Bristol Rovers have announced the return of former captain Tom Lockyer, with the 30-year-old defender signing a contract until the end of the season. This move marks an incredible comeback for Lockyer, who suffered a cardiac arrest during a Premier League match for Luton Town in December 2023.
Lockyer, a Wales international, has been training with Bristol Rovers in recent weeks and expressed his delight at returning to the club where he began his professional career. "It feels really, really good to once again be a Bristol Rovers player," he said. "Obviously I've been training here for a while and I've tried not to think too much about it or get too excited about the ifs, buts and maybes". He added that the decision to return was easy once he knew that Rovers manager Darrell Clarke wanted to make it happen.
Lockyer made over 280 appearances for Bristol Rovers between 2012 and 2019, helping the team achieve back-to-back promotions from the National League to League One. He then moved to Charlton Athletic and later Luton Town, where he captained the Hatters to the Premier League. During Luton's promotion-winning season, he scored the goal that secured their place in the Championship Play-Off Final and started in the final against Coventry City. Lockyer made 14 Premier League appearances for Luton before his cardiac arrest in a match against Bournemouth. He was resuscitated on the pitch and later fitted with an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator.
"It is so hard to explain but it's everything I've worked so hard for over the last two years,” Lockyer said. "Hopefully I can have many, many more good memories in a football shirt". He is eager to celebrate the "little wins" and simply enjoy being back on the pitch. "I'm doing this because I love playing football and I've got that massive desire to play football again, and what better place to do that than back home at Bristol Rovers," he stated.
Manager Darrell Clarke expressed his delight at Lockyer's return. "I'm delighted to have Tom back with us," Clarke said. "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". Clarke also noted Lockyer's hunger and ambition to prove himself again. "He's really hungry and really ambitious to prove something," Clarke said. "I think he wants to prove to himself and prove to everybody else that he's back and he's ready to go".
Bristol Rovers fans have shown incredible support for Lockyer throughout his career, and in recognition of this, he will wear the No. 12 shirt, with the permission of the Bristol Rovers Supporters Club. Everyone at Bristol Rovers is thrilled to welcome Tom back and wishes him every success upon his return to the pitch. Lockyer's return to Bristol Rovers marks not only a significant moment for the club but also an inspiring chapter in his personal journey.
