Kwame Thomas

Kwame Blair Thomas (born 28 September 1995) is an English professional footballer who plays for National League club Wrexham

Kwame Thomas
Personal information
Full name Kwame Blair Thomas[1]
Date of birth (1995-09-28) 28 September 1995
Place of birth Nottingham, England
Height 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)[2]
Position(s) Forward
Club information
Current team
 Wrexham
Number 39
Youth career
2012–2014 Derby County
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2014–2016 Derby County 4 (0)
2015 → Notts County (loan) 5 (0)
2015 → Blackpool (loan) 18 (0)
2016–2018 Coventry City 14 (3)
2017 → Sutton United (loan) 4 (0)
2017–2018 → Solihull Moors (loan) 25 (4)
2018–2019 Solihull Moors 14 (0)
2019 → Kidderminster Harriers (loan) 5 (0)
2019–2020 Doncaster Rovers 10 (3)
2020 Burton Albion 2 (0)
2020– Wrexham 20 (4)
National team
2011 England U16 1 (2)
2011 England U17 4 (1)
2014–2015 England U20 9 (2)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 14:23, 28 November 2020 (UTC)

A tall and physical player, he represented England at under-16, under-17 and under-20 level and was part of England's Under-20 Four Nations Tournament success in October 2014. At club level he came through the Derby County Academy to make his professional debut in the Championship in November 2014. He spent time on loan at Notts County and Blackpool, before leaving Derby for Coventry City in July 2016. He spent the first half of the 2016–17 season injured and Coventry went on to be relegated out of League One. He spent the next season on loan at National League sides Sutton United and Solihull Moors, before he was allowed to join Solihull on a permanent basis in February 2018. He was released by the Moors at the end of the 2018–19 campaign, following a brief loan spell at Kidderminster Harriers.

Club career

Derby County

Having made progress through Derby County academy following his two years as a scholar,[3] Thomas signed his first professional contract in the summer of 2014, just months after receiving the club's Under-21s Player of the Year award.[4][5] On 29 November 2014, Thomas made his debut as a 66th-minute substitute in a Championship defeat to Leeds United, missing a good chance to score with ten minutes left to play.[6][7] On 12 January 2015, Thomas joined League One club Notts County on a one-month youth loan.[8] On 20 January, he was sent off for a second bookable offence in a 0–0 draw at Doncaster Rovers after showing a delayed response to being substituted – "Magpies" manager Shaun Derry was also dismissed for protesting the decision; assistant manager Greg Abbott theorised that referee Richard Clark had not realised Thomas had already been booked when he initially showed the yellow card.[9] He made his return to Derby after one month at Meadow Lane as "Rams" striker Chris Martin was injured and manager Steve McClaren needed cover up front.[10][7]

On 29 July 2015, Thomas joined League One side Blackpool on a six-month loan deal.[11] He made 22 appearances for the "Tangerines", which included six starts. He was recalled early from his loan in November, much to "Pool" manager Neil McDonald's disappointment, despite Thomas's failure to score at Bloomfield Road.[12] Back with Derby he helped Rory Delap's under-21 side to win the 2015–16 Professional Development League 2 title, but left Pride Park after he was released in the summer.[7]

Coventry City

On 1 July 2016, Thomas signed a two-year contract with Coventry City.[13] Manager Tony Mowbray said that "he has a lot of assets and it's a question of moulding him in the right way because I think he's got the potential to be a really good footballer".[14] However he was hit with an abdominal injury five minutes into his second substitute appearance for the "Sky Blues" and spent the next six months in recovery.[15] He marked his recovery with his first goal for Russell Slade's side in a 3–2 defeat at Oldham Athletic on 11 February.[16] Seven days later he proved to be a "revelation" after helping Coventry to record their first win in 16 games, as he and namesake George Thomas shared City's two goals in a 2–1 victory over Gillingham at the Ricoh Arena.[17] He ended the 2016–17 season with three goals in 14 games as Coventry were relegated out of League One.[18]

Having struggled again with injury problems in the 2017–18 pre-season, he found himself low down on new manager Mark Robins's pecking order following the arrivals of Duckens Nazon and Tony Andreu, and was limited to a single start in the EFL Trophy.[19][20][21] Robins said that "he has got to go out and try to get some football because his history at the moment is he hasn't played enough games and he breaks down with injuries".[22] On 8 September, he joined National League side Sutton United on a one-month loan deal.[23] However the loan spell at Gander Green Lane was described as a "disappointing" one as he was limited to just two league starts, featuring in the full 90 minutes only once.[24]

Solihull Moors

Thomas returned to the National League on a one-month loan at Solihull Moors on 17 November 2017.[25] He scored on his Moors debut on 18 November, to salvage a 1–1 draw at Maidstone United in Mark Yates's first game as manager; assistant manager Tim Flowers said that Thomas was "unplayable" and well worthy of his one-yard tap-in goal.[26] The loan deal was extended by a further month on 5 January.[27] He left Coventry after his contract was terminated by mutual consent on 1 February 2018.[28] He made an immediate return to Damson Park and ended the 2017–18 campaign with four goals in 27 appearances for Solihull.

He failed to score in 19 matches throughout the 2018–19 campaign and was sent off during a 5–0 win over Bromley on 22 September.[29] On 15 March, he joined National League North side Kidderminster Harriers on loan.[30] He started one game for the Harriers, making four further substitute appearances, before being recalled early from his loan spell at Aggborough by Solihull manager Tim Flowers.[31] He left the club upon the expiry of his contract in the summer.[32]

Doncaster Rovers

After having trials at Port Vale and Carlisle United in July 2019,[33] Thomas was signed by Doncaster Rovers on 4 October 2019 on a short-term contract till January 2020. On 22 October 2019 he scored his first two goals for the club in a 1–7 win over Southend.[34]

Burton Albion

On 4 February 2020, Thomas signed for Burton Albion on a six-month deal.[35]

Wrexham

Kwame signed for Wrexham on 29th August 2020 on a one-year deal.[36]

International career

Born in England, Thomas is of Jamaican descent.[37] Thomas has represented England at under-16, under-17, and under-20 levels.[7][38] He scored two goals for the under-20s, in friendlies against Romania and the United States.[39] He played in all three of England's games in the Under-20 Four Nations Tournament in October 2014, which England won after finishing ahead of Germany, Netherlands and Turkey.[39] He was named in Aidy Boothroyd's squad for the 2015 Toulon Tournament in France and was an unused substitute up until the third-place play-off match at Stade Mayol, which he started; England finished fourth after losing 2–1 to the United States.[39]

Style of play

A powerful forward, he is a threat in the air and on the ground.[7] Former Derby youth coach Darren Wassall described him as a "model professional".[40] Before being released by Coventry, Academy coach Jason Farndon said that "his physicality has always been his main threat but now everyone is catching up with his physicality so he has got to reinvent himself."[28]

Personal life

Thomas grew up supporting Arsenal and idolizing Thierry Henry. He is a devout Christian. He went to school with Offrande Zanzala and the two remained good friends into adulthood.[41]

Career statistics
As of 8 January 2020
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National Cup League Cup Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Derby County 2014–15[42] Championship4010000050
2015–16[43] Championship0000000000
Total 4010000050
Notts County (loan) 2014–15[42] League One5000000050
Blackpool (loan) 2015–16[43] League One18010102[lower-alpha 1]0220
Coventry City 2016–17[44] League One143000000143
2017–18[45] League Two0000001[lower-alpha 1]010
Total 143000010153
Sutton United (loan) 2017–18[46] National League4000000040
Solihull Moors 2017–18[46] National League25400002[lower-alpha 2]0274
2018–19[46] National League14040001[lower-alpha 2]0190
Total 394400030464
Kidderminster Harriers (loan) 2018–19[46] National League North5000000050
Doncaster Rovers 2019–20[46] League One103200030163
Career total 991080109011810
  1. Appearances in Football League Trophy
  2. Appearances in FA Trophy

Honours
England U20

References
  1. "Professional retain list & free transfers 2012/13" (PDF). The Football League. 18 May 2013. p. 14. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 August 2014.
  2. "Kwame Thomas". Official Website of the Harriers - Kidderminster Harriers FC. Retrieved 8 July 2019.
  3. "Kwame Thomas". Derby County F.C. Archived from the original on 8 March 2015. Retrieved 1 December 2014.CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  4. "Derby County U21/U18 Retained List". Derby County F.C. 3 June 2014. Archived from the original on 8 March 2015. Retrieved 8 March 2015.CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  5. "Buxton Named Club Player of The Year". Derby County F.C. 30 April 2014. Archived from the original on 8 March 2015. Retrieved 8 March 2015.CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  6. "Leeds 2 – 0 Derby". BBC. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
  7. McCartney, Aidan (1 July 2016). "Who is Kwame Thomas? All you need to know about Sky Blues new signing". Coventry Telegraph. Retrieved 8 July 2019.
  8. "Kwame Thomas: Notts County sign Derby County striker". BBC Sport. 12 January 2015. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
  9. "Kwame Thomas: Notts County red card chaos avoidable - Abbott". BBC Sport. 21 January 2015. Retrieved 8 July 2019.
  10. "Derby County's Kwame Thomas And Alefe Santos Return". Notts County F.C. 12 February 2015. Archived from the original on 8 March 2015. Retrieved 8 March 2015.CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  11. "Kwame Thomas: Blackpool sign Derby County striker on loan". BBC Sport. 29 July 2015. Retrieved 8 July 2019.
  12. "Kwame Thomas: Derby County recall striker from Blackpool". BBC Sport. 26 November 2015. Retrieved 8 July 2019.
  13. "Coventry City: Kwame Thomas signs two-year deal after Derby County release". BBC Sport. 1 July 2016. Retrieved 8 July 2019.
  14. Turner, Andy (30 January 2017). "Forgotten forward returns for Sky Blues". Coventry Telegraph. Retrieved 8 July 2019.
  15. Turner, Andy (22 February 2017). "Kwame Thomas out to make his name with Sky Blues". Coventry Telegraph. Retrieved 8 July 2019.
  16. "Oldham Athletic 3-2 Coventry City". BBC Sport. 11 February 2017. Retrieved 8 July 2019.
  17. Turner, Andy (20 February 2017). "Sky Blues finally show they can fight 'til the game is won". Coventry Telegraph. Retrieved 8 July 2019.
  18. Hutchinson, Gary (10 April 2019). "'Did someone say striker?' – Many Coventry fans were right to doubt this failed 2016 signing". Football League World. Retrieved 8 July 2019.
  19. Turner, Andy (14 August 2017). "Coventry City boss Mark Robins reveals players could leave before window shuts". Coventry Telegraph. Retrieved 8 July 2019.
  20. Turner, Andy (1 November 2017). "Struggling Sky Blues striker needs to reinvent himself". Coventry Telegraph. Retrieved 8 July 2019.
  21. Turner, Andy (8 November 2017). "Kwame in from cold, double first for twins, Biamou breaks his duck". Coventry Telegraph. Retrieved 8 July 2019.
  22. Turner, Andy (10 September 2017). "Does Coventry City striker Kwame Thomas still have a future at the club?". Coventry Telegraph. Retrieved 8 July 2019.
  23. Turner, Andy (8 September 2017). "Coventry City's Kwame Thomas loaned out to non-league Sutton". Coventry Telegraph. Retrieved 8 July 2019.
  24. Turner, Andy (9 October 2017). "Sky Blues digest: All today's news in one handy package". Coventry Telegraph. Retrieved 8 July 2019.
  25. "Kwame Thomas: Coventry City loan striker to Solihull Moors". BBC Sport. 17 November 2017. Retrieved 8 July 2019.
  26. Turner, Andy (20 November 2017). "How Kwame did on his loan debut - including boss's surprise verdict". Coventry Telegraph. Retrieved 8 July 2019.
  27. "Max O'Leary and Kwame Thomas extend Solihull Moors loan deals". BBC Sport. 5 January 2018. Retrieved 8 July 2019.
  28. Turner, Andy (1 February 2018). "Coventry City striker leaves club by mutual consent". Coventry Telegraph. Retrieved 8 July 2019.
  29. "Solihull Moors 5-0 Bromley". BBC Sport. 22 September 2018. Retrieved 8 July 2019.
  30. "Duo head to Kiddy - News - Solihull Moors FC". www.solihullmoorsfc.co.uk. Retrieved 8 July 2019.
  31. "Solihull Moors call back Thomas from Harriers | Non League Daily". Retrieved 8 July 2019.
  32. "2018/19 retained list - News - Solihull Moors FC". www.solihullmoorsfc.co.uk. Retrieved 8 July 2019.
  33. Baggaley, Michael (19 July 2019). "Trialist striker gets chance at Carlisle after leaving Port Vale". Stoke Sentinel. Retrieved 19 July 2019.
  34. "Rovers sign striker Kwame Thomas". Doncaster Rovers F.C. Retrieved 4 October 2019.
  35. "BREWERS SIGN STRIKER KWAME THOMAS". Burton Albion F.C. Retrieved 4 February 2020.
  36. "Kwame Thomas signs one-year deal at Wrexham AFC". Wrexham A.F.C. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  37. "Ghanaian forward Kwame Thomas suffers injury in season opener for Solihull against Eastleigh". GhanaSoccernet. 5 August 2018. Retrieved 8 July 2019.
  38. "Derby County Trio Hughes, Ibe & Thomas Feature For England At Youth International Level". Derby County F.C. 6 September 2014. Archived from the original on 8 March 2015. Retrieved 8 March 2015.CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  39. "England Matches - Under-20's". www.englandfootballonline.com. Retrieved 8 July 2019.
  40. "Darren Wassall Hails Kwame Thomas Progress". www.dcfc.co.uk. Retrieved 8 July 2019.
  41. Baines, Ollie (21 August 2016). "Coventry City and England U20 international, Kwame Thomas: "Jesus is the source of my success"". Cross The Line. Retrieved 15 December 2016.
  42. "Games played by Kwame Thomas in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 2 July 2016.
  43. "Games played by Kwame Thomas in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 2 July 2016.
  44. "Games played by Kwame Thomas in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 31 December 2017.
  45. "Games played by Kwame Thomas in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 31 December 2017.
  46. Kwame Thomas at Soccerway
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