Roderick John Thomas (born 11 January 1947) is a Welsh former professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

who represented

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

at international level. During his career Thomas played for Gloucester City,

Swindon Town Swindon Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Swindon, Wiltshire, England. The team, known as the "Robins", currently compete in , the fourth level of the English football league system. Founded as Swindon A ...

Derby County Derby County Football Club () is a professional association football club in Derby, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English football league system. One of the 12 founder members of the English Football ...

Cardiff City Cardiff City Football Club () is a professional association football club based in Cardiff, Wales. It currently competes in , the third tier of the English football league system in the 2025–26 season following relegation. Founded in 1899 a ...

, Gloucester for a second spell and Newport County. Swindon Town manager Bert Head brought Thomas to the County Ground from

non-league Non-League football describes association football, football leagues played outside the top leagues of a country. Usually, it describes leagues which are not fully professional. The term is primarily used for football in England, where it is ...

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 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, Thomas made his full international debut in a 0–0 draw with Northern Ireland in 1967 – he remains the club's most capped international footballer. Despite interest from bigger clubs, Thomas went on to make nearly 300 appearances for Swindon, including the 1969 League Cup 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

, when former Town manager

Dave Mackay David Craig Mackay (14 November 1934 – 2 March 2015) was a Scottish football player and manager. Mackay was best known for a highly successful playing career with Heart of Midlothian, the double-winning Tottenham Hotspur side of 1961 an ...

offered £100,000 for Thomas' signature. At Derby he was part of the team that won the First Division in 1975. Thomas left Derby in 1977, joining

for £10,000, making his debut in a 2–0 win over

Stoke City Stoke City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England. The team competes in the , the second level of the English football league system. Founded as Stoke Ramblers in 1863, the cl ...

. 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, and had brief spells at Newport County, Bath City and Barry Town, before his retirement in 1982.

Career statistics

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas, Rod 1947 births Living people Footballers from Neath People educated at Chosen Hill School Welsh men's footballers Wales men's international footballers Wales men's under-23 international footballers Gloucester City A.F.C. players Swindon Town F.C. players Derby County F.C. players Cardiff City F.C. players Newport County A.F.C. players Bath City F.C. players Barry Town United F.C. players English Football League players Men's association football fullbacks