‘Our Tom was a dream’ – Non-League family pays tribute to Tom Rankin

By Andy Mitchell

SORELY MISSED: Tom Rankin was much-loved, both on and off the field

PICTURE: Karl Newton

A TIDAL wave of tributes proves the Non-League circuit has lost far more than just a footballer following the death of Tom Rankin.

Redditch United announced the untimely loss of the 26-year-old midfielder on Sunday, less than 24 hours after he had played in a Southern League clash with AFC Rushden & Diamonds.

The disbelief and heartache spread far and wide with teammates past and present and opponents coming forward to share condolences and memories while encouraging anyone who is struggling to reach out.

The response has provided some comfort for dad Bob and mum Wendy at a time of unfathomable grief.

“For me, he was a dad’s dream. Successful, a great footballer and a lovely person to be around,” said Bob.

“Everything he did was done really well. He was humble, caring and had no ego, he was just a lovely boy and that has been reinforced by everything that has been said about him.

Privilege

“We knew he was a nice lad and how easily he made friends, he was very supportive to his friends and we will miss him terribly. He was our world.

“Wendy and I went everywhere, to nearly every game and even to the USA. It was always our privilege to see him play.”

Tom had shown little interest in the game he would grow to love before asking to join a team at the age of nine, signing up with Bromsgrove Town Boys.

He soon moved to Bromsgrove Rovers, sweeping the board at the end-of-season awards at the age of 13 and at 16 was called up to men’s football, winning a league title with Bromsgrove Sporting’s reserves and even taking to the field with his dad on a couple of occasions. “It was wonderful to play alongside my son, that will always be a treasured memory,” recalled Bob.

A first-team debut soon followed before featuring for Pilkington and Boldmere St Michaels prior to heading to Loughborough University, regularly playing at Step 5 while studying.

Tom was named player of the year in 2017, played against England under-20s at St George’s Park and took on a Liverpool under-18s team featuring Curtis Jones, Rafa Camacho, Neco Williams, Rhys Williams and Caoimhin Kelleher in his final outing.

National North Leamington came calling prior to a spell in the United States where he studied for a masters in business and played for Carson-Newman Eagles, rejoining Sporting on his return in 2019 and later signing for Redditch.

Reds chairman David Faulkner detailed why the club had committed to securing Tom’s future over the summer of 2021.

Sanctuary

“Tom was such a big part of the club, the face of so many posters and social media,” he said. “He came down to help me hand out the medals at a schools cup final only a couple of weeks back, he was always there and his family is well known by everyone, including the players.

“The thought of not having him there is something we just can’t process at the minute. To say he will be missed does not do justice to how we are feeling.”

The shock and pain remains raw with Faulkner vowing to make the club a sanctuary for anyone struggling with the events of this week.

“A lot of people have reached out to us, particularly from counselling backgrounds, including Paul Tait at Birmingham City,” he added.

“Someone came down to training on Thursday to offer a counselling session for the players and we all got together on Monday as well. This is such a hard one to take for the entire football family.

“Longer term, there has to be something we can do to help the many other people who have been affected by this incredibly painful experience.”