Bristol Rovers have completed the remarkable signing of Tom Lockyer, bringing the 30-year-old defender back to the Memorial Stadium almost two years after he suffered a cardiac arrest in a Premier League fixture for Luton Town.
Lockyer collapsed during Luton’s match against Bournemouth in December 2023 and has not featured in competitive football since. After leaving the Hatters last month, he has been training with Rovers and has now signed a contract until the end of the season.
The Cardiff-born centre-back is no stranger to the blue-and-white quarters. Lockyer made over 280 appearances for Rovers between 2013 and 2019, helping the Gas rise from the Conference National to League One under Darrell Clarke.
Speaking to the club website, Lockyer said:
“It feels really, really good to once again be a Bristol Rovers player.
I’ve been training here for a while and tried not to think too much about the ifs, buts and maybes. But as soon as I knew that Darrell wanted to get something done, it was easy to make the decision about coming back home.
It’s so hard to explain, but it’s everything I’ve worked so hard for over the last two years. Hopefully I can have many, many more good memories in a football shirt. I’m going to celebrate the little wins back on a football pitch and just enjoy it. I wouldn’t be doing this otherwise – I’m doing this because I love football and I’ve got that massive desire to play again. And what better place to do that than back home at Bristol Rovers.”
Lockyer will wear the No.12 shirt with the permission of the Bristol Rovers Supporters Club, a gesture recognising the unwavering backing he has received from Gasheads throughout his career.
Manager Darrell Clarke, who handed Lockyer his professional breakthrough at Rovers, expressed his delight:
“I’m delighted to have Tom back with us. He’s a lad I’ve got a lot of admiration for, which has only increased after everything he and his family have gone through in the last couple of years.
I always believed Locks had the ability to make it at the highest level and he proved that with Luton in the Premier League. His application and work-rate epitomises everything our fans love about our players.
It’s been great having him around the training ground and he’s already settled in well. It will be fantastic to see him back in the blue-and-white quarters.”
Lockyer’s journey
- Signed for Rovers as a scholar in 2011, debuting in 2013.
- Key figure in back-to-back promotions from the Conference National and League Two.
- Made 200+ appearances before moving to Charlton Athletic in 2019.
- Joined Luton Town in 2020, becoming club captain and earning a place in the 2022/23 Championship Team of the Season.
- Scored in the play-offs as Luton sealed promotion to the Premier League for the first time in their history.
- Collapsed during a match at Bournemouth in December 2023, later fitted with an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator.
Now, nearly two years later, Lockyer has completed his extraordinary comeback and returned to the club where it all began.
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