Peter Thomas (20 November 1944 – 19 January 2023)[1] was an English footballer who played as a goalkeeper in England, Ireland and United States. Born in England, he made two international appearances for the Republic of Ireland.
Club career
In 1962, Thomas joined Coventry G.E.C., playing with them until 1966. That year, he played one game for Coventry City. He went on loan to Waterford F.C. in 1967 where he made thirteen appearances. Coventry City transferred him to Waterford in the summer of 1967 and he stayed with the Blues until 1975. Thomas is associated with bringing a new style of goalkeeping to the League of Ireland. He rarely kicked the ball on the offensive, throwing when possible with great accuracy. He also represented the League of Ireland XI and won five league medals and a FAI Cup medal and played in twelve European Cup matches for Waterford.
Born in England, Thomas earned two caps with the Republic of Ireland after becoming an Irish citizen. He made his debut in 1973 against Poland, keeping a clean sheet but having to come off at half time due to a pulled muscle in his stomach.[4] His second cap came against Brazil in 1974. He was back down in the ASL in 1975, this time with the Sacramento Gold.[5]
Managerial career
Thomas took over as manager of Waterford United in August 1988 but resigned in December due to work pressures.[6]