Alex Tapp
{{short description|English footballer}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name = Alex Tapp
| image =
| fullname = Alexander Nicholas Tapp{{cite book
| last = Hugman
| first = Barry J.
| title = The PFA Premier & Football League Players' Records 1946-2005
| publisher = Queen Anne Press
| year = 2005
| page = 599
| isbn = 1-85291-665-6 }}
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1982|6|7|df=y}}
| birth_place = Redhill, England
| height =
| position = Midfielder
| youthyears1 = 1994–2002
| youthclubs1 = Wimbledon
| years1 = 2002–2004
| clubs1 = Wimbledon
| caps1 = 38
| goals1 = 3
| years2 = 2004–2006
| clubs2 = Milton Keynes Dons
| caps2 = 12
| goals2 = 1
| years3 = 2006
| clubs3 = Lewes
| caps3 = 1
| goals3 = 0
| years4 = 2007
| clubs4 = Tonbridge Angels
| caps4 =
| goals4 =
| years5 = 2007–2008
| clubs5 = Chipstead
| caps5 =
| goals5 =
| years6 = 2009
| clubs6 = Austin Aztex
| caps6 = 5
| goals6 = 0
}}
Alexander Nicholas Tapp (born 7 June 1982) is an English former footballer. He is a midfielder, who has played in the English Football League for Wimbledon and their successor Milton Keynes Dons.
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.{{cite news
|url=http://www.miltonkeynes.co.uk/sport/Tapp-backs-Dons-after-his.1687203.jp
|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130421010800/http://www.miltonkeynes.co.uk/sport/Tapp-backs-Dons-after-his.1687203.jp
|url-status=dead
|archivedate=21 April 2013
|title=Tapp backs Dons after his release
|date=10 August 2006
|accessdate=5 February 2009
|newspaper=Milton Keynes Citizen
|first=Jon
|last=Boyle}}{{cite news
|url=http://www.nonleaguedaily.com/news/index.php?&newsmode=FULL&nid=40743
|title=Two new Angels
|date=27 February 2007
|accessdate=7 February 2009
|publisher=Non-League Daily
|url-status=usurped
|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120917091510/http://www.nonleaguedaily.com/news/index.php?&newsmode=FULL&nid=40743
|archivedate=17 September 2012
}} 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.{{cite news
|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/2239175.stm
|title=Southend 1-4 Wimbledon
|date=10 September 2002
|accessdate=7 February 2009
|publisher=BBC Sport}} Less than two months after his debut, Tapp suffered a hamstring injury which kept him out of the Wimbledon side for three months.{{cite news
|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/w/wimbledon/2472183.stm
|title=Dons duo set to return
|date=14 November 2002
|accessdate=7 February 2009
|publisher=BBC Sport}} 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.{{cite news
|url=http://football.guardian.co.uk/Observer_Match_Report/0,,-45409,00.html
|title=Hughes squeezes Blues through
|date=25 January 2004
|accessdate=5 February 2009
|newspaper=The Observer
|first=Stuart
|last=Barnes}}
Wimbledon were relegated at the end of the season and finished bottom of the First Division table.{{cite news
|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/w/wimbledon/3596377.stm
|title=Dons' darkest day
|date=6 April 2004
|accessdate=7 February 2009
|publisher=BBC Sport
|first=Dan
|last=Warren}}{{cite web
|url=http://www.soccerbase.com/league2.sd?seasonid=133&competitionid=2
|title=Final 2003/2004 Football League Championship Table
|accessdate=7 February 2009
|publisher=Soccerbase}} 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.
=English non-League=
After leaving Milton Keynes, he had several unsuccessful trials with other league clubs, including Brentford and Oxford United,{{cite news
|url=http://www.miltonkeynes.co.uk/sport/Allen-eyes-nonleague-hotshot-Main.2188314.jp
|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130421070210/http://www.miltonkeynes.co.uk/sport/Allen-eyes-nonleague-hotshot-Main.2188314.jp
|url-status=dead
|archivedate=21 April 2013
|title=Allen eyes non-league hot-shot Main
|date=29 March 2007
|accessdate=5 February 2009
|newspaper=Milton Keynes Citizen}}{{cite news
|url=http://archive.theoxfordtimes.net/2006/10/19/109931.html
|title=Football: Tapp strike can't save United's second string
|date=19 October 2006
|accessdate=5 February 2009
|newspaper=The Oxford Mail
}}{{dead link|date=October 2016 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} and played in one Conference South game for Lewes,{{cite news
|url=http://archive.theargus.co.uk/2006/9/8/215450.html
|title=Football: Duncan makes debut for Lewes
|date=6 September 2006
|accessdate=7 February 2009
|publisher=The Argus
}}{{dead link|date=October 2016 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} before he joined Isthmian League Premier Division side Tonbridge Angels in February 2007. Tapp made his debut for Tonbridge against Margate on 20 February but was substituted during the first half after he picked up an injury.{{cite news
|url=http://www.kentishfootball.co.uk/mambo/index2.php?option=com_content&do_pdf=1&id=1602
|title=Margate 1–2 Tonbridge Angels
|date=21 February 2007
|accessdate=5 February 2009
|publisher=Kentish Football
|url-status=dead
|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110723133833/http://www.kentishfootball.co.uk/mambo/index2.php?option=com_content&do_pdf=1&id=1602
|archivedate=23 July 2011
}} During the 2007–08 season, he appeared for Chipstead, who played in the Isthmian League Division One South.{{cite web
|url=http://www.chipsteadfc.com/content-iframe.php?PAGE=sen-reports-0708
|title=Senior match reports
|accessdate=7 February 2009
|publisher=Chipstead F.C.
}}{{dead link|date=October 2016 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
=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.{{cite news
|url=http://www.austinaztex.com/home/303135.html
|title=The Austin Aztex FC Announce Signing of 3 Players
|accessdate=5 February 2009
|publisher=Austin Aztex
|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090207155351/http://austinaztex.com/home/303135.html
|archivedate=7 February 2009
|url-status=usurped
}} He was the club's second English signing, following Gifton Noel-Williams, and joined another expatriate Adrian Heath, the manager of the side.{{cite news
|url=http://www.statesman.com/search/content/sports/stories/other/01/09/0109aztex.html?cxntlid=inform_sr
|title=Aztex sign English striker
|date=9 January 2009
|accessdate=5 February 2009
|newspaper=Austin American-Statesman}} {{Dead link|date=October 2010|bot=H3llBot}}{{cite news
|url=http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=509961&&cc=5739
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604051745/http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=509961&&cc=5739
|url-status=dead
|archive-date=4 June 2011
|title=Austin names Adrian Heath head coach
|date=21 February 2008
|accessdate=5 February 2009
|publisher=ESPN}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20090311011043/http://www.austinaztex.com/team/roster/index.html?player_id=1 Austin Aztex bio]}}
- {{Soccerbase}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tapp, Alex}}
Category:Sportspeople from Redhill, Surrey
Category:English men's footballers
Category:Men's association football midfielders
Category:Wimbledon F.C. players
Category:Milton Keynes Dons F.C. players
Category:Tonbridge Angels F.C. players
Category:Austin Aztex FC players
Category:English Football League players
Category:USL First Division players
Category:Chipstead F.C. players
Category:English expatriate sportspeople in the United States
Category:Expatriate men's soccer players in the United States
Category:English expatriate men's footballers
Category:People educated at Woodcote High School