David Sidney Thomas (12 November 1919 – 19 January 2012) was a Welsh 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 le ...

who played as a winger. After playing local amateur football as a teenager, he joined

Fulham Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea. The area faces Wandsworth ...

in 1938 after impressing in a trial match, however, due to the outbreak of World War Two, he did not make his professional debut until 1946. He helped the side win promotion to the First Division in 1949 but left the club the following year to sign for

Bristol City Bristol City Football Club is a professional football club based in Bristol, England, which compete in the , the second tier of English football. They have played their home games at Ashton Gate since moving from St John's Lane in 1904. The ...

. However, he was forced to retire from football soon after having contracted

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...

Career

Born in

Machynlleth Machynlleth () is a market town, community and electoral ward in Powys, Wales and within the historic boundaries of Montgomeryshire. It is in the Dyfi Valley at the intersection of the A487 and the A489 roads. At the 2001 Census it had a popul ...

, Thomas worked in a local bakery as a teenager while playing amateur football for his local side alongside his two brothers Eric and Leslie, his performances being said to have "amazed" spectators. His reputation attracted the attention of

Wrexham Wrexham ( ; cy, Wrecsam; ) is a city and the administrative centre of Wrexham County Borough in Wales. It is located between the Welsh mountains and the lower Dee Valley, near the border with Cheshire in England. Historically in the count ...

, where he played for the club's reserve side during the 1937–38 season but was not offered a contract. In August 1938, he was offered a trial with

Second Division In sport, the Second Division, also called Division 2 or Division II is usually the second highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Following the rise of Premier League style compet ...

side

after being recommended to the club by Bob McCormick, a goalkeeper also from Machynlleth who himself had spent time on trial with the club. His performance in a trial match for Fulham impressed the club's manager

Jack Peart John George Peart (3 October 1888 – 3 September 1948) was an English footballer who played centre forward for 13 different teams, in a career which spanned World War I. After he retired he became a football manager until his death in 19 ...

so much that he signed Thomas to a professional contract during the half-time interval. However, he was forced to wait for his debut following the outbreak of World War Two, with the

Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engla ...

suspended during the hostilities. During his war service, Thomas served as a driver in the RAF at a construction site in

Sekondi-Takoradi Sekondi-Takoradi is a city in Ghana comprising the twin cities of Sekondi and Takoradi. It is the capital of Sekondi – Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly and the Western Region of Ghana. Sekondi-Takoradi is the region's largest city and an indus ...

in the African

Gold Coast Gold Coast may refer to: Places Africa * Gold Coast (region), in West Africa, which was made up of the following colonies, before being established as the independent nation of Ghana: ** Portuguese Gold Coast (Portuguese, 1482–1642) ** Dutch G ...

. When the Football League resumed in 1946, Thomas made his professional debut for Fulham eight years after originally signing with the club, playing in a draw with

Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as Tottenham () or Spurs, is a professional association football, football club based in Tottenham, London, England. It competes in the Premier League, the top flight of English footba ...

in November 1946. During the 1947–48 season, he made 35 appearances in all competitions and his form saw him called up to make his senior international debut in a 3–0 defeat to

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

on 18 October 1947 at

Ninian Park Ninian Park was a football stadium in the Leckwith area of Cardiff, Wales, that was the home of Cardiff City F.C. for 99 years. Opened in 1910 with a single wooden stand, it underwent numerous renovations during its lifespan and hosted fixture ...

. His selection for the side attracted huge interest in his home village of Machynlleth and twelve buses of residents travelled to the match to see Thomas play. He played in Wales' three following fixtures but was displaced by Ernie Jones and never played for Wales again. He helped Fulham to win the Second Division title the following season but featured infrequently for the club as Arthur Stevens was moved to Thomas' preferred position to accommodate new signing

Arthur Rowley George Arthur Rowley Jr. (21 April 1926 – 19 December 2002), nicknamed "The Gunner" because of his explosive left-foot shot, was an English football player and cricketer. He holds the record for the most goals in the history of English lea ...

in the side. Thomas featured in three league matches following the club's promotion to the First Division and was eventually sold to

in June 1950 for a fee of £9000. However, he and his wife Ivy contracted

soon after which led to Thomas' retirement from football.

After football

Thomas returned home to Machynlleth following his retirement, working in his family's bakery until 1987. He died on 19 January 2012, aged 92.

Honours

Fulham *

Football League Second Division The Football League Second Division was the second level division in the English football league system between 1892 and 1992. Following the foundation of the FA Premier League, the Football League divisions were renumbered and the third ti ...

winner: 1948–49

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas, Sid 1919 births Welsh men's footballers Wales men's international footballers Fulham F.C. players Men's association football midfielders Bristol City F.C. players 2012 deaths English Football League players People from Machynlleth Footballers from Powys Royal Air Force personnel of World War II Royal Air Force airmen