Wayne Thomas was so determined to be a footballer that he wrote to all 92 Football League clubs, asking for a trial. He got two replies – from Premier League QPR and fourth-tier Torquay. Both took a look at him, but Torquay were the more decisive, pitching him straight into a pre-season friendly and duly signing him as a 16-year old apprentice, as a striker who converted to centre-back when Garry Monk left Plainmoor for The Dell. Moving up a division to Stoke, Wayne was in the side that won the third tier play-offs in 2002.

George Burley tried to take him for Derby, but then lost his job. Wayne went to Burnley instead. After a season-and-a-half in charge at St Mary’s, however, Burley now got his man. With Chris Baird and Pele departed, Claus Lundekvam injured and new signing Alan Bennett all at sea, the Saints were in desperate need of a centre-back. So Wayne left Burnley for Southampton – from one Championship club to another – identifying his role, in the match-day programme for his home debut, as adding

“a certain physical presence”.

He was able to make his presence felt for much of that 2007-08 season, including a few games at right-back. But he did not feature at all, the following season, after being out of favour early on and then needing surgery for a cruciate-ligament injury incurred in training. Following relegation and the arrival of Alan Pardew, Wayne was back in, but his appearances would soon become spasmodic, as Pardew restocked with centre-backs.

Wayne now moved on and kept moving, finishing the 2012-13 season as a full-back at League Two Rochdale, on loan from Luton of the Blue Square Premier, and then joining Tamworth in that Blue Square division. Moving on to Worcester City Wayne was involved in a record-breaking 2^nd Round FA Cup-tie replay with Scunthorpe United which went to a penalty shootout. It was Wayne who missed penalty number 33 which opened the way for Scunthorpe to score nos 34 and go through 17-16.