Mickey Thomas (footballer)
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| Mickey Thomas | ||
| Personal information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Michael Reginald Thomas | |
| Date of birth | 7 July 1954 | |
| Place of birth | Mochdre, Wales | |
| Playing position | Winger | |
| Club information | ||
| Current club | Retired | |
| Senior clubs1 | ||
| Years | Club | App (Gls)* |
| 1972-1978 1978-1981 1981 1981-1982 1982-1984 1984-1985 1985-1986 1986 1986-1988 1988-1989 1989-1990 1990-1991 1991-1993 |
Wrexham Manchester United Everton Brighton & Hove Albion Stoke City Chelsea West Bromwich Albion Derby County (loan) Wichita Wings Shrewsbury Town Leeds United Stoke City Wrexham |
230 (33) 90 (11) 10 (0) 20 (0) 57 (14) 44 (9) 20 (0) 9 (0) n/a 40 (1) 3 (0) 46 (7) 34 (2) |
| National team | ||
| 1976-1986 | Wales | 51 (4) |
|
1 Senior club appearances and goals |
||
Mickey Thomas (born July 7, 1954 in Mochdre, Wales), is a former football player. As a Welsh international, he made 51 appearances and scored four goals
[edit] Biography
Mickey Thomas was among a group of notable footballers to come out of North West Wales during the 1980s.
Local factory Quinton Hazell bought him a pair of boots, and at the age of 13 Thomas was a success as left wing on the factory's Conwy League men's team. By 15, he and friend Joey Jones were taken on by Wrexham A.F.C. Though the first two years were spent cleaning boots, the changing rooms and the whole stadium, by 17 Thomas was chosen to play in the first XI. Under manager John Neal he helped Wrexham establish their giant-killing reputation by reaching the quarter finals of the FA Cup in 1974 and the quarter finals of the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1976, when they lost to the eventual champions, Anderlecht.
After helping Wrexham storm to the Third Division Championship, Thomas crossed the border to England and joined Manchester United. He played 110 games and scored 15 goals for the Red Devils before moving on to Everton (who he supported as a boy), Brighton and Stoke City. He joined promotion-chasing Chelsea in January 1984, signed by the manager who had given him his debut at Wrexham, John Neal. Thomas made an immediate impact, scoring twice on his debut and helping the club become Second Division champions in 1983-84. He was sold to West Bromwich Albion in 1985 for £100,000, before playing for various other teams in the English League, finally returning to Wrexham in 1991, where in the memorable FA cup defeat of Arsenal in January 1992, 37-year-old Thomas scored the equalising goal from a free kick.
Thomas gained 51 caps for Wales, and counts scoring a goal for Wales in their win over England - one of the most memorable moments of his career.
In 1993 Thomas was jailed for 18 months for his part in a counterfeit currency scam. [1]
Thomas never played at senior level after his imprisonment, although he did continue playing for a while at non-league level with Porthmadog F.C. and Amlwch Town F.C. in Wales.
Thomas currently hosts the "Legends" football phone-in on Century FM and is the co-commentator on Xfm Manchester on his beloved Manchester United. On 17 December 2007, Century announced that Mickey would be leaving the legends to concentrate on United. His replacement will be former Manchester United goalkeeper Alex Stepney.
[edit] References
- ^ Duncan Mackay (3 February 2002). Sportsmen who went to jail. The Observer. Retrieved on 2006-08-21.
