The striker began his career with Brentford as an apprentice, going on to make 51 Football League appearances for them.
In February 2007, he signed for Leigh RMI,[2] where he helped them avoid relegation from the Conference North at the end of 2006–07.
In October 2007, after 12 goals from 32 appearances at Leigh, Rapley moved to Barrow, who were also struggling in the Conference North.
The fans at Barrow reacted positively to the move, believing Rapley's wealth of experience would lift them up the table and he enhanced his reputation by scoring in a 1–1 draw with Football League One side AFC Bournemouth in the FA Cup First Round in November 2007.
On 3 January 2008, Rapley joined Vauxhall Motors on loan to gain match practice.