achievement if we can stay in the top half. We have had two top-eight finishes in the previous three years and we have got to look back with fond memories and at the potential for the future.”

Six of Millwall’s remaining eight games are against opponents who still have something to play for, either at the top or the bottom of the standings.

Cooper doesn’t believe that adds extra edge for Gary Rowett’s side.

“It’s all about your mentality and we’ve got a really good one,” he said. “You’re still putting on a Millwall shirt – every three points means something.

“If you’re not 100 per cent at it then you get found out.”

Hutchinson is one of only two outfield players to not miss a minute in the Championship this season, the other being Norwich’s Max Aarons. Bartosz Bialkowski is one of three ever-present keepers.

The Millwall duo are both on 3,420 minutes – although it is actually more than that when you factor in stoppage time.

“Hutch is magnificent,” said Cooper when asked about his defensive partner. “He pushes everyone else to be better and up to his standards.

“We bounce off each other. If one of us plays well then the other wants to do the same – if not better.

“We have played a lot of games together and I’ve loved every minute. He has got your back on a football pitch, if you make a mistake he is going to try and get you out of trouble.

“I can only say good things about Hutch. It wouldn’t be the same without him.”