Doug Loft

Doug Loft

Loft playing for Port Vale in April 2013
Personal information
Full name	Douglas James Loft [1]
Date of birth	(1986-12-25) 25 December 1986 (age 37) [2]
Place of birth	Maidstone, England
Height	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) [2]
Position(s)	Midfielder
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
0000–2006	Hastings United
2006–2009	Brighton & Hove Albion	39	(2)
2009	→ Dagenham & Redbridge (loan)	11	(0)
2009–2014	Port Vale	174	(18)
2014–2016	Gillingham	62	(5)
2016–2018	Colchester United	20	(0)
2018–2019	Shrewsbury Town	1	(0)
2019	→ Dagenham & Redbridge (loan)	12	(0)
2019–2021	Billericay Town	28	(2)
2021	Margate	0	(0)
2021–2023	Tonbridge Angels	27	(1)
Total		374	(28)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Douglas James Loft (born 25 December 1986) is an English former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He made 430 league and cup appearances in an 18-year career, scoring 32 goals.

A non-League player at Hastings United, Loft moved to Championship club Brighton & Hove Albion in January 2006. He remained on the fringes of the first team throughout his stay and was loaned out to Dagenham & Redbridge in February 2009. He signed with Port Vale in June 2009, where he found regular first-team football. Voted as the club's Player of the Year in 2012, Loft helped the club secure promotion to League One the following season. He signed for Gillingham in June 2014 before moving to Colchester United in July 2016. He signed with Shrewsbury Town in July 2018 and in January 2019 rejoined Dagenham & Redbridge on loan. He signed with non-League side Billericay Town in July 2019 and moved to Tonbridge Angels in June 2021.

Career

Brighton & Hove Albion

Born in Maidstone, ^[2] former England Schoolboy international Loft was signed by Brighton & Hove Albion from non-League side Hastings United in January 2006. ^[3] He made his professional debut for Mark McGhee's side as a 90th-minute substitute in Brighton's 0–0 draw with Preston North End on 11 March 2006. ^[4] In only his third game, Loft scored his first goal, a consolation in Brighton's 5–1 home defeat by Stoke City on 30 April 2006. ^[5]

Loft made 13 league and cup appearances for Brighton during his first full season with the club, scoring one goal. ^[6] He agreed a new one-year deal at the end of the 2006–07 campaign. ^[7] He made 17 appearances in all competitions during the 2007–08 season, scoring one goal in the FA Cup. ^[8] He was awarded a new one-year contract in June 2008. ^[9]

In the 2008–09 season, Loft had made nine appearances for Brighton before joining League Two side Dagenham & Redbridge in February 2009 on loan until the end of the season. ^[10] After impressing in his loan spell, ^[11] and after making ten appearances for the Daggers, Brighton manager Russell Slade recalled Loft. ^[12] He returned to Brighton to make seven further appearances before the end of the campaign. ^[13]

Port Vale

In May 2009, Loft was one of 14 players who left Brighton following the expiry of their contracts. ^[14] He signed for Port Vale on a two-year contract in June 2009, teaming up with former Brighton manager Micky Adams. ^[15] He missed the opening two weeks of the 2009–10 pre-season with illness, ^[16] though started to find his best form after settling in to the side. ^[17] He was transfer listed in late September, along with the entire Port Vale squad, after Adams saw his team slip to a third consecutive defeat. ^[18] After calf and heel injuries kept Loft out of contention, ^[19] he returned to the first-team with a "rasping half-volley" in a 2–2 home draw with Torquay United on 23 November. ^[20] He ended the season with three goals and 37 appearances in all competitions. ^[21]

At the beginning of the 2010–11 season, Loft was out of the first-team with suspected bruised ribs. ^[22] His ribs eventually transpired to be broken, and he had also suffered a collapsed lung, ^[23] keeping him out of action for three weeks. ^[24] Despite a tore calf and a hamstring injury keeping him out of action for portions of the second half of the campaign, ^{[25] [26]} Loft was awarded a new two-year deal in May 2011. ^[27]

Loft began the 2011–12 season with four goals in six games which earned him a nomination for League Two Player of the Month for August, which he missed out on to Dagenham & Redbridge's Mark Arber. ^[28] After a successful campaign which returned five goals in 46 appearances, ^[29] Loft was voted as the club's Player of the Year, while also picking up the Away Travel Player of the Year and Players' Player of the Season awards. ^[30]

Loft was appointed club captain in July 2012 following the departure of Marc Richards. ^[31] He scored his only goal of the season with a 25 yards (23 m) drive in Vale's 2–1 defeat to Oxford United at the Kassam Stadium on 2 March 2013. ^[32] Three days later, he received a red card for violent conduct in a goalless home draw with Bradford City. ^[33] Loft featured for Vale 36 times, ^[34] as the club went on to achieve promotion to League One with a third-place finish. He signed a new one-year contract in the summer. ^[35]

During the 2013–14 season, Loft had been a regular fixture in the first-team, scoring nine goals in 43 league and cup appearances, ^[36] until April 2014, when an alleged training ground altercation between Loft and teammate Daniel Jones left Loft out of action for the remainder of the season. ^[37] Manager Micky Adams stressed that Loft was the innocent party in the confrontation that left Loft with a broken cheekbone and Jones was sacked following a club investigation. ^[38] He was voted onto Port Vale's team of the 2010s by readers of The Sentinel , alongside Anthony Griffith, in February 2020. ^[39]

Gillingham

In June 2014, Loft turned down a new deal to remain with Port Vale, instead choosing to sign for Gillingham on a free transfer. ^[40] He chose to sign for Gillingham in order to return to his home county of Kent with his young family. ^[41] He was made club captain, ^[42] and made his club debut on 9 August 2014 in a 4–2 defeat to Milton Keynes Dons. ^[43] He was sent off in a 3–0 League One defeat to Scunthorpe United in October 2014, ^[44] before scoring his first goal for the club in a Football League Trophy win over Crawley Town on 11 November. ^[45] He ended the season with two goals in 42 appearances. ^[46]

Loft spent much of the 2015–16 season plagued by injury, missing much of pre-season and the early stages, ^[47] and suffering an Achilles injury which restricted his number of games to just four between mid-February and May 2016. ^[48] He scored four goals in 28 games, ^[49] and was released by the club at the end of the season. ^[42]

Colchester United

In July 2016, Loft signed a two-year contract with League Two side Colchester United. ^[50] He made his debut for the club in the EFL Cup during Colchester's 4–0 defeat by Brighton & Hove Albion. ^[51] His problematic hamstring and Achilles injuries recurred in late August 2016, keeping him out of first-team action. ^[52] It was reported on 9 September that Loft would remain out of action for two to three months. ^[53] He finally made a return to competitive action as a late substitute in Colchester's 1–1 draw with Doncaster Rovers on 14 April 2017, ^[54] completing the season with nine first-team appearances to his name. ^[55] He was struck down by a shoulder injury after a bad fall in November 2017. ^[56] He was released by Colchester at the end of the 2017–18 season after manager John McGreal admitted that "we only ever saw glimpses of him because of his injury problems and it just hasn't worked out for him here". ^[57]

Shrewsbury Town

On 21 July 2018, Loft signed a one-year deal with Shrewsbury Town after impressing manager John Askey on a trial basis in pre-season friendlies. ^[58] However, he failed to break into the "Shrews" first-team, playing just 66 minutes of League One football at the New Meadow. ^[59] He appeared more frequently in the EFL Trophy and scored his only goal for the club in that competition against Walsall. ^[60] On 21 January 2019, he returned to Dagenham & Redbridge, who were now playing in the National League, on loan until the end of the 2018–19 season. ^[61] Manager Peter Taylor said that "he is a very experienced midfield player that I felt we needed". ^[62] He was released by Shrewsbury manager Sam Ricketts in May 2019. ^[63]

Later career

On 17 July 2019, Loft joined National League South club Billericay Town. ^[64] He scored two goals in 24 appearances in the 2019–20 season, which was permanently suspended on 26 March due to the COVID-19 pandemic in England, with Billericay in 18th-place. ^[65] He played eight games in the 2020–21 season, which was also curtailed early due to the pandemic. ^{[66] [67]}

On 3 June 2021, Loft joined Isthmian League Premier Division club Margate; manager Jay Saunders described him as a "key signing". ^{[68] [69]} However, eight days later he was revealed as a Tonbridge Angels signing after he walked out on Margate to remain in the National League South with Tonbridge. ^[70] He played 27 games in the 2021–22 season and was retained in the summer. ^{[66] [71]} However, he played just one game of the 2022–23 campaign before suffering a season-ending ruptured Achilles injury at the end of August. ^{[66] [72]}

Style of play

Loft was a versatile midfield player, and in November 2010, was described by Port Vale teammate Gareth Owen as "...one of the fittest at the club, but he's got a lot of skill with it... I've been surprised by how strong he is. He's got a good footballing brain and I like having him outside me (at wing-back) because he always wants the ball and I know he'll do his defensive duties as well. ^[73] He could play in other positions, and received praise for his performances at left-back and his "excellent attitude" from Port Vale manager Micky Adams. ^[74]

Personal life

Growing up in Maidstone, as a boy, Loft attended Gillingham matches with his father. ^[75] His wife, Laura, gave birth to their first child, a daughter, in 2011. ^[76]

Career statistics

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			FA Cup		League Cup		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Brighton & Hove Albion	2005–06 [77]	Championship	3	1	0	0	0	0	—		3	1
	2006–07 [6]	League One	11	1	0	0	2	0	0	0	13	1
	2007–08 [8]	League One	13	0	3	1	0	0	1 [lower-alpha 1]	0	17	1
	2008–09 [13]	League One	12	0	0	0	1	0	3 [lower-alpha 1]	0	16	0
	Total		39	2	3	1	3	0	4	0	49	3
Dagenham & Redbridge (loan)	2008–09 [13]	League Two	11	0	—		—		—		11	0
Port Vale	2009–10 [21]	League Two	32	3	2	0	3	0	0	0	37	3
	2010–11 [78]	League Two	29	1	3	0	1	0	1 [lower-alpha 1]	0	34	1
	2011–12 [29]	League Two	44	4	1	0	1	1	0	0	46	5
	2012–13 [34]	League Two	32	1	1	0	1	0	2 [lower-alpha 1]	0	36	1
	2013–14 [36]	League One	37	9	3	0	1	0	2 [lower-alpha 1]	0	43	9
	Total		174	18	10	0	7	1	5	0	196	19
Gillingham	2014–15 [46]	League One	36	1	1	0	1	0	4 [lower-alpha 1]	1	42	2
	2015–16 [49]	League One	26	4	1	0	0	0	1 [lower-alpha 1]	0	28	4
	Total		62	5	2	0	1	0	5	1	70	6
Colchester United	2016–17 [55]	League Two	8	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	9	0
	2017–18 [79]	League Two	12	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	13	0
	Total		20	0	1	0	1	0	0	0	22	0
Shrewsbury Town	2018–19 [80]	League One	1	0	0	0	0	0	4 [lower-alpha 2]	1	5	1
Dagenham & Redbridge (loan)	2018–19 [66]	National League	12	0	—		—		—		12	0
Billericay Town	2019–20 [66]	National League South	21	2	5	0	—		3 [lower-alpha 3]	0	29	2
	2020–21 [66]	National League South	7	0	0	0	—		1 [lower-alpha 4]	0	8	0
	Total		28	2	5	0	—		4	0	37	2
Tonbridge Angels	2021–22 [66]	National League South	26	1	0	0	—		1 [lower-alpha 4]	0	27	1
	2022–23 [66]	National League South	1	0	0	0	—		0	0	1	0
	Total		27	1	0	0	—		1	0	28	1
Career total			374	28	21	1	12	1	23	2	430	32

1. Appearance(s) in Football League Trophy
2. Appearances and goals in EFL Trophy
3. Appearances in Essex Senior Cup
4. Appearances and goals in FA Trophy

Honours

Individual

• 2012 Port Vale Player of the Year ^[30]

Port Vale

• Football League Two third-place promotion: 2012–13 ^[81]

References

1. Hugman, Barry J., ed. (2008). The PFA Footballers' Who's Who 2008–09. Edinburgh: Mainstream Publishing. ISBN   978-1-84596-324-8.
2. Doug Loft at Soccerbase
3. Marston, Carl (4 July 2016). "The big interview: Colchester United's Doug Loft". East Anglian Daily Times. Ipswich. Retrieved 28 August 2016.
4. "Brighton 0–0 Preston". BBC Sport. 11 March 2006. Retrieved 28 August 2016.
5. "Brighton 1–5 Stoke". BBC Sport. 30 April 2006. Retrieved 22 June 2009.
6. "Games played by Doug Loft in 2006/2007". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
7. "Kuipers seals new Brighton deal". BBC Sport. 11 June 2007. Retrieved 22 June 2009.
8. "Games played by Doug Loft in 2007/2008". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
9. "Loft signs new Brighton contract". BBC Sport. 5 June 2008. Retrieved 22 June 2009.
10. "Loft seals Dagenham loan switch". BBC Sport. 2 February 2009. Retrieved 22 June 2009.
11. "Still offers high praise for Loft". BBC Sport. 18 February 2009. Retrieved 22 June 2009.
12. "Daggers after a Loft conversion?". Welwyn Hatfield Times. Welwyn Garden City. 14 May 2009. Archived from the original on 17 September 2016. Retrieved 28 August 2016.
13. "Games played by Doug Loft in 2008/2009". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
14. "Fourteen let go in Brighton cull". BBC Sport. 12 May 2009. Retrieved 22 June 2009.
15. "Breaking News: Port Vale complete Loft signing". The Sentinel. Stoke on Trent. 22 June 2009. Archived from the original on 10 June 2015. Retrieved 22 June 2009.
16. "Loft edges closer to full fitness". BBC Sport. 27 July 2009. Retrieved 27 July 2009.
17. Shaw, Steve (9 September 2009). "Port Vale: Fit-again Loft now hitting the heights". The Sentinel. Stoke on Trent. Retrieved 9 September 2009.^{[ permanent dead link ]}
18. "Adams puts Vale squad up for sale". BBC Sport. 27 September 2009. Retrieved 27 September 2009.
19. Shaw, Steve (24 November 2009). "Port Vale: Fit again Loft back with a bang". The Sentinel. Stoke on Trent. Retrieved 24 November 2009.^{[ permanent dead link ]}
20. "Port Vale 2–2 Torquay". BBC Sport. 23 November 2009. Retrieved 24 November 2009.
21. "Games played by Doug Loft in 2009/2010". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
22. Shaw, Steve (17 August 2010). "Port Vale: Assistant Geoff Horsfield confident over duo's fitness". The Sentinel. Stoke on Trent. Retrieved 20 August 2010.^{[ permanent dead link ]}
23. Shaw, Steve (20 August 2010). "Port Vale: Adams backs Loft to recover". The Sentinel. Stoke on Trent. Retrieved 20 August 2010.^{[ permanent dead link ]}
24. "Port Vale's Doug Loft close to return from injury". BBC Sport. 13 September 2010. Retrieved 13 September 2010.
25. "Port Vale: Injury sidelines top scorer Richards for six weeks". The Sentinel. Stoke on Trent. 6 January 2011. Retrieved 6 January 2011.^{[ permanent dead link ]}
26. "Port Vale: Injured Loft out for rest of season". The Sentinel. Stoke on Trent. 14 April 2011. Retrieved 14 April 2011.^{[ permanent dead link ]}
27. "Port Vale offer Micky Adams manager position". BBC Sport. 11 May 2011. Retrieved 11 May 2011.
28. "Port Vale: Wing man Jarrett can help Vale soar, says Loft". The Sentinel. Stoke on Trent. 10 September 2011. Retrieved 10 September 2011.^{[ permanent dead link ]}
29. "Games played by Doug Loft in 2011/2012". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
30. "Port Vale: Loft grateful for award success". The Sentinel. Stoke on Trent. 2 May 2012. Retrieved 2 May 2012.^{[ permanent dead link ]}
31. "Port Vale: Doug Loft named as new Valiants captain". The Sentinel. Stoke on Trent. 27 July 2012. Retrieved 27 July 2012.^{[ permanent dead link ]}
32. "Oxford United 2–1 Port Vale". BBC Sport. 2 March 2013. Retrieved 6 March 2013.
33. "Port Vale 0–0 Bradford". BBC Sport. 5 March 2013. Retrieved 6 March 2013.
34. "Games played by Doug Loft in 2012/2013". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
35. "Port Vale: Skipper Doug Loft signs new one-year contract". BBC Sport. 4 July 2013. Retrieved 4 July 2013.
36. "Games played by Doug Loft in 2013/2014". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
37. "Injured Doug Loft is ruled out for Port Vale as club refuse to comment on reports of altercation with Daniel Jones". The Sentinel. Stoke on Trent. 12 April 2014. Archived from the original on 13 April 2014. Retrieved 12 April 2014.
38. "Port Vale: Daniel Jones sacked over Doug Loft 'facial injury'". BBC Sport. 14 April 2014. Retrieved 14 April 2014.
39. Baggaley, Michael (5 February 2020). "Results revealed for central midfielders in Port Vale team of the Decade". Stoke Sentinel. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
40. "Doug Loft: Gillingham sign Port Vale midfielder". BBC Sport. 10 June 2014. Retrieved 10 June 2014.
41. "Port Vale: Skipper Doug Loft sad to leave, but ends his spell at Vale Park for family reasons". The Sentinel. Stoke on Trent. 11 June 2014. Archived from the original on 5 May 2015. Retrieved 11 June 2014.
42. "Gillingham: Captain Doug Loft among four released by League One club". BBC Sport. 10 May 2016. Retrieved 10 May 2016.
43. "Milton Keynes Dons 4–2 Gillingham". BBC Sport. 9 August 2014. Retrieved 29 August 2016.
44. "Gillingham 0–3 Scunthorpe United". BBC Sport. 11 October 2014. Retrieved 29 August 2016.
45. "Crawley Town 1 Gillingham 2". Sky Sports. 12 November 2014. Retrieved 29 August 2016.
46. "Games played by Doug Loft in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
47. Cawdell, Luke (7 August 2015). "Cody McDonald and Doug Loft have both missed a large chunk of pre-season through injury". KentOnline. Retrieved 29 August 2016.
48. Cawdell, Luke (12 March 2016). "Gillingham captain Doug Loft and defender Adam El-Abd suffer injuries in win over Crewe Alexandra". KentOnline. Retrieved 29 August 2016.
49. "Games played by Doug Loft in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
50. "Doug Loft: Colchester United sign former Gillingham captain". BBC Sport. 1 July 2016. Retrieved 1 July 2016.
51. "Brighton & Hove Albion 4–0 Colchester United". BBC Sport. 9 August 2016. Retrieved 9 August 2016.
52. Waldron, Jonathan (31 August 2016). "Colchester United head coach John McGreal would like to strengthen his squad ahead of this evening's transfer window deadline". Daily Gazette. Colchester. Retrieved 31 August 2016.
53. Marston, Carl (9 September 2016). "Colchester United's Doug Loft ruled out for three months". Green'Un. Ipswich. Retrieved 9 September 2016.
54. "Colchester United 1–1 Doncaster Rovers". BBC Sport. 14 April 2017. Retrieved 14 April 2017.
55. "Games played by Doug Loft in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 7 May 2017.
56. Waldron, Jonathan (23 November 2017). "Loft ruled out for up to a month with shoulder injury". Gazette. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
57. "Colchester United: Doug Loft among four players leaving club". BBC Sport. 8 May 2018. Retrieved 9 May 2018.
58. "Shrewsbury sign midfielder Doug Loft". Shropshire Star. 21 July 2018. Retrieved 21 July 2018.
59. Cox, Lewis (21 January 2019). "Shrewsbury loan Doug Loft to Dagenham & Redbridge". Shropshire Star. Retrieved 22 January 2019.
60. "Shrewsbury 2-1 Walsall". saddlers.co.uk. 5 December 2018. Retrieved 28 September 2021.
61. "Midfielder Doug Loft joins Daggers for a second loan spell - Time 107.5 fm Time 107.5 fm". www.time1075.net. 21 January 2019. Retrieved 22 January 2019.
62. Ranson, Jacob (21 January 2019). "Daggers sign Shrewsbury Town midfielder Loft on loan". Barking and Dagenham Post. Retrieved 22 January 2019.
63. "Town Announce Retain List". www.shrewsburytown.com. 8 May 2019. Retrieved 29 May 2019.
64. Rust, Danny (17 July 2019). "Billericay Town boss Harry Wheeler delighted with triple signing". Echo. Retrieved 19 July 2019.
65. "National League clubs vote to end regular season immediately". BBC Sport. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
66. Doug Loft at Soccerway
67. Osborn, Oliver (18 February 2021). "National League Statement | Outcome Of Written Resolutions". Vanarama National League. Retrieved 18 February 2021.
68. Townsend, Ian (3 June 2021). "Gate bring in former Seagulls, Vale and Gills midfielder - The Pitching In Isthmian Football League". www.isthmian.co.uk. Retrieved 3 June 2021.
69. "Loft Added To Gate Squad". www.margate-fc.co.uk. 3 June 2021. Retrieved 3 June 2021.
70. Panting, Matthew (11 June 2021). "Loft switches to another Kent club". Kent Online. Retrieved 11 June 2021.
71. Panting, Matthew (14 May 2022). "Saunders busy shaping Tonbridge squad". Kent Online. Retrieved 27 May 2022.
72. Tucker, Chris (5 January 2023). "Lofty ambitions". Kent Online. Retrieved 2 May 2023.
73. "Versatility will help Port Vale — Gareth Owen". BBC Sport. 4 November 2010. Retrieved 4 November 2010.
74. "Port Vale midfielder Doug Loft happy in left-back role". BBC Sport. 27 January 2012. Retrieved 27 January 2012.
75. "Port Vale: Doft Loft targets injury-free spell to boost season". The Sentinel. Stoke on Trent. 16 October 2010. Retrieved 16 October 2010.^{[ permanent dead link ]}
76. "Port Vale: Awards success is all relative for family man Loft". The Sentinel. Stoke on Trent. 2 May 2012. Retrieved 2 May 2012.^{[ permanent dead link ]}
77. "Games played by Doug Loft in 2005/2006". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
78. "Games played by Doug Loft in 2010/2011". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
79. "Games played by Doug Loft in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
80. "Games played by Doug Loft in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
81. Sherwin, Phil; Johnson, Dave (2013), Port Vale This Side Up: 2012-2013 Promotion Celebration, BGL, ISBN   978-0-9926579-0-1

External links

• Doug Loft at Soccerbase