George Thomson

THOMSON

It has been a month of landmarks for Town midfielder George Thomson, our match against Bradford in late December saw him hit 250 appearances for the club. This was followed up with the news that the 30-yearold had agreed a two-year contract extension which will see him remain in the yellow and black until 2025. For our number seven, the decision to remain a Town player beyond the end of this season was an easy one to make.

Words: Nickolas McInally

“I always wanted to stay. I hoped the gaffer would want me here and see me in his plans. Now it has been sorted, I have that security in my future moving forward.

“Anyone who is coming to the end of their contract starts to think about what is next. At the end of every season there is always a lot of players who are out of contract. However, the gaffer has been great with me and has never let me get to the very end of my deal.

“He spoke to me and told me he wanted me to stay. He sees me as a part of what the club wanted to do moving forward so it’s really nice to hear that as a player. As soon as I heard that, it was a no brainer for me. I have been here for a long time, I love the club and I love playing for the gaffer and Thirs so there was never any doubt in my mind that I wanted to stay.”

Described by many as a ‘fan favourite’ Thommo admits the description is one which he is very proud of.

“It’s nice to be viewed like that. I have been at the club for quite a while now and I would like to think that I have did some good things here. We’ve made some great memories along the way, it’s been an incredible journey in these six years and it has been great to be a part of that. The fans have been brilliant with me in my time here, I hope that they stick with us like they always have done. During that time we’ve had a lot of success and a couple of sticky periods along the way.

“However, the squad and the club is resilient, we will always keep pushing until the very end and hopefully in the second half of the season we can kick-on.”

Thomson joined the club from FC United of Manchester in 2017 and looking back. The versatile midfielder admits the journey which has followed in the six years since is not one which he was expecting.

“At the time, I was grateful to be coming back in to full-time

football. We were in the Conference North and that was a big pull for me. I was a lot younger than I am now and at that time that was always my ambition. If you would have told me, six years ago, that I would still be here playing regularly, I’m not sure if I’d of believed you. It’s been an incredible journey but I still believe I can develop further as a player and continue to improve like I have done during my time here.”

At the age of 30, Thomson is widely regarded as one of the senior players in Simon Weaver’s squad and with six years’ worth of experience, the midfielder enjoys the added responsibility of ensuring the standards within the squad are high.

“There is a handful of us who have been here for most of the journey. Obviously Warren was before me, Falks and I were about the same time and Mullers came in not long after. The old-guard know the values and what the demands of the coaches are. We like to have a changing room which runs itself. We set the standards and when new players come in we have to make sure they are on the same page.

“This summer we have brought in a lot of new faces, it was probably the biggest rebuild we’ve had during my time here so it was always going to take a bit of time to gel. I do believe we are starting to see the benefits of that in our performances and long may it continue.”

Earlier this season the midfielder found himself out of the squad through an injury sustained in the opening weeks of the season. With this being his first lengthy spell on the sidelines, Thomson took on a duty to support the players who were fit.

“I started the season and got injured at Barrow away. It’s actually my first proper injury since I have been here so it was tough. Once you get your head around it you have to be professional and upbeat. You can’t dwell on it or feel sorry for yourself because you’ve got to think about everyone else at the club.

“You can’t bring the morale down, you have to be yourself and try to help the lads who are fit and can contribute. As well as that I was doing everything I could to get back as quickly as possible. I had the little setback against Morecambe. It was the last kick of the ball and I injured a different part of my hamstring so that’s another hurdle to overcome but it’s also part of football.

“I went to as many games as I could when I was injured, I was in the changing room because I think it’s important to stay in and around the group. It definitely helps mentally because you can still have an influence on the lads because we are all in it together and pulling in the same direction.”

While the landmark of hitting 250 appearances with a club remains rare, Town’s number seven is already looking ahead to the next landmark as he prepares for two more years with the club.

“It’s another milestone that I am delighted to reach while representing this club. It’s not something that happens very often in modern football but for me now it’s about adding to that tally and hopefully I can hit that 300 landmark in the not too distant future. Obviously I have played a lot of games. I would like to think I have contributed to the team effort with goals and assists. It’s always nice to play and every player wants to be playing week in week out.

“I don’t know how common it is for players to stay at a club for as long as some of us have. It’s been a privilege to represent this club during the six years and hopefully we can make more memories in the weeks and months to come.”

A return to the first-team came in emphatic style as a long range effort from Thomson grabbed the equalizer in our 4-1 victory over Rochdale, the former Chester man admits he was pleased to be part of such a performance.

“That was my first start since the second injury and you can’t ask for much more personally. I came back in to the team and even managed to grab a goal. It was a great all-round performance from the team as well. It was almost perfect and moving forward we’ve got to try and replicate that every week. I don’t really get that nervous and never really have done but when you come back from injury there is always that little thought at the back of your mind. So when you get in to a game and play well, you can enjoy it a little bit more.

“The last thing you want is to come in and play poorly or not do yourself justice because you can drop out the team. For me it was important that I hit the ground running, to do that I had to make sure I was 100% and feel like I was ready and thankfully I was able to help the team.”

After taking the decision to become vegan around six years ago, Thomson believes this choice is one which has helped him to maintain his fitness as a player.

“My wife and I are both vegan and have been for the last five or six years. I have noticed during that time that I haven’t picked up many injuries and my recovery always seems to be quite quick. I have completed a lot of research during the last five or six years and it is something which I am quite passionate about. My reasoning isn’t for the health benefits it brings, I chose to be vegan because of the ethical issues around it so there is a deeper meaning but I do see the benefits.

“I get a lot of questions about it from people because of my build, everyone always wonders how I manage to maintain that on a vegan diet but I have never struggled. It is something I take seriously because I think in the modern game you have to. If you can gain any sort of percentage from it then it can help you continue playing for as long as possible. If you don’t look after yourself away from the training ground it’s only going to hinder you in the long run. I feel like my diet plays a big role in the player I am today, it is something that I will continue to research and learn more about because it is so important to being the best player you can be.”

Of course, no conversation about George Thomson’s time with the club would be complete without mentioning his Wembley heroics as the club won promotion to the football league. As the midfielder recalls the occasion, he admits he is still struggling to get his head around it.

“Even talking about it still gives me butterflies. It is such an unbelievable experience. I have my shirt from that game framed and on display in the house, I have the boots in my garage. They are missing a stud but they are moments that will never leave you. It’ll probably be my best memory in football, I remember going to the old Wembley for a tour when I was younger and my mum showed me the pictures before the game. It’s just incredible to know I have played there, I have scored there and we have got promoted there. Obviously since then we have gone back so we are fortunate enough to have these experiences and to say we won promotion there.”

Looking ahead to the next two years, Town’s number seven believes his vision and the club’s vision is very much aligned.

“The club as a whole is such a good club, there are good people right through it and it’s such a great place to work. I look forward to coming in to training every day and that is something which has never changed and will never change. The aim for me in the next two years is just to continue playing, to continue contributing and see where I can get to as a player. As a club and a group, we have to strive to see where we can go to.

“We want to stay in the league obviously but we want to start doing better than just staying in the division. We want to start targeting higher, there is no reason why we can’t because we aren’t stopping or settling for where we are it’s all about pushing on.”

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