Damon Lathrope
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Damon Len Lathrope (born 28 October 1989) is an English former professional
footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...
and manager who is the assistant coach of
EFL League One The English Football League One, known as Sky Bet League One for sponsorship reasons, or simply League One, is a professional association football league in England. EFL League One is the second-highest division of the English Football League an ...
club
Plymouth Argyle F.C. Plymouth Argyle Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Plymouth, Devon, England. The team currently competes in EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system. The club has played ...
. He played as a
midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...
, and after coming through
Norwich City Norwich City Football Club is a professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk, England. The club competes in the Championship, the second tier of English football. The club was founded in 1902. Since 1935, Norwich have played their h ...
's academy, signed for
Torquay United Torquay United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Torquay, Devon, England. The team currently compete in the National League South, the sixth level of the English football league system. They have played their ho ...
,
Aldershot Town Aldershot Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Aldershot, Hampshire, England. The team competes in the National League, the fifth level of the English football league system. The club was founded in the spr ...
and
Woking Woking ( ) is a town and borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in north-west Surrey, England, around from central London. It appears in Domesday Book as ''Wochinges'', and its name probably derives from that of a Anglo-Saxon settleme ...
.


Club career

Born in
Stevenage Stevenage ( ) is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, about north of London. Stevenage is east of junctions 7 and 8 of the A1(M), between Letchworth Garden City to the north and Welwyn Garden City to the south. In 1946, Stevenage w ...
, Lathrope began his youth career at
Cambridge United Cambridge United Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Cambridge, England. They currently compete in EFL League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. Nicknamed the U’s, the club h ...
, though moved on to
Norwich City Norwich City Football Club is a professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk, England. The club competes in the Championship, the second tier of English football. The club was founded in 1902. Since 1935, Norwich have played their h ...
's academy in 2006–07. He initially played in the left–back position while at the club's reserve before playing in the midfield position. Before making his professional debut, he scored twice for the first team in friendly matches, the first in a
benefit match A benefit is a match or season of activities granted by a sporting body to a loyal sportsman to boost their income before retirement. Often this is in the form of a match for which all the ticket proceeds are given to the player in question. Howeve ...
for former Norwich player Shaun Carey, versus Carey's
King's Lynn King's Lynn, known until 1537 as Bishop's Lynn and colloquially as Lynn, is a port and market town in the borough of King's Lynn and West Norfolk in the county of Norfolk, England. It is north-east of Peterborough, north-north-east of Cambridg ...
teammates in October 2006. When Norwich then revisited King's Lynn for a pre-season friendly in July 2007, Lathrope repeated the trick with another goal. Lathrope signed a professional contract with the Canaries in January 2008 and was given a squad number of 36. He was included in the club's first team for the first time, appearing as an unused substitute, as Norwich City lost 1–0 against
Milton Keynes Dons Milton Keynes Dons Football Club, usually abbreviated to MK Dons, is a professional association football club based in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England. The team competes in EFL League Two, the fourth level of the English football leag ...
in the first round of the League Cup. In November 2009 he joined
Conference South The National League South, officially Vanarama National League South, is a professional Association football league in England. National League South is the second division of the National Leagues and step 2 of the NLS and sixth-highest ti ...
club
Bishop's Stortford Bishop's Stortford is a historic market town and civil parish in the East Hertfordshire district, in the county of Hertfordshire, England. It is in the London metropolitan area, London commuter belt, near the border with Essex, just west of the ...
on a two-month loan. In May 2010 he was released by ''the Canaries'', and signed with
Torquay United Torquay United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Torquay, Devon, England. The team currently compete in the National League South, the sixth level of the English football league system. They have played their ho ...
in July 2010.


Torquay United

He made his debut for the club on 11 August 2010, coming on as a 112th minute substitute for Danny Stevens in their League Cup First Round defeat to
Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of symbols, often specifically those of a written language, by means of Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifacete ...
at
Plainmoor Plainmoor is an association football stadium located in the Plainmoor suburb of Torquay, Devon, England. Since 1921, the stadium has been the home of Torquay United F.C., Torquay United Football Club, who currently compete in the National Leagu ...
. Having failed to establish himself in the 2010–11 season, Lathrope claimed his place in the side under the new regime of
Martin Ling Martin Ling (born 15 July 1966) is an English Association football, football manager and former player currently director of football for Leyton Orient F.C., Leyton Orient. He played in over 100 The Football League, Football League matches for ...
, following a formation change to 4–5–1 which saw Lathrope employed in a holding role in front of the back four. He helped the side reach the Football League Two play-off final, but lost 1–0 against
Stevenage Stevenage ( ) is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, about north of London. Stevenage is east of junctions 7 and 8 of the A1(M), between Letchworth Garden City to the north and Welwyn Garden City to the south. In 1946, Stevenage w ...
. In his first season at Torquay United, Lathrope went on to make twenty–three appearances in all competitions. In the 2011–12 season, Lathrope continued to regain his first team place under the management of
Martin Ling Martin Ling (born 15 July 1966) is an English Association football, football manager and former player currently director of football for Leyton Orient F.C., Leyton Orient. He played in over 100 The Football League, Football League matches for ...
and impressed the side in a number of matches for the side. He helped the side go on " a wholly satisfying first half of the season" by placing the side in the League Two play-offs. Lathrope then set up a goal for
Lee Mansell Lee Richard Samuel Mansell (born 23 September 1982) is an English former professional Association football, footballer who played for Luton Town F.C., Luton Town, Nuneaton Town F.C., Nuneaton Borough, Oxford United F.C., Oxford United, Torquay U ...
to score the only goal in the game, in a 1–0 win over
Dagenham & Redbridge Dagenham & Redbridge Football Club (), often known simply as Dagenham and abbreviated when written to Dag & Red, is a professional association football club based in Dagenham, Greater London, England that play in the , the sixth level of the En ...
on 24 January 2012. He was subjected of praise by Manager Martin Ling over the months, saying: "You've got Lee Mansell and Damon Lathrope who do a lot of unsung work, even our front three have to work hard, the two wide boys, it's in their remit that if their full-back goes forward they have to go with them and work hard" and "having Lathrope playing that key role in the middle really helps me and O'Kane get forward and the chances just fell to me." Lathrope helped the club qualify for the League play-offs, but lost both legs against
Cheltenham Town Cheltenham Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. The team competes in EFL League Two, the fourth level of the English football league system. Founded in 1887, ...
. Despite facing suspension and injury during the 2011–12 season, he finished the 2011–12 season, making forty–four appearances in all competitions. Following this, Lathrope was offered a new contract by the club and a few days later, he signed a new contract extension, keeping him until 2014. At the start of the 2012–13 season, Lathrope started the club's first two matches of the season before suffering an injury, in a 2–2 against Cheltenham Town on 22 August 2012. As a result, he missed nine matches throughout September and the beginning of October. Lathrope made his return to the first team from injury, starting the whole game, in a 3–1 win over
Accrington Stanley Accrington Stanley Football Club is a professional association football club based in Accrington, Lancashire, England, that compete in the , the fourth level of the English football league system. They have spent their entire history playing a ...
on 13 October 2012. Over the months throughout the 2012–13 season, he regained his first team place for the side and went on to make thirty appearances in all competitions. In the 2013–14 season, Lathrope found his first team opportunities limited under the management of
Alan Knill Alan Richard Knill (born 8 October 1964) is a professional football manager and former player, who is a coach for the Wales national team and Sheffield United. He played as a centre-back for several clubs, spending the most time at Halifax T ...
. Following his loan spell at Hereford United came to an end, he returned to the first team and made his first appearance return on 4 January 2014, in a 1–1 draw against
Morecambe Morecambe ( ) is a seaside town and civil parish in the City of Lancaster district of Lancashire, England, on Morecambe Bay, part of the Irish Sea. In 2011 the parish had a population of 34,768. Name The first use of the name was by John Whit ...
. Following this, Lathrope regained his first team place for the remaining matches of the season under the management of
Chris Hargreaves Christian Hargreaves (born 12 May 1972) is an English football manager, former footballer and pundit. As a player he was a forward and midfielder who played for Grimsby Town, Scarborough, Hull City, West Bromwich Albion, Hereford United, Plymout ...
. However, the club was relegated from League Two at the end of the 2013–14 season and went on to make twenty–three appearances in all competitions. Following this, Lathrope was offered a new contract by the club. Lathrope joined
Hereford United Hereford United Football Club was an association football club based in Hereford, England. They played at Edgar Street for their entire history. They were nicknamed 'The Whites' or 'The Lilywhites', after their predominantly white kit, or 'Th ...
on a one-month loan on 12 November 2013 making his debut the same day in a 2–2 draw with
Chester Chester is a cathedral city in Cheshire, England, on the River Dee, Wales, River Dee, close to the England–Wales border. With a built-up area population of 92,760 in 2021, it is the most populous settlement in the borough of Cheshire West an ...
. He went on to make eight appearances before returning to his parent club in January.


Aldershot Town

After turning down a new contract with Torquay United, Lathrope signed for
Conference Premier The National League, officially known as Vanarama National League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in England. The National League is the first division of the National Leagues and step 1 of the National Le ...
team
Aldershot Town Aldershot Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Aldershot, Hampshire, England. The team competes in the National League, the fifth level of the English football league system. The club was founded in the spr ...
on 1 July 2014. Upon joining the club, he was given a number four shirt. Lathrope made his Aldershot Town debut, starting the whole game, in a 3–1 win over
Altrincham Altrincham ( , locally ) is a market town in Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, south of the River Mersey. It is southwest of Manchester, southwest of Sale, Greater Manchester, Sale and east of Warrington. At the 2021 United Kingdom ce ...
in the opening game of the season. Since joining the club, he quickly became a first team regular for the side, playing in the midfield position. His first goal for the club came on 16 September 2014, in a 3–1 loss against
Braintree Town Braintree Town Football Club is a professional football club based in Braintree, Essex, England. They are currently members of and play at Cressing Road. History The club was formed on 24 September 1898 as Manor Works, the works team of the ...
. However, Lathrope was sidelined with a groin injury that kept him out for four months. After returning to full training, he made his return from injury, coming on as a substitute in the 75th minute, in a 3–1 win over Dover Athletic on 3 March 2015. After this, he regained his first team place for the remaining matches of the season. At the end of the 2014–15 season, Lathrope went on to make twenty–four appearances and scoring once in all competitions. Following this, he signed a one–year contract extension with the club. At the start of the 2015–16 season, Lathrope started the first three league matches before missing out three matches, due to a groin injury. Over the season, he found himself in and out of the starting line-up, due to strong competitions in the midfield position. Lathrope scored his second goal for the club, in a 2–0 win over
Macclesfield Town Macclesfield Town Football Club was an association football club based in Macclesfield, Cheshire, England. Initially known as Macclesfield F.C., the club was formed in 1874 and from 1891 played home games at Moss Rose. It competed in the short ...
on 23 January 2016. However the following month, he suffered an injury during a 3–2 loss against
Gateshead Gateshead () is a town in the Gateshead Metropolitan Borough of Tyne and Wear, England. It is on the River Tyne's southern bank. The town's attractions include the twenty metre tall Angel of the North sculpture on the town's southern outskirts, ...
on 27 February 2016 and subsequently sidelined for the rest of the season. At the end of the 2015–16 season, Lathrope went on to make twenty–three appearances and scoring once in all competitions. Following this, the club began discussions with him over a new contract.


Torquay return

On 3 June 2016, Lathrope agreed to a deal to return to
Torquay United Torquay United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Torquay, Devon, England. The team currently compete in the National League South, the sixth level of the English football league system. They have played their ho ...
, subject to a medical, for the 2016/17
National League National League often refers to: *National League (baseball), one of the two baseball leagues constituting Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada *National League (division), the fifth division of the English football (soccer) system ...
campaign. He made his second Torquay United debut on 6 August 2016, started the match before being substituted in the 57th minute, in a 2–0 loss against Macclesfield Town in the opening game of the season. Lathrope was featured for the first five league matches before being sidelined with an injury. However, he was sidelined once again after suffering a groin injury that ruled him out "for much of the rest of the season". By January, Lathrope returned to full training and made his return from injury, coming on as a substitute in the 69th minute, in a 3–1 win over Gateshead on 28 January 2017. Following this, he continued to be a first team regular for the rest of the season and helped the side avoid relegation in the National League At the end of the 2016–17 season, he went on to make twenty–four appearances. In the 2017–18 season, Lathrope was featured five out of the first six league matches of the season before being sidelined with a groin injury. It wasn't until on 30 September 2017 when he returned from injury, starting the whole game, in a 1–0 loss against Dagenham & Redbridge. Lathrope continued to remain involve in the club's first team throughout the first half of the season. By the time he departed Torquay United, Lathorpe made nineteen appearances for the side this season.


Woking

On 26 January 2018, Lathrope joined another National League side,
Woking Woking ( ) is a town and borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in north-west Surrey, England, around from central London. It appears in Domesday Book as ''Wochinges'', and its name probably derives from that of a Anglo-Saxon settleme ...
, on a one-and-a-half-year deal for an undisclosed fee. He made his debut in a 1–0 win over
AFC Fylde AFC Fylde is a professional football club based in Wesham in the Borough of Fylde, Lancashire, England. They are currently members of the and play at Mill Farm. Originally known as Kirkham & Wesham following a merger of Kirkham Town and Wes ...
the following day, coming on as a substitute in the 65th minute. However, on 24 February 2018 Lathrope suffered a serious leg injury during a match against Boreham Wood, resulting in a 30-minute delay to the game. The injury forced him to retire from playing on 3 March.


Post–playing career

Following his retirement in 2018, Woking set up a fundraising campaign to help Lathrope and over £5000 was raised. Shortly after the end of his playing career, Lathrope was appointed as Hitchin Town's U19 coach. Towards the end of
2021–22 FA Women's Championship The 2021–22 FA Women's Championship was the fourth season of the rebranded FA Women's Championship, the second tier of women's football in England. It was renamed from the FA WSL 2 which was founded in 2014. On 3 April 2022, Liverpool clinched ...
, Lathrope combined a coaching role in
Watford Watford () is a town and non-metropolitan district with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in Hertfordshire, England, northwest of Central London, on the banks of the River Colne, Hertfordshire, River Colne. Initially a smal ...
's academy with working as assistant coach of Watford Women. In June he was appointed head coach of the team. He holds a UEFA A License.


Personal life

Lathrope is married to Jade and they have two children together. His uncle,
Paul Buckle Paul John Buckle (born 16 December 1970) is an English football manager and former player. He has previously been the interim head coach of San Diego Wave FC of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), the manager of Torquay United, Bristol ...
, is a professional footballer turned coach. Growing up, Lathrope supported
Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as simply Tottenham (, , , ) or Spurs, is a professional Association football, football club based in Tottenham, North London, England. The club itself has stated that it should always ...
and idolised
David Beckham Sir David Robert Joseph Beckham ( ; born 2 May 1975) is an English former professional footballer, the president and co-owner of Inter Miami CF and co-owner of Salford City. Primarily a right winger and known for his range of passing, cross ...
.


Career statistics


References


External links


Profile
at the Official Torquay United site * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lathrope, Damon 1989 births Living people Footballers from Stevenage English men's footballers Men's association football midfielders Cambridge United F.C. players Norwich City F.C. players Bishop's Stortford F.C. players Torquay United F.C. players Hereford United F.C. players Aldershot Town F.C. players Woking F.C. players National League (English football) players English Football League players 21st-century English sportsmen