Josh Thomas (footballer, born 2002) explained

Josh Thomas
Fullname:Joshua John Thomas[1]
Birth Date:24 September 2002
Birth Place:Bridgend, Wales
Height:1.72m
Position:Forward
Currentclub:Swansea City
Clubnumber:44
Youthyears1:2014–2020
Youthclubs1:Swansea City
Years1:2020–
Clubs1:Swansea City
Caps1:1
Goals1:0
Years2:2021
Clubs2:Cardiff Met (loan)
Caps2:4
Goals2:0
Years3:2023–2024
Clubs3:Port Vale (loan)
Caps3:11
Goals3:0
Nationalyears1:2017
Nationalteam1:Wales U15
Nationalyears2:2018
Nationalteam2:Wales U16
Nationalcaps2:1
Nationalgoals2:0
Nationalyears3:2018
Nationalteam3:Wales U17
Nationalcaps3:5
Nationalgoals3:1
Nationalyears4:2019
Nationalteam4:Wales U19
Nationalcaps4:5
Nationalgoals4:1
Nationalyears5:2020
Nationalteam5:Wales U20
Nationalcaps5:1
Nationalgoals5:0
Nationalyears6:2023–
Nationalteam6:Wales U21
Nationalcaps6:7
Nationalgoals6:2
Club-Update:14:03, 10 August 2024 (UTC)
Nationalteam-Update:00:00, 16 November 2023 (UTC)

Joshua John Thomas (born 24 September 2002) is a Welsh professional footballer who plays as a forward for club Swansea City. He is a Wales under-21 international.

A pacey forward capped by Wales up to under-21 level, Thomas turned professional at Swansea City in 2020. He joined Cardiff Metropolitan University (Cardiff Met) on loan in January 2021, though he suffered a serious injury later in the year. He was loaned to Port Vale for the first half of the 2023–24 season.

Early life

Josh Thomas was born in Bridgend on 24 September 2002. He only started playing football at ten, having previously played rugby union.[2]

Club career

Thomas joined the youth system at Swansea City at the age of 12 and went on to sign a scholarship in 2019, having scored in the under-19's FAW Welsh Youth Cup final victory over The New Saints.[3] [4] He was nominated for the October 2019 Premier League 2 Player of the Month award.[5] He signed professional terms with the club after scoring a hat-trick for the under-23 team in 2020.[4] On 31 January 2021, he joined Cymru Premier club Cardiff Metropolitan University (Cardiff Met) on loan for the rest of the 2020–21 season, alongside Matthew Blake.[6] However, he was then sidelined for 18 months due to injury, having suffered an ankle deltoid ligament injury in a car accident.[7] He signed an 18-month contract extension in September 2022 after starting the season on a short-term deal.[8] He managed to regain good form for the under-21 team during the 2022–23 campaign, scoring 23 goals.

On 2 August 2023, he joined EFL League One club Port Vale on loan for the 2023–24 season after scoring five goals for the Swans senior team in pre-season.[9] He made his debut three days later, coming on as a 56th-minute substitute for Gavin Massey in a 7–0 defeat at Barnsley.[10] He scored his first senior goal on his home debut at Vale Park, a 3–2 victory over Fleetwood Town in the EFL Cup on 8 August.[11] He tore a muscle on international duty in November 2023, which kept him out of action for close to four weeks.[12] He suffered setbacks on the injury and also became ill over Christmas, causing him to miss an extra month of action.[13] He was recalled by Swansea from his loan spell on 4 January 2024, with Port Vale's director of football David Flitcroft blaming international call-ups and injuries for restricting the player's game time to 15 appearances in all competitions, during which he scored three goals and created two assists.[14]

International career

Thomas has been capped by Wales up to under-21 level.[15]

Style of play

Thomas is a pacey forward.[16]

Career statistics

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
ClubSeasonLeagueNational CupLeague CupOtherTotal
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Swansea City2020–21EFL Championship0000000000
2021–22EFL Championship0000000000
2022–23EFL Championship0000000000
2023–24EFL Championship0000000000
2024–25EFL Championship0000000000
Total0000000000
Cardiff Met (loan)2020–21Cymru Premier4000000040
Port Vale (loan)2023–24EFL League One110003211153
Career total150003211193

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Club List of Registered Players . EFL . 3 August 2023.
  2. News: Thomas learning from mentor Trundle Swansea . 2 August 2023 . www.swanseacity.com . 21 April 2019 . en.
  3. News: Swansea City greats helping drive Josh Thomas' development Swansea . 2 August 2023 . www.swanseacity.com . 28 August 2019 . en.
  4. Web site: Josh Thomas . Swansea . 2 August 2023 . en.
  5. News: Josh Thomas "gobsmacked" by PL2 Player of the Month nomination Swansea . 2 August 2023 . www.swanseacity.com . 5 November 2019 . en.
  6. News: Swansea City Under-23s duo join Cardiff Met on loan Swansea . 2 August 2023 . www.swanseacity.com . 1 February 2021 . en.
  7. News: Josh Thomas Watching from the sidelines was tough, but it made me realise how much I want this Swansea . 2 August 2023 . www.swanseacity.com . 14 September 2022 . en.
  8. News: Swansea City striker Josh Thomas signs contract extension through to 2024 Swansea . 2 August 2023 . www.swanseacity.com . 12 September 2022 . en.
  9. News: Swansea City striker Josh Thomas seals loan move to Port Vale Swansea . 2 August 2023 . www.swanseacity.com . 2 August 2023 . en.
  10. News: Rampant Barnsley put seven past Port Vale . 5 August 2023 . BBC Sport . 5 August 2023.
  11. News: Youlson . Clive . Port Vale bounce back from opening day mauling to secure cup win . 9 August 2023 . StokeonTrentLive . 9 August 2023 . en.
  12. News: Baggaley . Mike . Vale Park tour, plans and Railway questions answered . 21 November 2023 . Valiant's Substack . 20 November 2023.
  13. News: Baggaley . Mike . Injury and transfer window update as Port Vale prepare for Charlton . 5 January 2024 . Valiant's Substack . 4 January 2024.
  14. News: Josh Thomas Returns to Swansea City . 11 January 2024 . Port Vale F.C. . 11 January 2024.
  15. News: Williams . Aled . Ten-man Wales U21s return to top of group with win . 17 November 2023 . BBC Sport . 17 November 2023.
  16. News: Josh Thomas Joins the Valiants on a Season-Long Loan . 2 August 2023 . Port Vale F.C. . 2 August 2023 . en-gb.