Tom Hopper returned to Southend in January 2025, five years on from his first spell at Roots Hall.

Hopper first joined Blues in 2018 after three seasons at Scunthorpe United and went on to score seven goals in 14 games, before an ACL injury in the October ended his first season at the club prematurely.

During his second campaign with the club, the striker scored three goals in all competitions before Lincoln City agreed a deal to sign him for an undisclosed fee in January 2020.

Hopper spent three years at Lincoln and featured 100 times, including narrowly missing out on promotion to the Championship in 2020/21 with defeat in the League One Play-Off Final.

In 2023, Matt Bloomfield signed him for Colchester United to bring him back to Essex and last season Hopper was a regular for the U’s making 35 appearances in League Two. He also scored three goals in the final five games, playing a crucial role as they narrowly avoided relegation.

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