Born in Stevenage, Lathrope began his youth career at Cambridge United, though moved on to Norwich City's academy in 2006–07. He initially played in the left–back position while at the club's reserve before playing in the midfield position. Before making his professional debut, he scored twice for the first team in friendly matches, the first in a benefit match for former Norwich player Shaun Carey, versus Carey's King's Lynn teammates in October 2006. When Norwich then revisited King's Lynn for a pre-season friendly in July 2007, Lathrope repeated the trick with another goal.
