For the English footballer, see Rod Thomas (English footballer)

Rod Thomas (English footballer)

Rod Thomas is an English former footballer. At just 14, he was being hailed as 'the next Pelé' while in Watford's youth set-up, however by 23, he was playing for in the fourth tier.-Honours:with Carlisle United...

Rod Thomas (born 11 January 1947) is a Welsh

Wales

Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...

 former professional footballer

Football (soccer)

Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...

 who represented Wales

Wales national football team

The Wales national football team represents Wales in international football. It is controlled by the Football Association of Wales , the governing body for football in Wales, and the third oldest national football association in the world. The team have only qualified for a major international...

 at International level.

During his career Thomas played for Gloucester City

Gloucester City A.F.C.

Gloucester City Association Football Club is an English semi-professional association football club currently based in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire in South West England, via groundshare agreement....

, Swindon Town

Swindon Town F.C.

Swindon Town Football Club are a team based in Swindon, Wiltshire. Currently in League Two, Swindon have been managed by Paolo Di Canio since 23 May 2011...

, Derby County

Derby County F.C.

Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English...

, Cardiff City

Cardiff City F.C.

Cardiff City Football Club are a Welsh professional football club based in Cardiff, Wales. The club competes in the English football pyramid and is currently playing in the Football League Championship. Cardiff City is the best supported football club in Wales, averaging approximately 22,500 for...

, Gloucester for a second spell and Newport County

Newport County A.F.C.

Newport County Association Football Club are a professional football club based in the city of Newport, south Wales, who currently play in the Conference National, the highest level of the National League System and fifth highest of the overall English football league system...

.

Swindon Town manager Bert Head

Bert Head

Bertram James Head was an English professional football player and manager.-Playing career:Head was born in Midsomer Norton and began his career with his local team before joining Welton Rovers. He moved to Torquay United in October 1936 and made his debut, at right-back, in a 1–0 win at home to...

 brought Thomas to the County Ground from non-league Gloucester City in July 1964 - paying £500 for his services. Still a youth player, it was almost two years before he made his debut, in a drab 0-0 draw with Scunthorpe, at the end of the 1965-66

1965-66 in English football

The 1965–66 season was the 86th season of competitive football in England.-Diary of the season:7 October 1965: An experiment to broadcast a live game to another ground takes place...

 season.

The following season saw Thomas establish himself as the club's first choice right back, and he also achieved his first international honours, being selected for the Welsh under-23 squad. Widely recognised as one of the best defenders outside of the First Division

Football League First Division

The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....

, Thomas made his full international debut in a 0-0 draw with Northern Ireland in 1967 - he remains the clubs most capped

Cap (sport)

In sports, a cap is a metaphorical term for a player's appearance on a select team, such as a national team. The term dates from the practice in the United Kingdom of awarding a cap to every player in an international match of association football...

 international footballer.

Despite interest from bigger clubs, Thomas went on to make nearly 300 appearances for Swindon, including the 1969 League Cup

Football League Cup

The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...

 final. By the time he left in 1973, he had made the most international appearances ever by a Swindon player, having played in thirty matches for Wales. He moved on to Derby County

Derby County F.C.

Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English...

, when former Town manager Dave Mackay offered £100,000 for Thomas' signature. At Derby, Thomas won a first division winners medal.

Thomas left Derby in 1977, joining Cardiff City

Cardiff City F.C.

Cardiff City Football Club are a Welsh professional football club based in Cardiff, Wales. The club competes in the English football pyramid and is currently playing in the Football League Championship. Cardiff City is the best supported football club in Wales, averaging approximately 22,500 for...

 for £10,000, making his debut in a 2-0 win over Stoke City

Stoke City F.C.

Stoke City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire that plays in the Premier League. Founded in 1863, it is the oldest club in the Premier League, and considered to be the second oldest professional football club in the world, after Notts...

. His four years at Cardiff were hampered by injuries and, in 1981, he returned to Gloucester City.

He made another twenty appearances for his country, before his retirement in 1982.

Swindon Town Career

Season	Team	League Apps	League Goals	Cup Apps	Cup Goals
1973-74	Swindon Town	14	0	2	0
1972-73	Swindon Town	41	2	3	0
1971-72	Swindon Town	36	1	2	0
1970-71	Swindon Town	42	1	9	0
1969-70	Swindon Town	41	1	13	0
1968-69	Swindon Town	44	0	15	0
1967-68	Swindon Town	41	0	5	0
1966-67	Swindon Town	35	0	10	0
1965-66	Swindon Town	2	0	0	0