Christopher Jonathan Hope (born 14 November 1972) is an English former footballer. Hope made over 500 appearances in the Football League for Scunthorpe United and Gillingham between 1993 and 2006. Career Born in Sheffield, Hope was raised in Stockton-on-Tees, after his family relocated to the North-East following his father, John, joining Hartlepool United in 1975. Hope initially played youth football for Billingham Synthonia, before following in his father's footsteps in joining Darlington just one week before he was due to start as an apprentice pipe-fitter. Hope was then offered professional terms just one year into his apprenticeship; but after a chance end-of-season encounter between Darlington's and Nottingham Forest's first-team squads in Majorca, he was recommended to Brian Clough by then-Darlington boss Brian Little. After a successful trial with Forest's under-19's squad, the City Ground club paid Darlington £50,000 for the defender. Hope never made a first-team appearance for Forest, but was a member of their travelling party for the 1991 FA Cup Final. In addition to meeting Prince Charles and Princess Diana pre-match, Hope was infamously then forced to help Clough get changed on top of the Royal Car, before later being dispatched to block TV cameras from focusing on the Forest manager. During his final season in Nottinghamshire, Hope also had a successful loan spell with Graham Carr's Kettering Town, making 23 appearances and scoring three goals for the Northamptonshire club. Turning down interest from seven other Football League clubs that summer, including Stoke City, Hope signed for Scunthorpe United on a free transfer. Despite having previously rejected Hope when a youth coach at Glanford Park in 1989, now manager Richard Money gave the defender his debut in the season-opener away at Springfield Park against Wigan Athletic. Over the next seven years Hope became an integral part of the Scunthorpe side, going on to make 337 appearances and score 22 goals for the club. This included captaining the club to its first promotion in 16 years, and only victory at The Old Wembley, thanks to the 1998-99 Third Division play-off final against Leyton Orient. Between 9 March 1996 and 28 December 1999, Hope did not miss a single regular league or play-off game for the Lincolnshire club, and also only missed one of 27 FA Cup games during that time. This 178-league game stretch remains an all-time club record. After their relegation from the Second Division in 1999-2000 however,