Born in London to an English father and a Scottish mother,[3][4][5] Tapping moved to Scotland at 6 years old and attended Larbert High School in Stenhousemuir.

[10] Prior to signing for Hearts, Tapping had played as a trialist[11] for the club during the Keyline Challenge Cup Tournament in Oban earlier that year.

[14][15] Tapping made his senior football debut on 17 November 2012 as a 67th-minute substitute in a home league match versus Brechin City.

[16] Alloa were keen to extend his loan spell,[14] although Tapping returned to Hearts after making only 4 appearances for the Clackmannanshire club.

[20] Tapping made his first start for Hearts the following week in the Scottish League Cup semi final win against Inverness Caledonian Thistle.

Tapping then signed for the Angus club Brechin City at the start of the 2014–15 season, where he played in 13 league matches.