Doug Loft

Douglas James Loft (born 25 December 1986) is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for club Tonbridge Angels.

A non-League player at Hastings United, Loft moved to Championship club Brighton & Hove Albion in January 2006.

Born in Maidstone, former England Schoolboy international Loft was signed by Brighton & Hove Albion from non-League side Hastings United in January 2006.

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.

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.

Loft made 13 league and cup appearances for Brighton during his first full season with the club, scoring one goal.

He agreed a new one-year deal at the end of the 2006–07 campaign.

He made 17 appearances in all competitions during the 2007–08 season, scoring one goal in the FA Cup.

He was awarded a new one-year contract in June 2008.

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.

After impressing in his loan spell, and after making ten appearances for the Daggers, Brighton manager Russell Slade recalled Loft.

He returned to Brighton to make seven further appearances before the end of the campaign.

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.

In May 2009, Loft was one of 14 players that left Brighton following the expiry of their contracts.

He signed for Port Vale on a two-year contract in June 2009, teaming up with former Brighton manager Micky Adams.

He missed the opening two weeks of the 2009–10 pre-season with illness, though started to find his best form after settling in to the side.

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.

After calf and heel injuries kept Loft out of contention, he returned to the first-team with a "rasping half-volley" in a 2–2 home draw with Torquay United on 23 November.

He ended the season with three goals and 37 appearances in all competitions.

At the beginning of the 2010–11 season, Loft was out of the first-team with suspected bruised ribs.

His ribs eventually transpired to be broken, and he had also suffered a collapsed lung, keeping him out of action for three weeks.

He was voted onto Port Vale's team of the 2010s by readers of The Sentinel, alongside Anthony Griffith, in February 2020.

Despite a tore calf and a hamstring injury keeping him out of action for portions of the second half of the campaign, Loft was awarded a new two-year deal in May 2011.

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.

After a successful campaign which returned five goals in 46 appearances, 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.

Voted as the club's Player of the Year in 2012, Loft helped the club secure promotion to League One the following season.

Loft was appointed club captain in July 2012 following the departure of Marc Richards.

He scored his only goal of the season with a 25 yd drive in Vale's 2–1 defeat to Oxford United at the Kassam Stadium on 2 March 2013.

Three days later, he received a red card for violent conduct in a goalless home draw with Bradford City.

Loft featured for Vale 36 times, 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.

During the 2013–14 season, Loft had been a regular fixture in the first-team, scoring nine goals in 43 league and cup appearances, 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.

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.

He signed for Gillingham in June 2014, before moving to Colchester United in July 2016.

In June 2014, Loft turned down a new deal to remain with Port Vale, instead choosing to sign for Gillingham on a free transfer.

He chose to sign for Gillingham in order to return to his home county of Kent with his young family.

He was made club captain, and made his club debut on 9 August 2014 in a 4–2 defeat to Milton Keynes Dons.

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.