Trevor Senior had in the 80s and 90s scored over 150 goals for Reading, but by 2002 was running soccer schools back in his home county of Dorset when he first set eyes on Dominic Gape. Although not yet eight, Senior was so taken with the youngster’s strength he at the recommended him to the Saints Academy. Speaking to the Bridport Times in May 2013 (the month midfielder, Gape signed his first professional contract he recalled-

“he looked like a little Wayne Rooney at the time – he looked like a little ball of muscle”.

Tough he may have been but Gape’s subsequent progress was impeded by a procession of mishaps as he tried to force his way into first team contention, including a broken metatarsal, glandular fever and an ankle ligament injury. With the club also changing their managers on a regular basis his total appearance stats for Saints amounted to a few fleeting minutes from the bench in a home win over Everton, before a loan move to Wycombe Wanderers became a permanent one. He flourished with the Chairboys enough to be awarded a contract extension in March 2020 to the end of the 2022 season with Manager, Gareth Ainsworth telling the club website

“he’s developed both as a player and a person in his four year with us – he has been one of the best signings during my time here”.