Alex Tapp

Alexander Nicholas Tapp (born 7 June 1982) is an English football (soccer) player. He is a midfielder, who has played in the English Football League for Wimbledon and their successor Milton Keynes Dons.

Alex Tapp
Personal information
Full name Alexander Nicholas Tapp[1]
Date of birth (1982-06-07) 7 June 1982
Place of birth Redhill, England
Height 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Position(s) Midfielder
Youth career
1994–2002 Wimbledon
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2002–2004 Wimbledon 38 (3)
2004–2006 Milton Keynes Dons 12 (1)
2006 Lewes 1 (0)
2007 Tonbridge Angels
2007–2008 Chipstead
2009 Austin Aztex 5 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 22 October 2009

Career

Wimbledon/Milton Keynes Dons

Born in Redhill, England, Tapp started his football career with Wimbledon in 1994 and represented England Schoolboys in 1998 at the age of 15.[2][3] He made his professional debut for Wimbledon in the First Division on 31 August 2002 in a 3–2 victory against Wolverhampton Wanderers and scored his first goal two weeks later in a 4–1 League Cup win against Southend United.[4] Less than two months after his debut, Tapp suffered a hamstring injury which kept him out of the Wimbledon side for three months.[5] He played in Wimbledon's final two seasons in The Football League, playing 43 games and scoring four goals, although his second season was cut short in January following a serious knee injury.[6]

Wimbledon were relegated at the end of the season and finished bottom of the First Division table.[7][8] The club had moved to Milton Keynes in 2003 and at the start of the 2004–05 season, the club was relaunched under the name of Milton Keynes Dons, now playing in the renamed third tier League One. Tapp suffered more injury problems and played only a further 15 games in his final season in The Football League. In August 2006, when Milton Keynes decided not to extend his contract, Tapp left after 12 years with the club.[2]

English non-League

After leaving Milton Keynes, he had several unsuccessful trials with other league clubs, including Brentford and Oxford United,[9][10] and played in one Conference South game for Lewes,[11] before he joined Isthmian League Premier Division side Tonbridge Angels in February 2007.[9] Tapp made his debut for Tonbridge against Margate on 20 February but was substituted during the first half after he picked up an injury.[12] During the 2007–08 season, he appeared for Chipstead, who played in the Isthmian League Division One South.[13]

Austin Aztex

In the late summer of 2008, Tapp moved to the United States and after seven months during which he acclimatised to the Texan weather and astroturf pitches, he joined the Austin Aztex ahead of their first season in the United Soccer Leagues First Division.[14] He was the club's second English signing, following Gifton Noel-Williams, and joined another expatriate Adrian Heath, the manager of the side.[15][16]

References
  1. Hugman, Barry J. (2005). The PFA Premier & Football League Players' Records 1946-2005. Queen Anne Press. p. 599. ISBN 1-85291-665-6.
  2. Boyle, Jon (10 August 2006). "Tapp backs Dons after his release". Milton Keynes Citizen. Archived from the original on 21 April 2013. Retrieved 5 February 2009.
  3. "Two new Angels". Non-League Daily. 27 February 2007. Archived from the original on 17 September 2012. Retrieved 7 February 2009.
  4. "Southend 1-4 Wimbledon". BBC Sport. 10 September 2002. Retrieved 7 February 2009.
  5. "Dons duo set to return". BBC Sport. 14 November 2002. Retrieved 7 February 2009.
  6. Barnes, Stuart (25 January 2004). "Hughes squeezes Blues through". The Observer. Retrieved 5 February 2009.
  7. Warren, Dan (6 April 2004). "Dons' darkest day". BBC Sport. Retrieved 7 February 2009.
  8. "Final 2003/2004 Football League Championship Table". Soccerbase. Retrieved 7 February 2009.
  9. "Allen eyes non-league hot-shot Main". Milton Keynes Citizen. 29 March 2007. Archived from the original on 21 April 2013. Retrieved 5 February 2009.
  10. "Football: Tapp strike can't save United's second string". The Oxford Mail. 19 October 2006. Retrieved 5 February 2009.
  11. "Football: Duncan makes debut for Lewes". The Argus. 6 September 2006. Retrieved 7 February 2009.
  12. "Margate 1–2 Tonbridge Angels". Kentish Football. 21 February 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 July 2011. Retrieved 5 February 2009.
  13. "Senior match reports". Chipstead F.C. Retrieved 7 February 2009.
  14. "The Austin Aztex FC Announce Signing of 3 Players". Austin Aztex. Archived from the original on 7 February 2009. Retrieved 5 February 2009.
  15. "Aztex sign English striker". Austin American-Statesman. 9 January 2009. Retrieved 5 February 2009.
  16. "Austin names Adrian Heath head coach". ESPN. 21 February 2008. Retrieved 5 February 2009.
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