Coming through the Bristol Rovers youth set-up, goalkeeper Martin Thomas earned himself a good reputation while a player and that carried on after he retired from playing the game.
Playing over 150 games for the Pirates, including his debut as an amateur when he came in for the injured Jim Eadie at Rovers in late 1976-77.
Having spent a spell on loan at Cardiff City, Thomas came in at Tottenham as cover for Tony Parks on loan in November 1982 and stayed until January 1983, playing one first team game in a friendly against the Israeli National team in Tel Aviv, while appearing in the reserves eight times.
Shortly after Thomas moved to Southend United on loan and then again to Newcastle United, before he signed permanently for the Magpies in the summer of 1983, helping them to promotion in 1983-84 and later played at Middlesbrough on loan and for Birmingham City, where he was unable to stop them being relegated, but he did play in the DAF Leyland Trophy winning team. Also featured in the Blues' promotion teams of 1991-92 and 1992-93.
Farmed out to Aston Villa and Crystal Palace on loan by Brum, Martin then moved on to play for former team-mate Lindsay Parsons, who was manager of Cheltenham Town, where he played until retirement in 1995.
Thomas qualified as a physiotherapist and is a specialist goalkeeping coach, having been employed by a number of clubs and has been heavily involved in the England national side's goalkeeping set-up since 1997.