Footballers who have played league football for both PNE and West Brom
H-Z
25) Billy Hendry
PNE 15 apps; 0 goals
WBA 18 apps; 4 goals
PNE debut 27/03/1890 v Notts Co. (A) Won 1-0
395) Harry Jones
PNE 1 apps; 1 goal
WBA 120 apps; 54 goals
PNE debut 28/01/1993 v Charlton (H) Won 4-2
819) Kevin Kilbane
PNE 47 apps; 3 goals
WBA 106 apps; 15 goals
PNE debut 07/11/1995 v Scarborough (H) Won 2-1
679) Mick Martin
PNE 35 apps; 0 goals
WBA 89 apps; 11 goals
PNE debut 28/09/1985 v Hereford (H) Won 2-0
142) Jimmy McLean
PNE 185 apps 4 goals
WBA 57 apps; 10 goals
PNE debut 05/09/1903 v Stockport (A) Won 5-1
592) Tony Morley
PNE 84 apps; 15 goals
WBA 61 appS; 11 goals
PNE debut 06/01/1973 v Q.P.R. (A) Lost 0-3
400) Syd Rawlings
PNE 12 apps; 0 goals
WBA 10 apps; 1 goal
PNE debut 28/10/1933 v Port Vale (H) Drawn 0-0
78) Jim Stevenson
PNE 82 apps; 26 goals
WBA 120 apps; 9 goals
PNE debut 01/01/1896 v Sheffield Wednesday (A) Drawn 1-1
678) John Thomas
PNE 105 apps; 44 goals
WBA 18 apps; 1 goal
PNE debut 17/08/1985 v Peterborough (H) Lost 2-4
603) Ray Tracey
PNE 58 apps; 11 goals
WBA 21 apps; 6 goals
PNE debut 11/12/1973 v Middlesbrough (A) Lost 0-3
125) Harry Wilcox
PNE 99 apps 42 goals
WBA 17 apps; 5 goals
PNE debut 28/09/1901 v Leicester Fosse (H) Won 5-0
705) Paul Williams
PNE 1 app 0 goals
WBA 44 apps; 5 goals
PNE debut 05/01/1987 v Crewe (H) Won 1-0
Player Profile John Thomas
John Thomas was born in Wednesbury, West Midlands on 8 August 1958.
Upon leaving school in 1974 Thomas signed for Everton as a trainee but in six years with the club failed to make a single appearance. He made his Football League debut in the 1978/79 season with Tranmere after he signed for them on loan in March 1979. Thomas made 11 appearances for Tranmere, scoring twice. The following season Thomas joined Haliax on loan in October 1979, making 5 appearances.
After Everton released him at the end of the 1979/80 season Thomas signed for newly relegated Bolton. His two years at Burnden Park were however rather stop-start with John struggling to hold a regular place down in the team. He did though in his time at the club manage to play 22 league games scoring 6 goals. The goal he scored against Grimsby was the 5000th league goal for the Trotters.
After Bolton gave Thomas a free transfer he signed in July 1982 for fourth division Chester In his only season at Sealand Road John became a real favourite with the fans, comfortably finishing as the club's top scorer with 20 goals in 44 league games. He was also unsurprisingly voted Chester 's player of the season. It was however a shock to the club's fans when the cash strapped club were forced to sell their prize asset to Division Three side Lincoln for £22,000 after just one season.
His time with The Imps was however a mixed affair with Thomas struggling to find the net with any great regularity and although in his two seasons with the club he netted 18 times in 67 games it therefore came as no surprise when at the end 1984/85 they decided to cash in by selling him to recently relegated Preston for £15,000.
Thomas made his debut for PNE on the opening day of the 1985/86, scoring in the 4-2 home defeat against Peterborough. He scored regularly during the season including two braces in a 3-2 win at home to Southend on 22 March and in a 3-1 win at Scunthorpe on 4 April. Thomas formed a potent strike partnership with Gary Brazil, (who scored 14 goals during the season), but the team as a whole were performing woefully badly finishing in 91st position, therefore having to apply for re-election. Thomas however did on a personal note finish the season successfully by picking up the clubs official player of the year award for 1985/86 and was the top scorer for the club with 17 league goals from 40 appearances.
The following season was however a different story with Thomas scoring three hat-tricks before Christmas. One in the league in a 3-2 home victory against Halifax in September 1986 and two in the FA Cup against Bury and Chorley . With a new artificial pitch laid and John McGrath at the helm Preston stormed to promotion with Thomas finishing the season as the clubs leading scorer for the second season running with 21 league goals and 28 goals in total. The rumour however of a fall out with manager McGrath only increased with Thomas being dropped several times during the season to be replaced by the likes of Nigel Jemson, Frank Worthington and Steve Taylor, but kept regaining his place in the team. At the end of his contract in July 1987 he was sold much to the fans dismay to Bolton for a bargain £30,000 after finding the net 38 times in just 78 games.
His second spell at Bolton was far more successful than his first. In 1987/88 Thomas enjoyed his second successive Division Four promotion, scoring two hat-tricks during the season and appeared in the 4-1 victory against Torquay in the Sherpa Van Trophy Final at Wembley. He was club top-scorer in both the 1987/88 and 1988/89 seasons, scoring 31 times in 73 games before deciding in July 1989 to sign for his boyhood heroes West Bromwich Albion on a free transfer.
Thomas however spent the majority of his short stay at The Hawthorns on the bench managing just 1 goal in 19 games although he did score a hat-trick in a 5-3 victory for the Baggies in a League Cup tie against Bradford City at Valley Parade. Soon after however the call came from struggling Preston in February 1990.
After signing for £50,000 and helping North End to beat the drop with 3 goals from 11 appearances. But on his fifth appearance for Preston in the 1990/91 season he broke his leg on his return to Bolton on 18 September.
Thomas recovered from his injury and returned as a substitute just over a year later on 28 September 1991 at Birmingham. Thomas struggled to reach the same level again, scoring twice in 11 appearances during the 1991/92. His last appearance was in a 3-1 defeat at Exeter on 18 January 1992. His second spell for the lilywhites, Thomas had scored 6 goals from 27 league appearances.
In March 1992 Thomas was transferred to fellow Division Three side. But he only scored once in 7 appearances before he was released in the summer of 1992.
Thomas joined Halifax for the second time in July 1992 where he teamed up again with John McGrath. But he didn't score in 12 appearances and the club was destined for relegation out of the Football League at the end of the 1992/93 season.
After ending his professional playing days, Thomas has a spell with non-league side Bamber Bridge.
In a career spanning 17 years, John Thomas played 365 league games scoring 123 goals. He is still held in high regard by fans of Preston, Bolton and Chester , the three clubs who benefited most from his predatory goalscoring ability. John now lives in Cheshire and works as a sports equipment sales executive.