LEAVERS BLOG – Tom Lapslie by Rob Dand & Tom Diamond

TT BLOG

Rob Dand

TOM LAPSLIE

One of the few professional footballers I would easily tower over (by a clear half an inch), Tom Lapslie’s time as a Gull has come to an end.

The combative midfielder was released this week following a three year stint in yellow that somehow feels like much longer – probably not a good thing. One of a deluge of mostly desperate signings made in the aftermath of Ashton Gate (he was ‘Incoming #5’ on the infamous ‘Manic Monday’), the then 25-year-old Lapslie arrived at Plainmoor having registered over 150 appearances for Colchester United – on paper, a player heading into the prime of his career with Football League experience. What we didn’t know at the time was that much like a dog owner’s lawn, or Alanis Morrisette’s grasp on irony, Laps’ injury record was patchy at best.

Of all the players heading for the exit door this summer, London-born Lapslie will likely be one of the few that Gulls fans have anything resembling a pang of fondness for – something akin to a favourite chopping board perhaps, or a shirt bought at an unexpected discount. Having to pick up the slack for Brett McGavin can hardly have been much fun over the years (good luck Yeovil), but he was always a willing runner. Some all-action displays, coupled with an old-beyond-his-years persona (all black boots and shirt tucked fully in), also suggested an endearingly honest, no-frills kind of character. His highlight reel might not be full of screamers, in fact it probably wouldn’t be very long at all, but his determination and bravery in the tackle were key attributes usually noticeably absent from the rest of the team during his unfortunately numerous spells on the sideline.

In all likelihood, had he not sustained that injury against Havant right at the end of the season, one might imagine he would have been in the running for a new deal this summer, and an announcement video featuring Torbay Hospital would have been delicious (Alanis take note).

Alas, joking aside, Tiger Tom is once again looking at a long road to recovery that – according to his very gracious leaving post on social media – will likely see him out until 2025. If he proves his fitness, it’s not beyond the realms of possibility that we might yet see him in yellow again. Regardless, we thank him for his contributions in just over 100 games in all competitions, and wish him the best of luck in his journey back to match fitness.

@TUFC1899 💛💙 #tufc pic.twitter.com/nt8LW5Tvjn
— Tom Lapslie (@TomLapslie) June 4, 2024

Tom Diamond – @GullsSoc

Back in 2021, a 3-0 pre-season friendly victory against Paul Wotton’s Truro gave Plainmoor it’s first glimpse of then new signing Tom Lapslie. As I stood on the Popside, basking in the Torbados sunshine, fans were filled with a cocktail of emotions following a rollercoaster 2020-2021 campaign which ended in… actually let’s not go there. Much to the dismay of the 957 strong Gulls crowd, it turned out to be not much more than a glimpse as in the 29th minute our new midfield maestro hobbled off to be replaced by recent League 2 playoff winner, Klaidi Lolos. This did, unfortunately, become a familiar frustration for United fans over the three seasons that followed as keeping Lapslie fit (or any of our players for that matter) became a tricky task at times for United’s ever busy physio team.

Nevertheless, Tom did still make an impressive number of appearances in Yellow during his three years (about 100), and it’s those times which we will focus on for the remainder of this blog. In recent times, questions have been asked of United players’ passion for the shirt and willingness to stand up and be counted in difficult moments. This is, however, not something which can be questioned of Lapslie, whose faultless work ethic and energy in the middle of the park led him to be an instant fan favourite for match-going Gulls fans. The modern day football fashion statements of cut socks, questionable skin fades and tape on the wrists (the point of which still completely evades me) seem to have swept across the football world at some pace. However, with a shirt tucked firmly into his shorts, normal football socks, and black boots, Lapslie’s appearance went hand in hand with his character on the pitch: hardworking, fearless and always up for the fight.

It would be doing Tom a disservice, though, not to mention his actual footballing ability which often went unnoticed for reasons which I will discuss slightly later on. Despite often being described as the man to do the dirty work in midfield, he also possessed some real technical quality and popped up with some important goals and assists for the Gulls in critical games.

Sorry to bring up the relegation season, but, let’s use Dorking away as an example of Lapslie’s on the ball quality. After Jarvis levelled the scores on the stroke of half time (great strike by the way), what followed shortly after the break was a bursting run into the box and cultured finish by our number 4, highlighting his technical skill which provided a complement to his energetic and at times aggressive character. I still argue that if Lapslie’s goal that day had proved to be the winner we may have ended the season with a different outcome.

But that is, of course, besides the point so let’s now move onto what really made Gulls fans fall for our 5 foot 6 maestro, and ultimately helped in securing him the honour of an ‘appreciation society’ (shoutout TLAS) following the departure of previous worshipee, Ben Wynter. ‘The most punchable player in the National League’ is how one opposition fan described Lapslie on twitter following a game. Over the three years in which Lapslie turned out in Yellow, Gulls fans were treated to some excellent moments of shithousery from Tom, with two specific incidents being particularly memorable:

Torquay 3 – 0 Yeovil Town – 26/12/2021

After having struggled against our Somerset counterparts in festive fixtures, this was an important clash at Plainmoor as we neared the end of a disappointing 2021. With the game hanging in the balance, Lapslie walked into a Yeovil player who was on the floor and continued to be a nuisance to him until Sonny Blu Lo-Everton eventually gave a frustrated kick of his leg in the direction of Lapslie. Following some Oscar worthy theatrics from Tom, the Yeovil player was given his marching orders. Two Torquay goals followed in the next five minutes and United went on to win 3-0. The red card was retrospectively rescinded, highlighting the deception and shithousery displayed by the Torquay man.

Torquay 4 – 1 Exeter – 22/07/2023

Due to the Grecians rise and the Gulls fall, what used to be a hotly contested league fixture has instead become a pre-season derby game against Devon’s fourth biggest football club (up the Buckland). Nevertheless, this game started with franticness and aggression, with the Gulls taking a deserved two goal lead. As tensions started to rise, Lapslie flew into a tackle in a way that we seldom see in the modern game, and which could well have been argued as a red card. This led to Grecians skipper Pierce Sweeney pushing Lapslie to the floor, for which he received a red card.

There are few men who could put in an arguably red card challenge and end up punishment free with the opposition captain back in the changing rooms. However, Lapslie made an enjoyable habit of coming out on the right side of these incidents, and therefore definitely lives up to his title of ‘The most punchable player in the National League’, and is well worthy of his loyal appreciation society.

So, despite his Torquay United career being played out over three poor seasons, seeing Tom Lapslie on a matchday team sheet always made me happy. His footballing quality, attitude and most importantly entertainment value leave me with fond memories which I hope are echoed across the fanbase. Have I been too positive considering our on field results in this time? Perhaps. However, the Plainmoor pitch over the last three years was a better place with Lapslie on it, and I wish him all the best for the future. I am in awe, I can’t deny, our midfield maestro he’s only 5 foot 5, our number 4, who could it be, his first name is Tom and his second is Lapslie.