He made his Sunderland debut against Newcastle at Under-17 level in December of that year and went on to score a hat trick against Liverpool.

A tidy full back who is also comfortable in midfield, Capper has played at two European finals having represented Ireland at the Under 16 Championships in Israel in 2000 as well as in Norway in 2002.

Capper's rise within the ranks at Sunderland was hardly surprising given his outstanding record in the green of his country, playing at numerous levels and featuring in a recent tournament in the Middle East which the Irish won.

That tournament proved to be the last underage outing for Brian Kerr as he took up the role of senior boss but no doubt he will be keeping a very close eye on the Skerries man as the months pass.

He was called into the Under 21 squad by Don Givens at the end of the 2002/03 season.

Capper joined Scarborough in the summer of 2003 after he was released by Sunderland as the Black Cats cut their squad after relegation from the Premiership.

His brother Alan plays with Belvedere's Under 15 Premier Team.