‘We're A Small Club But We've Got Hunger To Upset The Odds'

DOMINIC Gape was 14 and a hot prospect at Southampton when he made a deal with his parents.

- Chris Dunlavy

“From my home in Dorset to training at Staplewood was a three-hour round trip,” explains the Wycombe midfielder, now 25.

“My parents drove that for me four times a week for three years. They never complained. All they asked was that, in return, I take my education seriously.”

Gape proved a man - or boy - of his word. Straight A’s in his GCSEs. A diploma with distinction as part of his scholarship at Saints.

And ten years on, he continues to hold up his end of the bargain by studying for a degree in business management with the Open University.

“I’m in my third year of six, so it’s a bit of a slog,” laughs Gape, who has made more than 100 appearances for the Chairboys since arriving from Southampton, initially on loan, in 2016.

Recovery

“But I’m enjoying it, and I think it’s the right thing to do. You look at Juan Mata, who has multiple degrees. Vincent Kompany has a master's in business administration. They are both players I look up to.

“It was an obvious step for me. As a youth team footballer, your days are full. Then you go into the first-team, where there are a lot more games and therefore a lot more recovery. You have a lot of downtimes and need to be off your feet.”

But doesn’t that mean jumping in a golf buggy or settling into a lengthy session of FIFA or Fortnite?

“For some people, yeah,” says Gape. “And that’s fine. If people enjoy playing video games and that takes their mind off football, great. But personally, I do need to be stimulated in a way that challenges me a little bit.