Born in Manchester in 1964 Geoff Thomas was plucked from relative obscurity by Crewe Alexandra Football Club and, under the guidance of manager Dario Gradi, was moulded into an England International. However the real challenge of Thomas' life came when his career had ended, with a fight against leukemia.
After playing non-league football in his teenage years, Thomas gambled on a career in professional football in 1982 by taking a pay cut from his job as an electrician, to sign full time with Rochdale in 1982. He was by no means a regular at Spotland however, and in the two seasons he spent at Rochdale he made only 12 appearances, scoring just once.That said, Thomas was still something of an unknown quantity when Dario signed him on a free transfer in March 1984, but he was quickly to become a favourite at Gresty Road.
After three substitute appearances, Geoff made his full debut on 28 April 1984 in a 3-0 home win over Tranmere Rovers, and marked the occasion with his first goal for the club. A tough tackling player, who could operate in central midfield or out on the right, Thomas proved to be the backbone of the Dario Gradi's teams during his early tenure at the club with the Alex finishing mid-table in the old Fourth Division.
However he was to spend just two and a half seasons at Gresty Road playing 137 times for the club, but his midfield displays attracted attention from a host of clubs. He finally decided to move to Crystal Palace in June 1987, when Steve Coppell paid £50,000 for his services, and his career continued to flourish.
FA Cup finalThomas made an immediate impact at Selhurst Park, collecting the Supporters Player-of-the-Season award in his first season and helping his side to promotion to the top flight in his second year at the club.
His third year at Palace was even better, as Geoff enjoyed top flight football for the first team and captain the Eagles in the 1990 FA Cup Final at Wembley, where they drew 3-3 with Manchester United before losing in a replay.
Perhaps the crowning glory of his career was the 1990/1991 season where he was a crucial member of the Palace squad who finished in an incredible third place in the top flight. It was the club's best ever finishing position and Thomas was rewarded again with the Supporters Player-of-the-Year trophy.
More personal honours where just around the corner however when, in May 1991, Geoff was handed his first England cap when he was picked by Graham Taylor in a European Championship Qualfying game against Turkey in Izmir.
He also represented his country against USSR, Argentina, Australia, New Zealand and Malaysia that year and went on to win nine caps for his country, his last coming against France at Wembley in 1992.
Geoff playing for EnglandHis Palace career eventually ended in June 1993, six years and 249 appearances after first arriving from Crewe, when, following the Eagles relegation from the Premiership, he was signed for £800,000 by Wolverhampton Wanderers by Graham Turner.
Sadly injury was about to blight Geoff's career and frustrating times where to follow. He made just two appearances in his first season at Molineux and made a total of just 54 appearances in the four seasons he spent in the Black Country, before his release on a free transfer in 1997.
Difficult times, injury wise, continued at Nottingham Forest, 27 appearances in two seasons, and Barnsley, where he was mostly used as a substitute, as Geoff struggled to get a run of games in the side.
He also had a brief stint with Notts County at the end of the 2000/01 season before the following summer he made his return to Gresty Road. Dario wanted an experienced midfielder to take the pressure off Kenny Lunt and Neil Sorvel and the former England man, a born leader his whole career, fitted the bill perfectly.
He returned to Crewe on a one-year deal and made 17 appearances, scoring three times, before a knee injury ended his season and also drew the curtains on a superb career.
After a year in retirement the footballing world was shocked in June 2003 when Thomas revealed he had been diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia.
A trip to the doctors with a stomach pain had revealed the problem and Geoff was set for the biggest challenge of his life. After undergoing a bone marrow transplant in January 2004, he is now in remission and showing typical Thomas-like grit and determination to raise money for leukaemia charities.
Career Stats
| PERIOD | CLUB | APPS(SUB) | GOALS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 2001 - June 2002 | Crewe Alexandra | 10 (7) | 3 |
| March 2001 - July 2001 | Notts County | 8 | 1 |
| June 1999 - March 2001 | Barnsley | 17 (28) | 4 |
| 1997 - 1999 | Nottingham Forest | 20 (7) | 5 |
| 1993 - 1997 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 44 (10) | 8 |
| 1987 - June 1993 | Crystal Palace | 244 (5) | 35 |
| 1984 - June 1987 | Crewe Alexandra | 132 (6) | 20 |
| 1982 - March 1982 | Rochdale | 10 (2) | 1 |
| Total 485 (65) | 81 |
